The Washington times., 1928-06-13

various units with which the
As this thought grows In motor
dom, there Is an increasing DISPOSE
ton to look beyond the engine when
thinking In terms OF batter perform.
aYlce, with the result that other
elements In the situation are be-
ginning to receive the credit they
deserve.
This situation IL easily explained
The useful and disable power of an
engine. for instance, is no more
than the units 1t works with allow
It to be. "a slipping clutch, INSULT.
GENTLY fabricated Transmission gears
or universal joints, dragging brakes
AMI sagging tires all rob an engine
OF its power, 50 that its output fin
ally may be very materially affected
BY these parts. What often passes
for increased power In the engine
simply may mean that the motor is
being less effectively handicapped.
APPLIES Universally
What applies to the engine APP
plies to every other part OF the car.
One OF the most interesting illns-
trations Of this interrelation between
parts Is found in the case OF the
effectiveness Of spring control de-
vices.
II tires are allowed to become
too low IN pressure so that their
side walls do much of the work
that should be taken up by the
springs. these controls frequently
operate in an undesirable way.
Likewise, Il they are not properly
adjusted the springs will be pre-
vented from doing their. normal
work.
Many motorists who now are taxi
ing possession or new cars are agree
ably surprised to find that greater
performance is possible with them
but do not stop to realize that this
often is not the result of actual in
crease in engine power so much a.
more effective use OF that power
between the point OF generation and
the point OF contact with the road.
A number OF the newer braking
systems feature the fact that clear.
ance between bands and drums, or
between shoes and drums, as the
case may be, is greater than usual
and, moreover, Is constant. Owners
of these cars would find that they
are able to coast q greater distance
It ~ this increase In brake efficiency
which directly affects the engine so
favorably and which gives the i'm.
preston OF greater power in those
cases where such increase In power
output actually exceeds that inherent
in the motor itself.
Works BoGEl Ways
Engine Improvement Ilaa marked
effect on brake efficiency, proving
that the plan works both ways.
When the modern car starts down
hill its driver now finds thar in-
creased cylinder compression results
in q more effective way Of checking
the cars speed. The brakes seem to-
be more effective than they really
are simply because less braking Ell
feet il required to keep the car tlr-
der perfect control.
While it il true that engine power
il increasing and that the efficiency
OF brakes actually ii markedly Inn
proved, the point emphasized in this
new view Of the matter is that even
without any actual Improvement In
one particular unit OF q car It would
seem to be improved simply because
Of the more efficient functioning of
some other part which affects 1t.
All along the line, from the crank.
shaft straight back to the rear
axles, improvements in parts are
serving to permit more Of the actual
brake horsepower produced by the
engine to be invested in work at the
rear wheels. There is less friction
ar the bearings and a straighter line
OF power transmission resulting in
less waste at the universal joints.
Better fabrication at all bearings, az
well az less alippage at the clutch,
combine to aid the engine in making
more Of its output effective.
More Power Delivered
If we could take any one Of to-
days automobiles and install in It
q rev engine Of the former years
vintage the machine would perform
better than its predecessors, which
are equipped with less efficient
clutches, transmissions, and drive
lines. More of the power of this
less powerful engine would go
through to the rear wheels. thereby
giving the impression that the en-.
zine is more powerful than others
OF its same make and year.
This development warrants con.
sideratton by every motorist. We
are apt to think that oil economy,
for instance, is purely a matter of
efficiency in engine design, whereas
much OF this has to do with better
functioning Of the many parts which
operate with the engine.
Reducing friction in the trans.
mission. just as one instance. will
aave an engine just that much
more work. with the result that ii
win have less Of tendency to con-
sumo excess oil. Indirectly. many
improvements on cars have had
far-reaching and very interesting
effects.
Draws Cooler Air
Some of these Intersections be-
tween parts are purely accidental
For example, the air cleaner was
developed for the purpose of pro
tecting cylinder walls from dirt and