New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-11-08
AUTOMOBILE MAY
Be BUILT TOO LIGHT
George w. Durham Points
Out the Essentials of
Construction.
CIITTING DOWN CAN
BECOME A MENACE
p.o,er Distribution lnsures
Safety and Economy Along
with Maximum Comfort.

Prominent among those points most
..,,rally discussed during the present
sssson. regarding the different asses
- .rtorobile construction, has been
'.'.;rbt That weight in u motor T is
~. mere matter Of opinion, but one
.L,t should be scientifically deter
ne ms according 90 the work TO be
- hV each part, is the opinion Of
S.a,ce ". Durham, consulting engl-
w 81 the Chalmers Motor Company.
vsTLere Is no doubt that some OF the
,.;isers have followed the lure of
y-It weight too far said Mr.. Dun
N a recent interview. The chm
iH..,on Of superfuous weight is de
hishlv a GOOD thing, but in the strug-
ie 80 secure mere lightness many de-
ss:r,ers have gone 10 extremes, reduc-
:,s The factors Of endurance ana sta
h;s+v beyond all reason.
~ seems foolish 20 suppose that any
.s1rfscturer put. extra weight into
40 ser when he can avoid II. In the
s-s, nlsce. the cost of material Is the
In item Of expense in producing an
,H""s.onobile. Excessive use of fine
81 49, bronze. brass and aluminium
s;r.niv As raw materials alone brings
yn ne manufacturing cost = car
rpeh more than one would realize.
sFrom the other viewpoint, " seems
.. No nreposterous 20 suppose that any
msnufscturer would wilfuliy increase
- Sssolene consumption Of his car or
raise the cost Of tire maintenance Tor
- users hy adding unnecessary
weight, especially when any extra
weight means an unnecessary increase
~ he cost 10 the builder himself.
ave all realize that the users in
sorsement is the strongest selling
noint which can be made for any car,
and the builder who does not do every
.h; T consistent with efficient manu-
fscturinc 20 satisfy his customers is
simply committing business suicide.
III has been argued that heavier con-
s,rvction allows the use Of cheaper
materials. bur where this has been at
,smnted the producer speedily found
himself in so embarrassing position
,bst he was only too glad TO adopt the
Most grade a. materials obtainable, II
Ss was no. forced out Of business al
.ovether. Il was recognized long ago
that the severe usage TO which the
automobile is put requires the best
materials 90 be found.
an building car which is best
suited 10 the policy Of building
naxirun car. IL is not very difficult to
decide which course 70 follow. The
best car for the purpose means that
II mus. possess some definite qualities
first. maximum safety; second, com
fort. and third, stability. These IN turn
mean q car Of fair weight.
'Tor this additional weight, as II Is
termed By some advocates OF extremely
light design means q car which Is
safe, which feels solid beneath one
car which does not need constant re-
pair. which is built 10 stand up Tor
thousands upon thousands of miles OF
rigorous work
CONTRARY 10 the belief Of some, the
extra weight. which is really insurance
against frequent rattles and breakages,
does not increase maintenance costs.
By accurate tests under normal condl-
tons IL has been proved that two cars
Of the same approximate size and
power, one weighing considerably less
than the other. consume the same
amount Of gasolene.
AA a|a Aaa a...A MI OA T. W AAAfN 49,
that the lighter car Will use as much
land under some conditions slightly
|nore fuel than the heavier car. ms
lis true because where stability OF de-
|agn has been neglected 1t almost IN
|variably follows that motor and car
buretor efficiency have not been
brought up 10 the highest basis.
"a further, and perhaps the. funda-
mental, reason why two cars OF WIDELY
varying weight burn equal amounts Of
easolene is that the heavier construc-
',iOn means better alignment Of the
moving parts throughout the car, and
l Therefore less loss of power due TO
friction. The heavier car is almost al
{ways an easier rolling car. II clngs
better 10 the road and therefore
wastes less fuel.
81 would be one OF the first TO crit
<cise a car which carries superfuous
weight, but I do maintain that the
fSeight Of the many parts that go into
% motor car should be determined sci
lentifcally. Every part should have a
Sufficient factor Of safety. 1t should
Pc made large enough TO guarantee
Fhis factor Of safety.
THE art of automobile building is
Pow old enough 20 provide plenty OF
experience and data for comparison.
here is now 10 further need TO guess
Pc necessary strength OF various
parts. II is always possible 70 deter
pine accurately the experience 10
/ hich each part is subject and 10 pro
Portion each part 10 insure stability,
&siOy and satisfaction. Carrying SUI
erfuous weight is an extravaganza,
~. taking away from scientifically
s,ermined necessary weight is q pos
Ynve menace"