Evening Star Newspaper, April 28, 1929, Page 56

FRONT-DRIVE CAR WIDELY DISCUSSED IMotorists Anxiously Awaiting Reinstallation of Equipment ‘} Abandoned in 1905. BY FREDERICK C. RUSSELL. Even though the front-drive car dates back to 1905, when a St. Louis com- pany commenced and abandoned the manufacture of this now widely dis- eussed type of car, the modern automo- | bile driver will have to scrap a num- | ber of his pet ideas when and if mo- | tordom goes on a froni-drive basis. Advocates of the “puller” type of au- | tomobile, while enthusiastic over the possibilities in the more perfected ver- sions of this early design, freely admit that the public must learn some new tricks if the change-over is to be a suc- | cess. | It does not appear to be nnmuy\ known by the average motorist who is eagerly awaiting the offering of long- | heralded American front-drive cars that | o0 avoid a skid the operator of the ma- | chine which delivers its power through | the front wheels does the very thing | which with a conventional rear-drive car | might be fatal. There are also some new rules to be learned about hill climb- ing, and in the general operation of such cars there will be occasion for | much turning over of new leaves in the motorist’s book of experfence. Need of Revamping Stressed. It is the need for such revamping of driving itself, rather than the construc- | tion problems, which has been delaying actual production of front-drive cars for popular consumption. Many engi- | neers and not a few manufacturers hold to the belief that the average motorist is not as yet skiliful enough wita the conventional car to risk asking him to switch to a new basis. If the rear-drive car starts to skid, | for instance, the driver does not care to risk applying more power to the rear wheels. To do so-would be to| cause them to slue around at a still | faster and less controllable rate. Ex- | perienced drivers recognize what is known as a “power skid” with Tear-| drive cars, a condition that results frem | the rear wheels trying to get ahead | of the front ones through too sudden application of power or an excess of it. | Having learned lo control such rear- wheel behavior, it doubtless will take even the most experienced drivers some time to learn the trick of giving the engine gas freely when the front-drive car tends to go into a skid. Sending a burst of power to the front ‘wheels naturally causes them to pull ahead, dragging the rear ones after | them in a straight line. This naturally straightens out the car. Tests show that with a front-drive car just about ready to spin around, & vigorous push on the accelerator will straighten it out immediately. Driver “Apt to Forget.” Even if the driver learns to do this trick, however, he is apt to forget that he must lift his foot from the accelera: tor very carefully. ines are effec- tive brakes, and with engine break- ing force applied to the front wheels it is evident that sudden closing of the throttle has the same effect as apply- ing the front brakes only. Under such conditions the rear wheels tend to go ahead and if the front ones impede this progress the rear of the car is certain to tend, to_come or left in must learn to lift his foot off it more gingerly. The front-drive type of car will change the actual braking situation slightly, and per] unfavorably, especial 'Ly.;.l brakes are in equal adjustment, there is more weight on the rear, the momentum of the car in st tends to tip this weight forward so as (o equal- ize traction on all four wheels, What happens with the front-drive car, un- less this is ironed out by changes in Cesign, is that the transfer of the gears, shafts and differential to the front tends to make it “front” heavy. In this case it is easy to understand how a sudden stop from high over a slippery road might reduce traction | on the rear wheels to the point where the car would start to skid. Of course, the driver can pull the car out of this instantly by W on the gas, But will he think of doing Tnl? And suppose the path ahead is obstructed 80 that he must stop. Indianapolis made good use of front-drive cars be- cause they are trained to “wind up” the engine when any other dri reaching for the brakes, ce driver speeds up when he wants to take a turn safely, and he can do this even more effectively with front-drive, That is one reason why he is generally en-, thusiastic for this type of car. The public has had to learn many & new trick to keep pace with the suto- mobile, and it is generally believed that it will be equal to any demands im- | posed by the change-over to & type of drive that has been siow to make head- way in motordom. It is believed, how- ever, that while awaiting the develop- ment drivers could profit by thinking in terms of how it feels to be at the wheel of a car that operates on such & radi- | cally different principle. More care will be needed in handling these cars because of the fact that so much of the vital mechanism is con- | connection with the motor | clent set-up of the present-day engine | iway stars have ver would be | o (Title registered U. 8. Patent Office.) designed. by { Washington m’l':( flmnnsddfi‘d st BALANGE OF AUTO MAKES BIG STRIDE Reasonable Care Will Assure 0:vner of Efficient Plant, Says Coolican. The remarkable balance built into | %oday's engines is an outstanding ele- | ment wherein the automobiles of 1929 have been improved over those of a decade ago. This balance means to | owners increased operating efficiency and better performance. That these points are deserving of attention is the opinion expressed by | Oscar Coolican, local distributor, who says that in no respect has the auto- | motive engineer done a better job than in making the modern engine an in- herently well balanced one, ‘Through many agencles and numer- ous refinements affecting virtually every part of the motor, the engineer achieved his end: namely, that of gain- ing the greatest possible degree of bal- ance. It is true, of course, that the car as a whole now is a better balanced one than that of former years, but I believe that the engineering effort in of especial im) but_little not g publie, “The engineer is dealing with re- ‘markably mciu factors in building engine. pyramiding of a few slight errors here and there will result in wholly undesirable engine operation. ‘The engineer will be content with noth- ing less than perfect performance, and to gain perfect performance he first must have something closely approxi- mating perfect balance. “The effort to achieve this goal has been beset with endless technical dif- ficulties. Obviously, in the truest sense the end has not been achieved. Abso- lute rrlecuon perhaps is impossible. Yet, through years of research in the laboratories, on the mtln, Trounu and in the greatest crucible o —the pub- lic streets and highways—the engine in the 1929 automobile has reached a point which seemed almost impossible of ac. ishment a scant few years ago. i with tgry inpmv:ug:t 'hlcl; engineer has wrought, one o balance somet) of the car owner. Reasonable care and fairness in operation—given these two intelli- gently the car owner will get years of balanced service from his engine. “Deliberately to bresk down the effi- rtance and has from the car-| is wasteful in the extreme. the car owner f s loser in such instance. 4l m;t that v:o'l: didly hlln:l‘d’ vantage o ndidis unit which years of concentration have enabled the automotive industry to put into the latest car?” MILADY’S MOTORING BY FREDERICK C. RUSSELL. Just what & man means when he looks at the cer ahesd and says, “I knew there was & woman at the wheel,” is entirely up to the party under ob- servation. The ammeter may seem like man’s province, but women who drive their ter when applying the brakes. 1If | there is no additional flicker of the pointer toward the discharge side, the stop signal at the rear of the car is not | working, | T was talking with a woman yecently {who said she always feared stopping on & hill because the car rolled back- | ward a little when she started up again. I think ahe was speaking for a |few miilion women and many addi- tional millions of men as well. Yet Obviously, the biggest ease | clutel as. L is let in and the engine is given Some drivers hold their right oot on the brake pedal, easing off on | | this while feeding gas with the hand | control, Either plan answers. ‘There is nothing to fear if the en- gine heat indicator rises consideral after the engine has been switched ‘The water on top of the ine N | urally gets hotter when it stops cir- COLOR HARMONIES ON AUTOS MATCH VARIETIES IN DRESSE Car Makers Quick to Note Stylish Trend. Some Distinctive and Charming Effects Gained. before. For just as the Paris gown of BY HOWARD KETCHAM, dvisory Service. Director Paint Advisory Service lzhu var B (e netedt e | automobiles- may keep in touch with the is more important this year than ever Color has always been an important | part 'of the style for both men's and |newest mode as dictated by feshions. women’s clothes, but never so much so0| At present browns, beiges, red browns | Fr lashing American Nighway Educations! Boreas, Washingien: D.C. {en’s gowns, s ~—By James W. Brooks (Sketches by Calvin A. Fader.) and. " pent, tothe int?& doo; thcm%;d;é:kmmmfi:flm was buried. tothe right 't%lm inner door. Next-Bunder BLIND’ BACKING HIT AS MENACE TO LIFE gerous Practice, Increasing in Capital, Should Be Curbed, Jose Declares. The practice of many motorists of backing their cars without looking to see where they are going is & dangerous one, costly to limb and property, and should be avoided always, accordin3 to Rudolph Jose, local motor car dealer, who says “blind backing” is being pra ticed on an increasing scale by motor- Ists_in Washington. “One needs but to watch motorists leave parking space on any busy thor- oughfare to realize that here is an evil that is growing and should be curbed immediately.” he declared. “Instead of turning abou* and glancing at the space behind, the average driver is content to back his machine until it bumps into the one behind. “The motorist seems to forget that this practice is certain to injure some one else’s property, in addition to his . Own, bumpers or no bumpers, and that of far greater importance, of course, is ‘he fact that a person passing between the two cars is likely to be struck. “After all, not to give heed to where one is going when parking or coming out of tdp-rklnl space is in jts wav quite as dangerous as the practice of driving with one’s head turned in con- of USNatal Obseruators | lacquer manufacturer and the perfe.t| thing different to it. It is, in other lacquer color made to correspond. As | words, in perfect taste. |an example, the sun tan idea in wom-| Gabrielle Chanel, who is responsible ponsored by the leaders in | for the new tri-color note in sports the silk and textile industry, has popu- | dress, sponsors another delightful hai larized colors that heighten the effect mony for a convertible cabriolet. She | and harmonize with sunburned com-| would have the entire body done in| | plexions which have been so modish | mais, the fenders in cobalt blue, mold- recently. ings and wire wheels in Dante red | | (dark, brilliant red), top and upholstery in cobalt blue, the moldings to be | Louched with a pale gold bronze stripe. Idea Spreads Rapidly. versation with some one on the rear idea for color treatment of & sedan. In °3%, this case the entire body of the coupe, , /It makes no e including the fenders, is to be lacquered otorist may be in handling his car rust gold, with moldings and wire Conditions today demand his closest wheels In Borgia wine, window reveals 8tShtion. in crater smoke, and a silver stripe on motorist would not Modern color contrast was first intro- duced in women’s gowns by Madeline | Paquin, and from that start has spread through the motor world. These Paris couturiers have, in fact, extended the | scope of their color creations more | widely during the last two years, and this year several of them, from their perfect knowledge of the Paris color trends, have sponsored extremely inter- esting color combinations for automo- biles, making use of the tones that they as at the present time, when beautiful and blues are at the top of the style |are using in silk and rayon every day. new shades and tints are being brought and represent the colors fashion has out every year. particular every year sees the introduc- | car manufacturers have been quick to|roadster: Paquin, for instance, gives this as a In dress fabrics in|sealed with its approv_l for 1929. Motor | usable color contrast scheme for a sport Body and wheels in char- tion of new color ideas and harmonies. |sense the importance of this color style | treuse, moldings and fenders in broca- Now the newest colors for automo- | trend, and have been showing cars biles have begun to keep pace with lacquered in «.lors to match the latest these fashions, and so the refinishing | Paris color creations, particularly where, of your car, if you are the sort of per-|as is true in many cases, the color name | | son who wants to be abreast of the style, of the silk has been taken over by the'to the eye. rs | telle green, the car to be upholstered to match the green of the fenders and moldings. That eolgr scheme is not at | 21l eccentric, nor is it loud and riotcus | But it has a note of some- | Drecoll, who is a leader in all that is sophisticated in color creations, has this | idea for a coupe: Entire body and fenders pandora blue, with the window reveals, moldings and wire wheels in w|);1mer green. That is simplicity it- self. Paul Poiret has been credited with much that is exotiz in color harmony, and has designed a daring color treat- ment for the popular convertible phae- ton. Poiret’s scheme calls for the en- tire body and wire wheels in old gold, fenders and moldings in leaf brown, a stripe of white on moldings and canvas | top, upholstery in brown. In this case the use of white on top of brown repre- | the moldings. The above color harmonies show that there is little danger of having one's car too individual in its coloring. These couturiers are not afraid to be differ- ent, although it will be noticed that in | every case the color harmony is re- tained, and whether we think we would like the particular color scheme or not they are always in perfect taste. e use of blue green and old gold is an- other thing worth noticing, and Poiret’s use of a white stripe on rown mold- ing may have in it an idea that is worth experimenting with. = e F Legion Post Plans Race. ‘The American Legion at Banning, Calif, has fallen into line with the Glendale Post to promote the first race over its track at Banning on Memorial day under a regular sanction. The race dream of driving down Pennsylvania | avenue or P street with a bandage over | his eyes. Why does this same motor- ist think he can go backward without his sense of sight to guide him? “The ‘why’ of it is one of those in- explicable things about motoring. But inexplicable or not, the practice can- | not _be decried too heartily. | “Mitigation of this particular evil Iwnuld be a distinct step forward. Nor | to take it is to violate a fundamental ’drlvin[ principle; a principle whose consistent violation must inevitably re- sult in mishap of one form or anof o i ‘The mile dirt track at Toledo, Ohio, is being improved this year to further meet the requirements of national rac- ing authorities on safety to drivers and spectators. A cyclone wire fence was erected in the Fall of 1928 along the | home stretch and this is being con- sents a new accent note in decoration, | will carry points for the Southwestern | tinued around tifé entire track this year, as well as something new for the auto- States dirt track championship, the mobile. Luclen Lelong has conceived a new winner of the title becoming the perma- nent possessor of a new silver trophy. ANNOUNCING THE APPOINTMENT of making it impossible for spectators to | get on the course while an event is in | progress. SAUNDERS MOTOR CO. 3206 M STREET N. W., WASHINGTON, D. C. —as authorized dealers for the NEW SUPERIOR FOURS We take great pleasure in announcing the appointment of Saunders Motor Co. as authorized dealers for Whippet Fours and Sixes in this city. It is felt that the prin- cipals of this organization require little, The policy of delivering value to every customer i dollar for dollar n every transac- tion is the reputation upon which the past success of Saunders Motor Co. has been founded. This policy w: adhered to in the future ill be faithfully and every mem- centrated at the front end, where col- | culating, though this condition will be lisions are more prevalent. To bumD|nnly temporary, the car ahead may be a costly process, | — rather than a matter of offering Has your garage & small door leading | apology, and the net result of this | to the house? It 30, keep it closed be to minimize this type of needless when you start the motor, otherwise collision. Money talks. | the exhaust fumes may be drawn into Driving always has played sn impor- | the garage because of a slight current tant role in determining the amount of [ of air between the main doors, which if any, introduction to the local motoring public. They have built a very consid- erable and loyal clientele of customers among the thousands of motor car operators ber of the organization will at all times . be found ready and willing to give every possible service to Whippet owners and to the motoring public in general servicing a car needs, and it is appar- ent to those who are studying the front- | drive situation that the success of this type car from a service standpoint will rest largely with the way it is handled by the owner. Difficulties on Speedways. On the speedway one of the difficul- ties with this type drive has been found 10 be a tendency toward abnormal strain | on the king pin. Knowing the engineer- ing problem involved may be helpful to the owner who appreciates the value of careful Jubrication and avoldance of all unnecessary strain Because front-drive cars can g0 around corners at & remarkably fast rate in safety. the driver who goes on this new basis will do well to give & thought to his tires. Already misuse of the power of the cars of the year is re- sulting in abnormal wear of the treads of rear tires, and it is easy to see that increasing the rate of acceleration while the front tires are actually in process of swiveling for & twn will not cut the rubber bill If front-drive is accepted by the in- | dustry as the proper mode of propul- sion, it probably will not be until motor= ists generally are “front-drive minded.” (Copyright, 1929, by the Russell Service.) Engine Performance Amazes. Duray's experiments on the coast with Miller engines have developed some performance figures that seem almost unbelievable even to the racing world. ~ With an_engine having less than ‘half the cubic inch acity of ! the lowest price stock cars on the market, Duray has succeeded in getting 282 brake horsepower at 8,300 revolu- tions per minute. | should be open, and the small door. Thoughts while following an experi- enced woman driver on & crowded | highway: She drives steadily, as evidenced by the fact that the stop signal does not | light up nor do puffs of smoke come from the exhaust as would be the case {if she lifted her foot from the accele- | rator suddenly. She keeps both hands |on the wheel. There is an even mar- gin between the shoulder of the road and the right wheels of her car. She never passes another car without first | | signaling the driver behind. | "Obviously not a man-taught driver! | I have been asked why it is that the car cannot be shifted to low gear with- out a racket in the transmission. This | happens when the clutch pedal is | pressed out for a start, according to | the reader’s description of the trouble. The remedy for this is as simple as the cause. Because the clutch plates drag, the driven member of the clutch ; does not stop rotating when the pedal |13 pressed to the floor. All the driver need do is to switch off the engine, sel the emergency brake, place the { gears in low, press out the clutch pedal {and crank the engine again. Slowly let in the clutch and feed gas to keep | the engine from stalling. With the | brakes applied the engine stalls after !a few moments of this treatment, but | in the meantime the ciutch plates have been forced to slip and this smooths off their faces so that the dragging usually ceases It the trouble continues of course the car should be taken to a service station. Sometimes a feature of the clutch known as its “brake” needs at- tention. (Copyright, 1020, by the Russell Service.) i in this and surrounding cities through previous contact and are now prepared to carry on as the representatives of Willys- Overland, Inc., with every facility to make that representation all that motorists would desire. The public are cordially invited to attend the opening and formal showing of the complete line of New Superior Whippet Fours and Sixes. The display of models will comprise a complete showing in various body types in both open and closed models so that ample opportunity will be had for * the inspection of any model or type to suit the particular needs of any prospective purchaser. Thoroughly modern and fully adequate service facilities will be maintained at 3240 Prospect Avenue. WILLYS-OVERLAND, INC., TOLEDO, OHIO ot -SPECIAL SHOW ALL WEEK—ALL WHIPPET MODELS ON DISPLAY Zone Office 926 Muu;y Bldg., Phone Metropolitan 2147