MAT ITlH 1 1907,
THE AUTOCAR B 3ournal publisbet, in tbe interests of tbe mecbanicalll? propellet, roat, carriage.
EDITED BY H. WALTER STANER.
No . 603. VoL. XVIII. SATURDAY, MA y IITH, 1907.
[PRICE 3D.
TlfE AUTOCAR.
(Published W eekly. )
- Registered as a newspaper for transmission in the United Klngdom.
Entered~as second. class matter in the New York (N.Y.) Post Office.
EDITORIAL OFFICE :
COVENTRY.
PUBLISHING OFF ICES:
2 0 , TUDOR STREET, LONDON, E .C., ENGLAND.
CONTENTS.
PAGE
NOTES,. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 671-672 USEFUL HINTS AND TIPS: To CARRY SPA'RE CoATs-WHEELS
OUT OF TRACK (ILLUSTRATED)-RADIAT0R FAN ]MPROVEMENT (ILLUSTRATED) • • • • • •
THE 24 H.P. DE LA BUIRE CAR (ll.LUSTRATED)
673
• • 674-677
fROME'S HILL CLIMB (ILLUSTRATED) • • • . • • • • • • 678-682 THE LONG DISTANCE StDDELEY TRIAL-SCOTTISH RELIABILITY
TRIAL • • , • • • • • • • . • • • • •
682
AN AUTOMATIC LONGUEMARE CARBURETTER (ILLUSTRATED) • •
683
POLICE-TIMED ROADS {ILLUSTRATED) . • • • • • • . • • 684•685 CONTINENTAL NOTES AND NEWS; THE PROVENCAL CIRCUIT-
THE KAISER CUP-TRIAL OF Two-CYCLE ENGINES-THE INFLUENCE OF RACING-Moscow ST. PETERSBURG RACE . . 686·688 SUSSEX POLICE JUNKETING 688 MTER TEN THOUSAND MILES • • 689 To FROME's HILL BY RoAo 690 CORRESPONDENCE • • • • • • 691-695 EXHAUST GAS ANALYSIS . . . . . . . . . . 696-697 . A NOVEL DEMONSTRATION OF RELIABILITY • • 698 SAFETY GLASS FOR SCREEN (ILLUSTRATED) • • 698 LONDON-PARIS MOTOR SERVICE,. • . • • 698 PETROL AND STEAM IN COMPANY (ILLUSTRATED) . • 699 FLASHES • • • • . • . • • • 700-702 3,000 MILES ON STUDDED TYRES . • 703 LONG DISTANCE RELIABILITY TRIAL • • 703 A SURREY RUN ON AN 18•24 H . P . AUSTIN • • . • . • . • 704 CLUB DOINGS • • . • . • • • . . . . . . • • 705 706 THE EFFECT OF VARIATIONS IN CYLINDER 5JZE1!. IN RELATION TO
HEAT EFFICIENCY • • • • . . . , . • . , • • 707-708 SOCIETY OF AUTOMOBILE MECHANIC DRIVERS-REVIEWS., 708
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Notes. Th ings Not Understood. Driving as we do in a ll sorts of cars and under a ll weather condition., we have been ver)' much struck with the fact that many motor car manufacturers who make th eir own carriage bodies and carriage builders who specialise upon motor ca r bodies do not know the elements of their business. This is a strong statement to make, we kn ow, but, unfortun at e ly , it is only too easily justified. ,Ye g i, ·e a fe\\· instances among many. Why is it that many seats, particularly back seats, are made so high from the floor and so exceedingly deep from the front t o back that only very long limbed men can sit comfortably? The average man or woman must ha,·e a high hassock at the feet a nd one or more cush ion s at the back if any approach to comfort is to be obtained. We have been told when mentioning these matters that the seats must be made big enough for anyone . This is a reasonable statement, but it requires qualification, because the majority of people are well insid e six feet, and we have found by repeated experiments that it is quite possible for a tall man to be comfortable upon a seat which is just about the right height and depth for the average person; but it is out of the question for the person of average height to be comfortable upon a seat which is only suitable for a son of Anak.
Then, again, the shape of the backs of the seats is quite often entirely wrong-they are hollowed out where they should be convex. We abstain from dealing with the method of stuffing and springing, though we must say that in some very high-class and expensive cars, in which no attempt is made to unduly economise material, the stuffing, though of best quality, is quite unsuitable for motor work, as the effect is precisely the same as that of a feather bed which is not sufficiently stuffed. One 's bones sink into it so far that the cushion, which the maker no doubt thought was delightfully soft, becomes most uncomfortable. In fact, it is more uncomfortable than a seat which is rather too hard. The question of back draughts in open cars is not understood at all by most body makers. They make a body that is fr ee from this tiresome defect, and the next one is so bad that one has to turn up one's collar and button down the cap flaps or wake up nex t morning with a stiff neck. This shows that they do right by chance.
As to wind screens and hoods, very few firms have ca refully studied these, and, although the screen may be perfectly satisfactory when th e hood is down, in many cases the combination of screen and hood when the hood is up is most uncomfortable. The draughts to which all the occupants of the car are subjected are positively distressing, simply because th e wrong space between the screen and hood is given and th e front of the hood is th e wrong shape. The most practical combination is that which provides a screen over wh_ich the driver can just look by sitting quite upright , and t he space between it and the ex tensio n of the hood is sufficient for him to get a clear view of the road, but not great enough to c reate a draught. \Vith a vertical screen there is a curren t shooting straight upward a certain number of inches above the screen, and if the opening is not too great there is no draught either for back or front occupants of the car, as it i. beaten back by the vertic a l current above th e face of the screen . Not only so, but scarce ly any rain beats into th e front of the car, and one can drive in heavy rai n in goggles or spectacles without th e glas. es getting wet. The correct combination , however, depends upon a thorough understanding of the various dimensions, which can on ly be ascertained by practical experience on the road and by careful trial and error tests. These tests ha,·e been made by ve ry few makers, and th ey have quite naturally kep t the results to themse lves.
