Evening star., 1925-12-06
BY WILLIAM ULLMAN.

Once over the top Of the steep hill.
fhe average automobile driver is ready
10 sit back and take 1t easy. He feels
that getting up in high has been a
decided accomplishment and does not
know there may be greater honor IN
getting down safely and noiselessly In
second.
The art of descending hills is
equally as important as that OF as
Ccnding them, IS many progressive
drivers have discovered. lhere Is
much to be learned about a car on the
Down grade and much that one nap
pens to know comes into use as the
car noses over the top and starts
down the macadam tohoggan. Some
general rules have been given for de-
scending hills, but judging from the
crashing of carelessly shifted gears,
rhe smell of burning brakes ana the
reports of backfiring motors, the rules
have been much too general
Intimate knowledge of the car is
essential in going downhill. The whole
process is often more involved than
the ascent If a driver has difficulty
going up, or even if the engine rails
by the wayside he can stop or back
down and try 1t again The driver
who makes n mess of going down hill.
however, seldom has a second chance
at the same performance. The con
sequences VI IilS DIuIuclo oiC uouoi's
such as 10 render 1t impossible TO
back up to the top to try 1t again.
If an engine fails a driver in climb
ing Il hill the poorest brakes will hold
HIM AS a matter of fact, since the
car probably will be in low gear at
the time of the stall, 1t Will hold
back in gear on the engines com
preston, even If the brakes are bad.
Looking at the other side of the
H. l. {y,rv 1<y ITYl
hill is that If the power to stop failS
the car Is beyond control.
Brakes Are Power" Too.
The effectiveness of any set Of
brakes should be viewed in terms of
power. 1t requires power to start a
car and power to stop. No intelligent
driver would attempt to make 40
horsepower motor do the work of an
S0-horsepower engine on a steep hill.
or attempt to force car up hill
so steep that the grade would kill the
engine even In low gear. That would
he exceeding the engines power limit.
Yet it IS a common thing to see a
driver with very low-powered brakes
following directly behind car with
high powered brakes. running 80 miles
an hour or faster down a long, steep
hill
Brake power, like engine power. IS
variable. Some days the engine will
pull beautifully while at other times
it will be sluggish. 1t depends upon
its mechanical condition, the load to
be carried, the hill, the traction and
the weather or climatic conditions.
The fuel used and the general me-
chanical condition of the car are ad-
ditional matters to be considered, not
forgetting the skill Of the driver. In
descending hills there are many SIM
ilar conditions. To start down a hill,
fully assured that the brakes will hold
in any emergency just because they
were in good shape the day before,
is merely another way OF flirting with
trouble.
Brake lining is seriously affected at
times by the weather. Generally
speaking. the Innings will swell and
take hold better on a damp day than
on a dry day, though their effective
ness again diminishes as the Innings
become water soaked. This means
that it may be entirely safe to de-
scend hill one day in high and very
dangerous to do so another day with
out dropping into second and using
the engine as a brake. Any motorist
who reviews his methods of driving
will be surprised to note that he is
wont to go down certain hills, re.
gardless Of conditions, In high gear,
"HlLe oeSCeHdlnS OtnerS at all tunes
in second.
Produces Accidents.
This habit is an excellent accident
producer. 1t means that a driver will
find no difficulty stopping his car, or
keeping 1t under control. in descend
ing a certain hill, only to be caught
some time with underpowered brakes
when he is repeating the performance
with the car loaded down with 500
additional pounds Of humanity.
One of the important things to re-