SKPTEMRE't l4T H 1 1907

THE AUTOCAR B 3ournal publisbeb in tbe interests of tbe mecbanicallf propelleb roab carriage.

EDITED BY H. WALTER STANER.

No. 6zr. Vo L. XIX. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER r4TH, r907. [PRICE"f.3D .

Tlf E A UTOCAR.

(Published Weekly. )

Registered as a new~paper for transmission in the United Kingdom.

Entered as second-class matter in the New York (N.Y.) Post Office.

EDITORIAL OFFICE :

COVENTRY.

PUBLISHING OFFICES :

2.J , TUDOR STREET, LONDON, E.C., ENGLAND.

CONTENTS.

PAGF.

NOTCS • .

4n-4t'.Z

USEFUL Hons AND TIPS: SING A SPARE i\lAGNETO AS AN ENGINE

STARTING DEVICE l!LLUSTRATED)-BE.NT SECURITY BOLTS-A STEPNEY \\"HEEL TIP · • 4 1 3 A NEW GEARLESS MAGNETO (lt .. LUSTRATED } 414 -415 SOCIETY OF MOTOR i\IANUFACTURERS AND TRADERS THE Six- CYLINDER PoRTHOS CAR (ILLUSTRATED) ELECTRIC TYRE REPAIRING (ILLUSTRATED) TOURING THE \ VORLD lN A MOTOR CAR (ILLUSTRATJ-: D ) .. THE MAJA CAR (ILLUSTRATED) CONTINENTAL NOTES AND NEWS ( lLL USTRATED) . . ECHOES OF THF. BRESCIA CIRCUIT • • THE FLORIO CUP RACE (ILLUSTRATED) • • i\lOTOR RACING AT BROOKLAND~ THE M.P. CAR llLLUSTRATED) THE R.A.C. lNDtTSTRIAL VEHICLE TRIALS (ILLUSTRATED) AN htPROVE:D CAPE H oon {ILLUSTRATED) • • CORRESPONDENCE A DIARY OF i\IoTORI NG IX SOUTH AFRICA (ILLUSTRATED) SO:\tE CRITICIS:\IS. Bv R. L . J EFFERsox .• AN AUSTRALIAN CAR (ILLUSTRATED ) FLASHES • • THE G11.LETT-L EI-IMANN (ARBURETTER ( I LLUSTRATED) .. A NEW TYRE- THE BRAMLEY VALVE ATTACI-Dtr:NT .. CLUB DOINGS (ILLUSTRATED ) THE DISPOSAL OF SECOND-HA:SD CARS A \YEEK-END RUN ON A BROWN CAR

.. . p5 4r6 -418 . . 418

• • 4'9 420.421 422.423 · · 4 23 4 24-425 · · 425 426-427

, . 427 . . 428 429 -433 434-435 435 -436 · · 436 437-439 440- 441 · · 44 1 · · 44 2

l : >.tPORTS AND EXPORTS 50)IF. QUFRIES ANO REPLIES • . SOME RECENT PATENTS

443 H3 444 · · 445

445

"THE AUTOCAR " SUBSCRIPTION RATES : l3ritish l sles, 16s. Abroad (thin p1rer edition), 22~. 8<1. rer annum

/

otes. Three or Four Speeds. A year or more ago when some remarkable dri,·es without changing gear had been made some 1niters on motoring subjects lost th ei r heads . They urged that beca use powerful six-cylinder ars had performed these single gear feats th e tim e had come for cutting down the number of gears. According to th em, four speeds were no longe r nece sary ; three speeds " ·ere enough for any car, and really, conside ring al l things , two were perhaps better. At th e time we vigorously combated the idea, and th e foolish counsels of the two and three gear advocate were shown in their true light. The tendency of the practical designer of to-day is not to reduce the number of speeds, but rath e r to add to them, and we hear that several cars which have hitherto had three speeds are m future to be provided with four.

It should be understood that in making these remarks we regard the high-pmYered six-cylinder car as being almo t outside the question. The pros and co ns in this case between three and four speeds are so nearly balanced that the better compromise cannot be rega rded as finally settled. P erson ally, we lean towards the fourth-that is, the geared up fourth even for quite high-pm1·ered six-cylinder cars, not with the idea of in c reasing speed, but rather to save need less. engir.e revolution, though here again additional friction is introduced into the gear box, so that when one con sideration is balanced by another we are brought back to our original statement that the matter i so finely balanced that we confess at th e moment we do not feel qualified to state definitely whether three or four is the better, and, what is more, we do not think anyone else is qual ified to state it either unless he has owned and used practically sister six-cylinder cars of between 40 h. p . and 60 h. p., one with four . peed. and the· othe r " ·i th three.

\ Vhen we turn from these powerful and luxurious: car , 1Yhi ch a re necessarily in the minority, to those ol more moderate powers there is no question whate,·er that four . peeds are in every ,my preferable to three . \V e need not recap itulate the argum ents 1Yhich support this statement, as they have been gi,·en more than once in these columns, but 1Y e say most emphatica lly that th e a ,·erage motorist who wishe to have a car with a decent turn of speed, and at the sam time one which will be moderate h- economical to run and maintain will b in a lm ost e1·ery way bette r off 11·ith. say, four speeds and 20 h.p. than with three speeds and 30 h.p . He will not only have a car in th e 20 h .p. which is to al l intents and purposes, so far as driving in this country is concerned, as fas t, but he will ha,·e one which is lighter in itself, lighter on tyres, a much smal l con umer of petrol, and quieter and smoother in running.

The idea that it is onh· necessan· to inrrease the power and reduce the number of speeds is beautiful on paper, but ctoes not work well in practice . a it simply mea ns that one is obliged to have a huge engine which. even when throttled down . is necessarily extravagant in petrol. for running an engine almost continually at a great deal below its mean power is. so far as fuel is concerned . at least as wasteful as ove rd riving it. Then again, if it is to be able to martly climb average hill s without a change of gear it will be simply tearing round at a ridiculous and unnecessary speed when runnin g on the level. The fl exibilit,· of the internal combusti on e ngine has been extraordi~arily improved in the last few year,s.. but its limits at present are evidently not recognised by the visionaries ,Yho advocate th ree or fewer speeds for average cars.

What we have never been able to unde rstand is whY these advor:ates of three speeds instead of four should' be so violently opposed to a fourth speed . They seem to think that ( .is fourth speed is more objectionable-