Evening star., 1932-01-31
Engine improvements.

tomobile show indicated that tre-
mendouS improvements have been
made in engines. There was a
time when 100 horsepower was
thought to be the limit to which
the automobile engine would ever
be pushed. This year there were
many cars on the floor with 100
horsepower or more, and incor-
porated in all of the engines were
further Improvements which are
responsible for the great increase
in brilliance Of performance. One
car with 100 horsepower ranks
along with many others among
the prominent makes above the
century mark in horsepower. 1t
is noteworthy that this tremen-
doUS power output has not been
accompanied always by big in
crease in dimensions Of the en-
gineS. Design Improvements are
responsible for creating this power
increase.
High CompreSSionS were to be
noted and the 5-to-1 compression
ratio is now not unusual.
Carburetion has come in for
considerable attention in conneC-
ton with the increase of power
from engines, with little or no in
crease in displacement. Down.
draft carburetion has been adopt
ed on one series and carburetor
acceleration pumps are standard
on all other models to improve
getaway. On two machines
power plants improvement in the
manifold and carburetorS have
resulted in more than a IS per
cent increase in power output.
Intake air SilencerS were to be
noted on practically all of the
cars, and many of these were also
fitted with back-fire arreSting de-
vices. Practically all of the new
cars have their engines mounted
in rubber. The methods of engine
suspension differ materially, how
ever the rubber being simply an
insulating medium between the
engine support and thc frame.
Floating Pevsr.
On one line all of the cars now
have the floating power system of
mounting which was introduced
last year. The use of rubber
bonded to steel with the mount
ing in the axis of rotation of the
engine, but restrained by a tor
Sional member, forms the basis of
this system for prevention of
vibration. Instead of using four
point suspension, more than this
number are employed by many
makers. For example, on one 12-
cylinder engine there are six rub
Der cushion mounting points. On
two smaller cars suspensions are
four double-mounting points in
Sulated by means of rubber grom-
NETS. On the 160-horSepower en-
CINE there is a four-point mount
ing with the rear resting on vul-
Canized rubber pads. Incidentally,
this engine employs two down
draft Stromberg carburetorS Of
Single-jet type, placed directly on
the top of the engine. Two en-
glneS are mounted on six points,
all of which are rubber cushioned.
1t is probably in the clutch and
TRANSMISSION system that most
radical changes are to be noted.
Even a superficial inspection of
the cars on the show floors indi-
Gates considerable change. Three
feature have been added to the
transmission system during the
past two years. These take vari-
Gus forms, in accordance with the
opinions of the manufacturers
The first feature is the silent sec
ond gear, the second is the syn
chro-mesh or some other method
OF securing synchronization of the
gears in shifting Sc as to have
nOn-claShing engagement, and
the third is free wheeling, secured
either through the over-nlnning
clutch method or By means OF