Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-01-26
MILADY'S MOTORING
BY FREDERICK C. RUSSELL.

| It's probably optimism rather than
optical trouble that makes a woman
driver see parking spots before her eyes.
Pickup is one of those qualities in a
car that may be deceiving. Not every
driver notes under what particular con-
dition her car gets away most easily and
! for that reason sometimes is trapped
with a sluggish motor when getaway is
overrated.
! The car that picks up exceptionally
well on level ground may be slow in get
ting away on slight upgrade. The
margin often is very small. Frequently
II the streets are slippery the usual pick
up cannot be expected. And then there
Is the matter of passenger load. You
may get on to flying start when alone
but with a car filled you may overeSti-
mate the engines power.
II the wheels start to slide when
| stopping suddenly, even if the car is
| equipped with chains, release the brakes
an instant and apply them again. Often
the cross chains spread apart so as to
leave the tire free to slide.
Busy feet at the controls and party
slippers. often do not mix, and for this
1 reason some one has been considerate
enough to fashion what is known as q
driving boot. 1t slips over the shoes in
such a way as to protect them from
Scuffing and grease, being high enough
| to cover the ankles as well. This also
offers protection for fine hosiery.
A snap buckle must be adjusted at
/ the first fitting but after that the boots
are on and of in jiffy.
Many women complain of the annoy
1 ing reflections of lights when driving
around the city at night Every win
dow in the car seems to be false alarm
TO confuse and bewilder.
One way to lessen this annoyance Is
to lower the windows as much as posi-
BILE. This is mote easy to do In cold
weather but at busy intersection many
drivers could arrange to take the breeZes
| for few minutes. 1t will help in traffic
| to move the rear-vieW mirror so that 1t
doesn't reflect light from cars behind.
The husband, who, when asked how
| long it took his wife to learn to drive, re-
piled that it will be 10 years this coming
! Spring probably was unaware that he
was speaking a great truth. His wife
will still be learning to drive a year
from now, and he, too. sWe are always
learning.
Any one who imagines that the de-
| tails have been mastered is due for q
front-wheel skid, an eight-cylinder
| Smash-up or a four-wheel spill. The
| rules that were good enough when peo-
pie thought 25 miles an hour was fast
hardly fit the picture of sane people
stepping 1t up to 10. Every new devel-
opment in motordom, including all the
detailed changes in design, calls for new
skill on the part of operators.
Ten years this coming Spring. Yes,
sir, and proud of it.
Being able to shift gears quietly is
| largely a matter of understanding what
| makes for q silent shift. Every woman
with any experience at all at the wheel
| has noticed that frequently she Is able
| to shift like magic the gears slipping
into mesh just as If they were station
ary Knowing that the gears are spin
ming rapidly at the time she is justified
in being bit hazy about the process.
The secret of the quiet shift lies in
synchronizing the speeds Of the gears.
/ This simply means matching the speeds
of the gears to be meshed just as they
synchronize the scenes and dialogue in
| the modern talkie.
Another way to look at 1t Is to run
/ two automobiles abreast and operate
them at the same speed With proper
experimentation you can step from one
car 10 anOtncT AHlOSI dS CdSuy aS Al LHc
machines were at rest. But just let one
machine run faster than the other.
Gears are exactly like that. One set
Of them operates from the clutch shaft
while the other operates in accordance
with the speed of the propeller shaft,
rear axles and wheels. But the gears
are not of the same size and that COM
plicates the situation. This explains
why when you are shifting to second in
| starting down a hill with the car still
moving, it is necessary to speed up the
engine and clutch gear by stepping on
the gas with the clutch engaged while
the gears are in neutral.
Frequently when the engine is cold
the clutch gear and its train of gears
will slow down too quickly as you try
to shift. Either you must keep the