Los Angeles herald., 1908-12-13
QUERIES AS TO
BEST MOTOR CAR
EXTENSIVE INVESTIGATION BY
CHICAGO PAPER
TIRES, OIL, AUTOMOBILE MADE
SUBJECT OF INQUIRY
leading Financial Journal Consults
Owners, Dealers and Others, with
Interesting Return of Valu-
able Data

Somewhat of a surprise was sprung
recently On the motoring trade ana
those who go about in motor cars by
the announcement of a financial jour
nal published in Chicago that it would
endeavor to learn what automobile, II
any, was the best. An investigation
was begun simultaneously in several
eastern and middlewest cities ana
after an impartial inquiry and care
full investigation of the accumulated
data it was stated in a very well writ
ten article that the Haynes machine
WAS the best car on the market TO-DAY
because it was the least expensive 10
maintain and give the least trouble
with the longest life. Diamond tires
were pronounced the best tires and
Panhard oil was said to be the pest
lubricant for gas motor cylinders.
Owners, drivers, dealers, repair men
and manufacturers were consulLed ana
Questioned during the investigation,
and the matter was considered from
every standpoint that could be sug-
gested. The attitude that the manu-
factl1rers assumed toward the inYes-
tigation was interesting Some re-
scented any such effort being put torth,
while others automatically tried 10
have the article written by their own
Of the purchase of advertising or
thousands of copies of the magazine
for distribution.
No advertising was solicited from
automobile concerns, nor was any &C
cepted by the magazine printing the
article and it's standing and evident
purpose were conclusive proof to most
of its readers that it had gone into the
matter fairly and without bias.
Consult Garages and Owners
The records of the garages and re-
pair shops and the reports OF owners
was the principal source Of the data
upon which the final deductions were
based. and the demand for cars ana
tires by secondhand dealers indicated
plainly that there was a large amount
of service to be gotten from the Haynes
and the Diamond tires. Several other
makes of cars ran close in many ways
to the Haynes, but none averaged so
well in every way.
The report on the Panhard oil was in
direct line with that of Prof. Gill of the
Massachusetts, Institute of Technology,
who has submitted to him for analysis
a number OF numbered samples of vart-
Gus lubricants. He pronounced Pan
hard freer from tarry substances and as
possessing more lubricating qualities
than any of the other samples SUBJ
cept as to a number.
II was found in the course of the ip~
Vestigations that many of the Ills that
are laid to many of the standard oils
on the market are not due to any great
fault in the oils themselves, but to the
improper handling and application of
them by the driver of the car in which
they were used.
Remarkable Tire Test
An interesting fact was brought out
relative to the long life of Diamond
tires when an Old-style machine was
found in a backyard where it had suf-
fered the storms of several winters.
All four of the tires were hard with
air pressure after standing at least
four years, and when the pump was
applied to one of them it took a pres
sure of 102 pounds to burst the casing,
which gave way then where it had been
injured. 1t was the uniformity of the
tires. however. and their tendency to
wear evenly in pairs that won first
place for Diamonds.
1t was slight cost of keep and
minimum OF engine trouble that stood
out the strongest for the Haynes
part of the investigation that covered
the number of disabled machines found
on the road told strongly in favor of
the Haynes.
To be sure, the investigation was not
such as would prove conclusiyely that
any one machine was better or any
other was worse as a class, because
there were conditions prevailing in
some sections not covered that might
have materially changed the results,
but the investigation was very inter-
esting from the point of view that it
was the first and only known attempt
to answer that oft repeated question,
(which is the best automobile?"