Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1918-02-18
TALKS
ON FRANKLIN
Economy One of Big Assets
of This Famous Car,
He Says.

when statisticians point to a year.
ly national waste of $500. 600. 900 in
gasoline and tires alone" says J. w.
Lyons, Franklin dealer, "it is not
strange that automobile design shoulo
as to reduce this waste and conserve
our war requirements. In this con-
nection, Director Manning. Of the
United States Bureau of Mines. re-
Gently came out with the statement
urging more efficient engines as the
foremost step. Now. more thai ever
before, engineers are RECOGNIZING
engine consume less gasoline and that
extend a cars tire mileage.
"Aeroplane design. which has
shown such rapid strides since the
war" Mr.. Lyons cites. lis being re-
Elected in the construction of automo-
bile engines. While valves in the
head, always recognized as an innu-
incorporated in motors in an of
on way since the beginning Of the in
dustry, it took the success of this con-
struction in war service to give 1t the
place it deserves.
"Most motorists have observed the
closer study of the proper method OF
cooling, because in the past the limits
: lIIlRCScu ny "oSCk 4toSo avn
Of power through ov%er-cooling. Wat
er-cooled engines are fighting this
waste through a thernostat attach-
ment, while the inherent ability or
!~air-cooled engines to operate at about
$50 degrees higher temperature re-
moves the limitation without mecnan-
ical attachments.
Little refnements. like automatic
spark control. light r~eciprocating
parts, seven-bearing crank shafts.
dash control of the ~carburetor needle
valve. all have a part in saking gaso-
line go farther.
1.-The towards greater eff
cheney is reflected in the development
of lightweight construction. 1t is no
uncommon thing to hear of n
thousand pounds of superf1uous
weight being removed through refined
design, The success Of In f1ve-pas-
senger Franklin weighing $3.50
pounds is often mentioned as an IN
dication of the possibilities along this
line. 1t used to be regarded as M
possible to make an enclosed Ear to
weigh less than $500 pounds, but sci
entiic light weight as worked out in
the Franklin now produces a eda
and a Limousine weighing only $50
pounds.
"This weight reduction is all a. mat
ter of the use of lightweight materi-
ais, SUCH as aluminium anu ucdt-IicnI
ed steels: the elimination of superflu-
os mechanism. like torque tubes n
reach. rods and frame cross members
and braking apparatus: and even the
casting aside of the entire water-cool-
ing system. with it's radiator. pumps
piping, and the water itself. j..
And it has been my experience
Mr.. Lyons continued. that when the
subject Of inspiring weight was men
} toned only a short time ago.. nobody
knew what was being talked about
But now, with maximum tire mileage
J taking on added consequence. engl-
} neers are seeing to it that axles'
wheels, and all under-construction
; are as light as possible, SO that tires
may be relieved Of unnecessary
pounding. In fact. it has been estab'
iished that one pound of weight below
the springs is equivalent in destruc:
%tiveness to ten pounds of weight
above the springs.
THE search for efficiency has also
developed the easy-rolling a r Inef'
ficient bearings have been cast aside
and any complication of mechanism
or dead weight that acts as a drag or