The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1928-02-01

That this phase Of motoring has
not been given even passing thought
by the average car owner il we'll
demonstrated by the way many per-
sons marvel at the difference In per-
Torrance of their cars at various
times. Much OF this variation SIM
ply is a matter Of various differences
in loads carried.
When one owner was told that he
could not expect to take his car over
q test hin at certain speed in high
gear with the four passengers he had
named aboard, he replied that he
had been able to accomplish the feat
the day before with the same num-
Der OF passengers. He overlooked
entirely the difference in weight be-
tween the four passengers on the
day of the unsuccessful test and
those carried on the day when the
car performed to his satisfaction
amounted to $50 pounds
Strange Behavior
Gradually it Is becoming recog.
nized that the performance Of a car
may depend to a certain extent upon
whether an extra passenger is sitting
in the front or on the rear seat.
Over an icy road, for instance, test
demonstrated that a car climbed to
better advantage with the passenger
sitting on the rear seat than when
sitting beside the driver. This
merely was matter Of gaining more
rear wheel traction by increasing the
load at the rear of the car.
Another exeriment over a rough
road revealed that car does not
necessarily ride better with occupants
on the rear seat, since the behavior
of the res-r wheels, axles and other
inspiring weight very largely Is de-
pendent upon the air pressure in the
tires, the speed of the car and the
adjustment Of the spring control de-
vices. In making this test, one in
vestigator inflated the rear tires to
higher pressure and then found that
It was necessary to place the pas
senger on the rear seat before obtain
ing riding qualities comparable to
the first instance.
In climbing q hill over a rough
road, better results were obtained
with the passenger sitting on the
rear seat than when sitting beside
the driver. The additional weight
added TO the rear Of the car served
to hold down the wheels, increasing
traction by thus keeping them from
flying off the ground and spinning
around free. On a still sleeper grade,
It was found that with the passenger
sitting on the front seat and the
wheels allowed to spin occasionally,
the car climbed the Hill to better adj
vantage. This was because the oc-
casional spinning of the wheels
allowed the engine to run at higher
speed. thus gaining power. The re-
suit was somewhat similar to slipping
the clutch.
When Children Ride
Very obviously, the placing of pas
sengers in car has much to do
with its action on curves. Much
side-sway can come from having too
heavy a passenger sitting on the
same side with the driver. It would
be better if the driver insisted upon
the passenger sitting more to the
center OF the rear seat, or possibly
d little to the right. For some rea-
son, few automobile owners appre.
ciate just how much children weigh
in the aggregate. Frequently car
will be loaded down with children,
and yet the driver viii expect the
same performance as though the ma
chine were empty. 1t should be re-,
membered that while one child does
not materially affect the cars eff
cheney, several children may weigh
the equivalent of an extremely heavy
passenger who would be considered