The Washington times., 1927-05-25

Naturally one speculates as t
whether the day will come wheI
an automobile will do absolutely
everything one asks Of it with
out the slightest suggestion Of
straining or the merest hint d
failure.
That this day never will materi
alize is the belief Of close students
Of the automobile. Their conten
tion is that as the automobile
becomes more serviceable it encour
ages its owner to discover new
fields to conquer.
The result is the automobile
always is just a little behind the
often unreasonable demands thai
are placed upon it.
This Is very clearly demonstrated
In the case Of the four.wheel
brakes, If one will think back over
his own personal experience during
the past few years.
Remember how these improved
breaking devices actually startled
one with their surprising efficiency,
their great safety margin and their
freedom from the dangerous sen.
sation OF sliding and skidding?
But what is ones attitude today?
Do these brakes seem so sur
prising whenever they are applied?
1t is not true that one has
become accustomed to utilizing
them to an extent where, in some
instances, they seem to be made.
quate?.
One Case Recalled
Recently a motorist complained
70 his mechanic because his brakes
did not seem to be as effective as
formerly.
The mechanic, who was not
accustomed to driving a car with
such a good stopping system, could
find nothing wrong with the brakes.
To him, they were remarkably
good, and it became quite, evident
that the owners dissatisfaction
simply was the result Of his uncon.
scious process Of asking the, brakes
to meet his own newer and more
severe driving methods.
After a person has been accus.
toned to an exceptionally good
braking system he does not find it
as efficient as formerly because he
Is pressing it into a newer and
more rigorous type of service.
He is driving faster. He IL try.
ing to stop quicker. He has lost
all sense of fear Of skidding, and
for that reason he travels faster
over treacherous roads and is q
bit surprised when he does not
stop the way he desires.
His brakes are doing just as
much work as ever but the job is
more difficult.
What is true of the brakes is
true of almost every other unit Of
the car.
Clutch, transmission and engine
all have new burdens placed upon
them by reason of their ability to
cope with those conditions which
existed at the time when they were
designed and incorporated in the
car.
Only when the limit of driving
conditions is reached will the auto.
mobile be so perfected as to meet
each and every one of them, And
OF course there is small possibility
that this point ever will be reached.
Mistakes By Drivers
Any driver who gets behind the
wheel Of one Of the new cars with
9 superpower engine is likely to
fan into the fallacy of thinking
that the time has just about arrived
when an automobile engine will do
anything that is asked of it regard.
less Of the handicaps under which
1t may be laboring.
The driver races over the test hill
In the new car, thrilled at the
performance Of the power plant
under the hood.
He steps all the way down to the
floor board and is surprised to find
that the engine imparts additional
power to the car, causing it to
accelerate even more at the very
steepest portion of the ascent.
He keeps the spark fully ad-
vanced and is amazed to find that
there IL not the slightest sugges.
ton OF q spark knock. AS a final
test, he allows the car to slow down
TO q creeping speed and then steus
on the gas, only to find that the
machine goes on up over the rest
OF the grade in high gear without
murmur. He decides that this ia
perfection.
But then what happens? After
he has driven that car for a few
months. what does he think Of II
then? When alpooS+ n,,nn,..,-.