The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-09-03
THE SHEDDING TRoU5BinE.z

SPla1nS. Ysr8 :E5
 THE SHEDDING TRoUBEE. Weight distribution in motor cars and its effect upon skfdding5is the in-s terestfng theme of ans article in a. re- cent issue of The Automobile. The most desirable distribution Of weight is an interesting problem. says the writer, who continues Although it looks. simple at first the problem in volved cannot be disposed of lightly. The advantages connected with proper weight distribution are great because here is concerned not nferelystI1e rum ming of the car to keep to a given di- rection. Car desi gnersf are blamed for giving weight distribution too ltt- tie attention.
 There is less chance Of slidding on leaving a level road for a hill with the greater load near the rear axle. A light cars without passengers easily develops the tendency; to jump and slide at the rear, on a more or less ura-s even road at high speed, but the we'll loaded front permits controlling the direction without difficulty. With a loaded rear, however, the same car is steadter but much more difficult to right if it leaves the desired direction. Having the load at the rear has other advantages than with steering. Once started in sktdding- the heavy rear
 
 With the weight nearer the center of the car, however. it will exert less eff fort as it will have 8 shorter leverage.
 The tendency of the vehicle to ad- here to the wrong direction is increas- ed by brakng, which could be offset by simultaneously increasing the load on the steering wheels, thereby fore ing them to regain their grip on the surface. Acceleration, however, gives a more undesirable effect by reducing &I1> Ia15 5 ~{<@I7 I@-r In rear skid, acce1eration and braking produce bad effects which are increased by the weight near the end. To be sure with both wheels off the surface acce1eration is quite i'm possible, but the swifter rotation of the wheels reduces the already small o-efdcient of friction. Thus chan ces to stop slipping are reduced The application of brakes as soon as one wheel begins to slip is apt to cause a worse skid than if the car were left entirely free, with the motor out. The application of brakes during the com plete rear skid is very dangerous.
 The passing of 8 car on a curve gives another instance when the ques- tion of weight concentration could of fer much material for discussion. With the load concentrated in the rear it exerts a centrifugal force act ing sidewise upon the car and ap- piled on 3, greater leverage to the pivoting point atN the front axle than would be the case were the load placed nearer the front. It would make a more stable car for passing on curves to have the load a1ntdships or slightly ahead of it. The concen- tration of weight in front would be more dangerous for a front skid and the concentration at the rear end would be more likely to cause 8, rear skid which occurs more often. When passing a curve with a side inclina- ton, with the outer wheels higher than the inner ones, acce1eratfon just before striking the incline increases the stability and breaking tends to pull the car inward. The greater traction on the inner wheel when ac- celebrating cannot cause a skid because it's action is directed against that of the centrifugal force, but the skid would have to be expected when the car is travelling in straight line Here the inner wheel would slide down when accelerating. When the outer wheel on a curve is lower than the inner the situation is extremely unstable, the centrifugal force of the vehicle assisting it's skid ding outward. It is best to avoid that situation by applying the brakes. In any event the breaking, even when on this curve, is advantageous the ac- ton being opposite to the centrifugal force. more or less evenly dis tributed force would be best because once a skid is started the weight con-, centration. in the rear offers greater difficulties in the steadying of the car