New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1919-02-23
An Gunner Offers Aduice
ON Hon. TO Buy q Car
Charles Z. Manierre, Veteran Motorist, Suggests
Those Things He Thinks The Novice Should
Look For i'm Automobile

in case he wishes later to secure cro..
CT endurance. The question, then e az"
HIM Is 70 determine whether the m.t Lol
has chosen as matter of nol;cr 81
equlp his car with thoroughly adeon.to
tires. This is true of at least three w
tour makes. 1t can be determined o,I.
oy knowing accurately the weight =,
the car and consulting the figures hers
gwen or The imitation tables issued ~.
some of the tire companies, which o;vs
load, tire cross section and the CO...
spending imitation separately for fabnn
and for cord tires. wv"
more conservative scale vorla l
$50 pounds OF load per tire for a-;ros
tire with sixty pounds of imitation ana
goo pounds of load per tire for AZ
inch tire with the same imitation md
not TO exceed 975 pounds of load fos
the 4'2-lnch with siXty-iive pounds in
1ation. Az
Be Careful at Start
Having selected the car. the owrer
Will conserve his own interests - ~
can insure that for several hundraS
miles at least it is never driven at ann
high speed Twenty miles AN hon,
should be the limit 1t needs an sx.
cesslve amount of oil during this ner;oa
and the Tightening up of BODY hoIts
from time to time, which are likely Ia
work loose. Some time devoted to he
coming acquainted with his STORAGE
battery "iil also repay him, and the
necessary instrument for obtaining its
specific gravity should be considered
an essential part of his equipment ana
to be used frequently.
The color of the car is. of courso
matter of choice. Black is the least
expensive for the maker to produce
and perhaps the least attractive ON tho
road, although at one time it was al
most universal.
W Ire wheels are no doubt somewba.
more comfortable to ride with. and
help in saving the tires If thew are y
part OF the regular equipment OF the
car they may be considered an adyan-
tage, but as an extra their price seems
out of proportion to the resulting
benefit. "e
Only use or the experience of friends
VIII enable one to know whether the
metal used in various parts of the ma
chlne IS suitable TO the demands uDon
1t, and similarly as to the sizes of
bolts, etc. The teeth of gear wheels
OF good material Will sometimes show
almost 10 wear after 10000 miles of
IL
cally destroyed in less than half that
distance.
Last, but not least, is the matter of
the headlight lenses. The law in sew
eral states has become very strict
against glare. A large number of
lenses have been produced which have
passed muster with the authorities
Among these is one with a green glass
hood shading the top of the lens. An
other is of a lemon yellow glass with
prlsmatic sections. Others have these
sections arranged in different WAYS.
and still others break up the rays of
hight with series of globular ex
crescences. Some of these are more
advantageous for city driving than
others and the purchaser must take his
choice, particularly with a view to the
klnd Of night work he may expect to
demand OF them in future.
Using the High Gear
The foregoing touches only some
points out of many. There remains
but one to be mentioned, and that is
the gear ratio in high speed. If the
purchaser expects to use the car in
very billy country he should consider.
II there IS a choice of ratios made bv
the relative number of teeth in the
gear wheels, whether he will sacrifice
speed on the level for hiIl-clinbing
ability without dropping into second
speed. A car which is to be used
mainly on level roads can with ad-
vantage be geared considerably higher
than one which is constantly expected
to negotiate steep hills. 1t will run
faster on the level, and the few hills
which 1t is called upon to climb can
be taken on second speed. On the
contrary, in a hilly country, with a
lower gear, the few stretches of level
road will be travelled somewhat more
slowly, while the car climbs without
laboring most of the hills which it is
constantly meeting.
1t should be borne in mind that high
gear is more efficient than either of
the other gears. for it eliminates two
gear wheels in the gear box, which in
crease the friction and loss of power,
and at the same time increase the noise
of the mechanism. 1t is economy to
suit the car to its locality and keep
to high gear except when the engine
labors.