Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1931-05-21
OIL CONSUMPTION
HIGHER WHEN CAR
RUNS FULL SPEED

Chicago, May 1S-When the motor
list shoves the speed of his car from
thirty miles an hour up to fifty-five
he increases the engines oil consump-
ton six or seven times.
That is one of the interesting facts
developed out of the 9,OO0-mile test
recently conducted at the Indianapolis
speedway by the contest board of the
American Automobile association act
ing for the Standard Oil Company of
Indiana.
Thirteen new stock cars, represent
ing a cross-section of the 1881 auto
mobile crop, were used in the test
After a 2,OOO-mie run-in, two tests
were made at thirty miles an hour and
five at fifty-five miles an hour. The
complete test is said to be the most
extensive and important the A. A. A.
has ever made 1t permitted accumu-
lation of more than 100000 separate
observations, which have provided the
basis for determining numerous new
facts regarding motor car operation.
Heavy Oils Show Little Advantage.
1t was found that the cars used an
average of one quart of oil per thou
sand miles, at thirty miles per hour,
but jumped up to 60 quarts per thou
sand at fifty-five miles per hour.
Automotive engineers regard this find
ing as proof that the modern tend
ency toward driving at high speed is
the main factor causing variations in
oil consumption.
On the question of the advantage of
using heavier grades of oil to reduce
consumption, direct comparison be-
tween medium, heavy, and special
heavy grades, all other conditions be-
ing equal, showed that consumption
at high speed can be reduced about
one third by using the heavy summer
oil in place of light winter oil. But
this saving is at the expense of loss
in gasoline milage, as per cent
greater gasoline mileage was obtained
while using the lighter oil, probably
as the result of lower internal friction
in the engine The lesson appears to
be that there is no good reason to
vary from recommended viscosities,
even for high speed driving.
Gas Consumption Higher at Fast Speed
AS had been expected, the test
showed that the amount of carbon
deposited was smaller at the high
speeds, with the engines running COM
paratively hot, than at thirty miles
an hour.
Gasoline milage was best at the
lower speeds, averaging 1913 and
1924 miles per gallon in the two tests
at thirty miles and from 1924 to 11.OS
miles per gallon at fifty-fve miles.
The American Automobile associ-
alton verified by its findings the
claim that prediluted oils do not thin
out in the crank case. The prediluted
oils were slightly thicker at the con-
clusion of each test than at the be-
ginning, owing evidently to evapora-
ton or consumption of lighter parts.
Findings of the board also verified
the claim that ethylized gasoline pre-
NSlllS uCIOldIlOH III Tic CiSllt. 1NoHC
of the engines at any time showed any
evidence of knock. AS the result
of fabrication in accordance with
standard recommendations, contest Of
fcials reported all mechanical parts
outside the motors had functioned per-
fectly and without distinguishable
wear. On pistons and cylinders the
wear was too small to be measured
at thousand mile intervals and was
less than one One-thOusandth of an
inch for the entire nine thousand
miles.
OTIS Made Smooth Running.
The outstanding general result of
the test to which the A. A. A. Of
ficials were able to testify, was new
demonstration of the fact that good
fabrication is insurance against wear
even under extreme and difficult con-
ditions. All cars in the test were
driven with complete smoothness in
the functioning of the engines and
other moving parts.
The cars which participated in the
test are to tour the north central
states this summer making further
tests of fabrication and fuel consump
ton under actual road conditions.