Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-01-23
AUTO OF RAREST QUALITIES
BANNED AFTER INITIAL TESTS
Car Heralded as Perfect in Road Require
ments Proves Too Easy in Steering
Feel, and Suffers Crashes.

assembly in such way that vthras
tons originating at the steering
knuckles were dissipated on the way
up to the rim Of the wheel. ThisuAras
largely a matter Of design. Then. Nv
the insertion of shock absorbing ma
terials and devices. such as could he
developed by the use Of additional
fabrication and springs. all trace OF
road feel" was eliminated n began
10 look like a wonderful idea. but
every one connected with the expert.
ment had overlooked the fact that II
a driver cannot see what he IL doing
win the wheels he must AT least he
able to feel 10.
Good steering. therefore. has been
demonstrated to he not So much a
matter of extremes in principles but
rather Of moderation in tactuai sen
sations. II is essential that the driver
he able to feel" Just enough If the
road without having road vibrations
tire him.
Steering Gear Discussed
At first 1t was thought that the prin.
ciple Of leverage alone would solve
the whole story. Prior to the adon-
ton of balloon tires the normal steer.
Ing gear had a. ratio of approximately
nine to one. This meant that Il was
nine times easier IN turn the front
wheels at the steering wheel than IN
try to turn them directly With the
advent of balloon tires. the added trar.
ton so Increased the drag that ratios
went up to approximately II to I.
The increases in ratios. together with
better deeign and improved lubrica-
ton. including king-pin hearings. have
k-I
easier to steer than the older high
pressure-tired machine.
There ia a limit, however. 10 the
increase In ratio. As the ratio in
creases. the wheel must he turned
through wider arc. BAD design and
ratios carried too far partly are 10
blame for the back action in the steer
ing gears of several cars. A slight
DETECTION OF the front wheels from
their normal position causes The steer
ing wheel To move entirely ton much.
Many drivers have been containing
about this hack action and have
blamed balloon tires unnecessarily.
Where the Trouble Lies.
The trouble lies in the design of
the steering gear. One interesting
patented steering gear provides q
variable ratio. When the wheels are
pointed straight ahead, the ratio is at
its lowest point That Is, A small
turn of the steering wheel produces
a comparatively large movement Of
the front wheels. Thus, If the front
wheels strike an obstruction and the
steering mechanism ia forced into p
back action, the steering wheel itself
hardly Will move and the driver will
not be forced to experience the annoy.
ance OF a shaking wheel
When the front wheels are cut to
an extreme position. the ratio is at it's
highest. fairly large but extreme.
ly easy motion Of the steering wheel
is required to move the front wheels a
comparatively small distance at these
extremes. This is very convenient
in parking and as one never strikes
road inequalities when the wheels are
in the extreme positions there is no
danger of steering wheel wohble
AS a result of all this. the engineers
have stopped trying for effortless
steering and have concentrated on
moderation in steering design, as will
be apparent to those who drive the
new 1927 cars. A certain amount Of
road shock must come through the
driver If he Is to be able to feel the
road.
II you feel some Of the bumps, don't
complain. That is the new theory.
(CopvriRht 1927