Arizona republican., 1921-03-13
ASk ENGINEERS
 II SAVE FUEL

WASHINGTON, Mar. 12-The Amer ican automobile industry is entering on a new era as regards the design of its products. Many factors have combined to make necessary certain changes in the design of automobile engines. The increasing demands for gasoline have made the supply such tight fit that steps must be taken to conserve the supply. If the automobile engineers can design engines that will use only half the quantity of fuel for given mileage. it is the same as increasing the supply of gasoline 100 per cent Practically all the engineers are work Ing on this problem, and one of the first points of attack is going to be weight.
 Light weight, together with proper distribution of weight, in a motor car means low gasoline consumption, low oil consumption, greater tire mileage, comparative freedom from expensive repairs and easy riding.
 Scientific weight construction will be seen in the future car, and that car will be capable of showing over 30 miles on an American gallon of gasoline, some 1000 to 1,500 miles on a gallon of oil and considerably over 12,000 miles on a set of tires. While these claims might be made by some makers of existing cars these results would be a general thing instead of the unusual when light pTOuuCeQ property. II VIII De necessary for the motorists of America to revise their ideas of economical mo- toring and comfortable motoring when the American engineers make up their minds that the present run of cars, as a whole, are designed with altogether too much dead weight.
 At the shows this year you will see attempts at this future car, perhaps the ideal reached in one or two, but never theless if it does not come this year at least progress will be made toward re- alizing the ideal
 The important matter that the buyer has to consider when he looks over the ears is not so much the list price as it is the upkeep. The high cost of driv- ing car has kept hundreds of thou sands from owning cars. Light weight will cut in half the cost of operating So in looking over the cars it will be well to consider weight. This means the weight of the vehicle as a whole and the nearer it approaches 1.40o pounds for five-passenger car the more nearly it approaches the ideal.
 The light weight of the vehicle must not be obtained by the extreme reduc- ton of the weight of a few units, for this would destroy the homogeneous light weight construction which is nec- essary to produce the results men toned. This will be clear when 1t is remembered that if there is one unit or part unnecessarily heavy 1t will in turn require a heavy part to drive 1t or to support it. In other words, the light weight construction must be carried out through the whole car, and then only will there result q true light weight vehicle. This light weight ve- hfcle must have light axles and the cor rect ration between the sprung and un- sprung weights. There must not be more weight on the rear than is neces- sary. nor in the front. and so on
 It is an actual fact that such a car will ride easier than the heavier car. besides giving the greatest possible mileage on gasoline and oil. This is accomplished qnite easily, since the heavier the body is the more power is needed to haul it and the more gasoline is required to produce that power Many present owners have cars which may give as high as IS miles gallon They call their ears light in weight. and know that they get that high mileage because the car doesn't weigh as much as a two-ton truck which gives. let us say, five miles gallon While here are such so-called light weight cars they are not the lightest that can be made and still give the required riding comfort and the economy men toned previously.
 When you ask for the weight of the car be sure to get the total weight in cluding gasoline oil and water. ready for the road. That weight must hs considered with the size of the body for the passengers must sit comfortably and with the comfort or the passenger while the car Is drive over rough roads The scientific light weight car should be able to out-perform the majority of present day cars regardless of weight Many are under the impression that the reayy cas, say 2,s00 pounds and over are easy riding just because they are heavy. You may say the weight is necessary to keep the car on the road. This is a fallacy engineers have recos- nized for some time and which they are just beginning to correct. It will not be long before some one produces a real lightweight car that will be a. good looking as well as remarkabiy comfortable and at the same time will be cheap to drive