New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-07-10
SMITH FOR ROAD RUNS
Auto Maker Says. They Give Car
a Real Test.
SHOW ABILITY OF MOTOR
Far Harder for Machine to 60
$500 Miles Over Roads than
Same Distance on Track.

AS long as men continue 20 be interested
In the comparative speed OF automobiles.
the battle Will be wage6 between track
contests and road tours as methods OF
fixing the structural values OF competing
cars. Much has been said on both sides.
and reams Of paper VIII doubtless be used
in the future.
President H O. Smith OF tire Premier
company, which won the CsIidder tour was
one OF the few factory ortcials OF executive
rank on that tour He has come out very
definitely in favor OF the endurance run
as furnishing the best possible test for
automobiles He says.
II am not against racing. as seems 20 be
the prevalent opinion I DO not think. how
ever, that racing furnishes the information
TO the public and 20 the maker as TO the
weaknesses Of any cars or the particular
strength OF others. as does the reliability
contest.
face as a requirement for speed without
grades and with no bumps The coursstinz
cars are stripped Of bodies relieved OF pas
senger loads and all weight possible so that
there fs no chance for a comparison OF the
results obtained in this way with those ex-
pected by the private owner upon the road.
at least. as far as relates 20 tires. springs
frames and other parts. even including the
motor The question OF load carrying Is
very largely eliminated IN the test On these
parts on a track and, as for the engine
test, in a speed event the motor - SUB
jected 70 a comparatively Uniform steady
load. while N road reliability contests. Or
with automobile in use on the road the
| load varies extremely. from smooth to
| billy and rough road
tremes Of conditions very abruptly Il Is
a recognized fact that steady. heavy load
on an engine in a power plant ia not so
trying on the engine is a varying strain
where it is light one minute and subjected
70 extremely heavy conditions the nsxt
Few persons realize what It means TO
attempt TO maintain a schedule Of twenty
two OF twenty-three miles an hour on the
road. day in and day out. and for every
minute Of the time on the road An ex-
pertinent will prove how difficult this IS
particularly II the driver Is careful 20 see
that he Is charged with all the time from
the start to finish. no stops or allowance
made and deducted This will be found
hard even on roads adjacent 20 cities. and
is Of course more difficult IN the reliabil-
ity contests, where the going Is cortiru-
Gus. day after day, over strange roads. and
often over no roads.
"A perfect or good score in one OF these
contests Is all the more appreciated when II
is remembered that IL Is impossfble 70 re-
place a part 70 grind a valve, 70 even
tighten a bolt, without penalty. ANY one
who has attended one OF our large racing
events, and has seen the amount OF work
done on the average car within one hun
bred miles will see what II means for q
car TO go twenty-five hundred 20 TIRES
thousand miles without being permitted 20
adjust or repair it. These accomplishments
again are all the more remarkable when
one considers that at the conclusion OF
run the car IS torn down by mechanical
experts, and II there IS deransed part or
q loose connection or a loose bolr- or
anything wrong. the car is yet subject to
penalty.
IN Europe racing was ar it's height four
or five years ago. There IL some racing
done in Europe yet. but the foreigners at
tentton IS now turned 20 endurance con-
tests For example, IN the Prince Henry
Trophy competition, IN Germany, the great
reliability run corresponding 70 the Gldcen
Tour, there are 132 entries this year, and
they represent the foremost concerns OK
Europe"