Evening star., 1932-06-19
FUTURE CHANGES
| OF AUTO STUDIED
Phases of Automotive Manu-.
featuring Scrutinized
by S. A. L.
Special Dispatch to The Star.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.
Va. June 18.-Phases of automotive
manufacturing in process of industrial
change have been under clinical scru-
tiny and dissection here.
The occasion was the semi-annual
National Assembly Of the Society of Au-
tomotive Engineers, representing che
scientific brains behind the country's
land and air transportation.
Keynote Speaker.
The keynote speaker was william B.
Stout. builder of aircraft. who got his
start as a designer of motor cars. Mr..
Stout appeared as proponent Of radi-
cal change In preSent-day automobiles
working conditions and criticized
streamlining as it Is being applied in
1882 cars.
THE motor car trend was begun by
rounding of the front end" Mr.. Stout
pointed out, land calling 1t q stream
lined car The improvement was no
ticeable enough to convince the motor
car groups that there was something
to aero-dynamics after all, so they
started designing motor cars In what
were visualized as streamlined shapes.
And then somebody invented the
so-called 'tear-drop' idea. Why tear
drop should be any different shape from
raindrop, do not know, except that
raindrop Is a little fresher and is
not caused by grief, while teardrops
supposedly come from grief-grief that
one cannot streamline an automobile
like an airplane or motor boat.
With an airplane the air always
comes directly from the front, never
from the side. If motor car really
Is going to be streamlined running on
the ground, it must be done in such
q way that, whether the wind be from
the side or the rear or quartering, the
center of the pressure should be about
the same spot for balance"
Lighter Cars Seen.
Mr.. Stout stressed the necessity of
future cars of extreme light weight. He
pointed out that below 80, 40 and SO
miles an hour, air resistance IS of little
Importance, but from so miles an hour
upward 1t becomes Of major impor-
tance.
So" he said, the greatest single item
is low weight per horsepower. There Is
no more reason for a motor car for
four people weighing three tons than
there is for railroad coach weighing
80 tons. If you laugh at one. you must
laugh at the other
Continuing, Mr.. Stout criticized en-
gine design, suggesting air cooling as
an improvement on water-coOled mo-
tors.
I'VE are going to cars Of very low
center of gravity" he added, "on the
mistaken idea that they are safer than
a higher center Of gravity Our entire
recent work seems to have been to find
a lot Of outside gadgets for the motor
car to cure its faults. rather than to
take the faults out Of our present cars
so that they do not need the gadgets.
Some makers are trying to sell cars
by the pound. like potatoes or sand. If
this argument is right, why doesn't the
public buy a Mack truck for theater
and after-the-concert use?"
An argument for weight. differing
from that Of Mr. Stout, was made by
Clyde R. Patton, chief engineer of the
Packard Motor Car Co.. who believes
that unsprung weight well out from the
center of q cars axles causes road
shocks to be absorbed in the tires in
stead OF being transmitted to the frame
He contended that makers have gone
too far In reducing inspiring weight.
Free Wheeling Value.
Free wheeling and its value to present
cars was taken up by Austin NJ Wolf,
consulting engineer Of New York City.
Mr.. Wolf pointed out that free wheeling
devices are used on about two-thirdS Of
the present chassis models. There can
be no doubt that the system has merit
and it has been accepted by the buying
public as an improvement over the con-
ventional drive.
Manufactures Of other models" Mr..
Wolf added, must believe that the sys-
tenn has disadvantages that outweigh
its advantages. but 1t Is evident that at
the moment this opinion is not held by
the majority. Merely cog in the evo-
luton OF transmission design"
"Doughnut" Tires.
On doughnut tires B. j. Lemon, re-
search engineer, of a rubber company,
gave definition of the new super bal
looms" He termed them triple over
size tires on wheels of smaller diameter
than those made at present.
oA eASAAs AAA31AS oPRSoA o&1o q olA IN
ing appearance are three factors influ-
encing the sale of these tires" Mr..
Lemon said. Engineers disagree on the
question Of ride improvement and the
design artists differ on the improved
appearance.
"Superballoons are considered as con-
tributing another step IN tire evolution.
Coordination Of them with other parts
of the automobile will be necessary from
both viewpoints In future development
if they are to be offered as original
equipment"
Stressing the belief that modern youth
Is factor to reckon with in building
cars for the future, Frank S. Spring,
stylist Of the Hudson Motor Car Co.,
said the ideas Of the younger generation
are often bizarre and impractical.
"One thing stands out" he stated.
more performance IS always wanted.
The clamor is for more power, higher
speed. greater flexibility, fewer handling
operations, more nearly automatic re-
sponse.
And we are sufficiently experienced
to realize that every major advance We
make in these directions results In q
more satisfactory, more economical Job. "
(Copyright 1882. by the North American
Newspaper Alliance. Inc.)
Organized Reserves