New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-11-19

There has been practically no chanSc
in the percentage in the under SOU
division. But those making cars In the
class between $3.50 and $1,000 have
nearly all moved into the next higher
division. More than half of all the
makers in this country are right now
making cars in the division between
81 900 and $4,000, and with the price
increases that are bound TO come from
now on, it is fair to assume that TINS
division will remain the strongest.
There is no question that car buyers
will be spending $500 TO $500 more for
cars next season than they have had TO
this YEAR The reaction can only come
when the materials market eases up.
Everyone knows when that will be.
1t is significant from the figures TO
note that only two seasons ago nearly
40 per cent of all the makers were
building cars at $4,000 and up, and
that for 1917 not even half that num-
her are found. The tendency is toward
the deluxe car at less than $1,000, and
the world war has been a great misfort-
une 10 the automobile industry in this
country in that il checked the develop
ment of cars of this type at increasing
ly reduced prices. which must otherwise
have been the case. As it is, materials
conditions have so hampered manu-
facturers, both new and established,
that they have been unable 20 certain
extent 70 continue with the develop
ment of high quality, at low cost, that
they all had in mind.
Nearly half of all the makers who
have announced 1917 models are build
ing them with six cylinder motors.
There are less than 35 per cent four
cylinder motors. About Il per cent
have eight cylinders and little over
per cent twelve cylinder motors. The
four-cylinder curve shows steady drop
since 1918, when more than co per cent
Of the makers used tours, but with Ford,
Dodge Bros, Maxwell, Overland and
Studebaker among the makers Of four
cylinder motors, actually the percent
age of cars on the road overwhelmingly
favors the four-cylinder. Still for the
purposes Of a chart, such as is made
on these lines, any maker of SKIES who
builds 5000 cars counts for as much
as Ford, with 100000 and more four
cylinder cars.
Motors tend TO be Of small bore,
about half being of less than 3.5 inches,
and block casting OF cylinders is by all
odds the popular form. Out of 100
/
block cast form, and seventy-six of the
builders of skies use it, too. Valves in
the head are gaining in popularity at
the expense of the T-head motor type.
The L-head motor is the most popular,
II per cent of the makers using it.
Valves in the head have gained 7 per
cent in year and the T-head motor
has lost about 5 per cent.
"Valve-in-head construction has been
extensively advertised by its now al
most exclusive use in racing engines,
and some important advances have been
made in the design of valve operating
mechanism for valves located in the
cylinder head, with respect to efficient
fabrication and easy adjustment says
"Horseless Age" There has been
considerable prejudice against this con-
structlon in the past on account of sup
posed greater noise of operation, but
the provision of housings over the
valves has removed this objection. II
is also quite possible that another fac
tor responsible for the increased popu
larity OF valves in the head has been
the return to the detachable cylinder
head. With an integral head, valves in
the head necessitate the use of cages,
and these are not entirely satisfactory,
especially in what have come to be
known as high efficiency engines on
account Of difficulty of cooling the ex-
haust valve if Gagged. Thus one change
in design often leads to another.
"Thermo-syphon cooling is making
Roadway and is now found on more
than one-third of all pleasure car mod
els, whereas four years ago its repre-
sentation was as yet only II per cent.
II is. of course, particularly prevalent
on the smaller cars"
Lighting and starting systems com
prsing two units, working at a pref
sure OF six volts and with ground re-
turn wiring, and largely in the ma
jority. There has been a remarkable