Evening star., 1934-12-30
HELPFUL H|NTSF0R|
M|LADY'S DRIVING
MisaIigned or Bent AxIes,
King Pins and Knees Cause
Shimmy, Hard Steering.
BY FREDERICK c. RUSSELL.
TOR safety's sake the best New
- Year driving resolution you can
make is to remember that other
L drivers probably aren't. making
any,

1 COiIlC 1lOIll NhllOuo COilulIlOilcy Uut IIlC
first and most logical step is to check
for misaligned or bent axles, kngpins
and knees, II the car has independent
front-wheel suspension. This sounds
like a large order, but 1t is greatly
simplif1ed with the aid Of one Of the
new garages used by service men to
check both the caster and the king
pins. Wheels cannot be brought into
proper alignment so long as caster and
kingpin angles are not correct. The
good news in all of this is that the
whole test can be made without re-
moving the wheels or taking apart the
! front end. 1t will also check such ir-
| regularities as eccentric wheels and
rims, not to mention loose bushings.
II you must take chances having
too willing members of the family do
some Of the service chores on the car.
at least do not make the mistake of
failing to consider the additional ca
pacity of the cooling system caused by
the hot-water heater. A friend Of
mine thought she was putting in a
generous supply Of anti-freeze, just
because the instruction book said the
capacity Of the system was three GAL
Ions. A freeze-up proved otherwise.
BY actual measurement the system,
including heater core and hose con-
nections, took four gallons.
Whether car owners should be re-
warded for courtesies shown while
operating their cars is a subject upon
which there is no general agreement
Recently some steps have been taken
to give prizes for outstanding acts of
wisdom or courtesy on the part of
drivers, but some safety advocates feel
that there is nothing to be gained by
patting driver on the back for some
thing he ought to do anyway. 1t is
said to be analogous to rewarding citi-
zens for keeping the peace. Virtue
a-wheel apparently will have to con-
tinue being its own reward.
One of the most difficult problems
| facing the modern service station is
having owners choose the order in
which work is done The owners way
may be more convenient for her, but
seldom is good for the car or for her
pocketbook. She does not know that
well-ordered work hangs together in
a way that makes for a more har-
monious general result.
| Often an owner will order a radiator
repair calling for the removal of this
unit from the car and then return to
the shop week later to talk about a
noise in the front of the motor. This
usually means replacing the timing
chain, which necessitates removing the
radiator again. Or it may be the owner
who insists she doesn't want any
greasing at the time she comes in for
brake adjustment. The front wheel
bearings should be repacked when the
front wheels are taken of for brake
work, but the owner usually forces the
service man to make this an extra job
at an extra price.
Are you one of many millions Of
women who don't drive cars because
you fear that having so little sense
of direction you would be lost half
the time? If so, Danish the fear
as Just one of those needless obsta-
cles to driving. The fact Of the mat
ter Is that when doing the actual
driving you have an entirely differ
ent interest in the road and quickly
develop a sense OF direction. The
other day I drove homeward over a
route that should have been thor
oughly familiar to me because I had
been over it in the reverse direction
| just "a hours before. The unfamil-
iarity of the route was due to the
fact that the first time over 1t some
one else in the party had been doing
the driving.
If there are any man drivers listen
| ing in they, too. should be inter-
ested in a timely Winter warning con-
cerning our modern motors. Bear in
mind that when a modern engine
can be plainly heard it is very likely
being raced. In the old days before
quietness became an obsession with
engineers a motor had to make a
veritable racket before it was racing
at the danger point. Don't risk dam
age to the engine by running it fast
enough to be noisy when you start
of some cold morning.
AS a further gift to milady's con-
| GIlc dCCcSSOIy 1Olh IOW Oll6I
a sun-visor with vanity mirror at
tached. This can also serve as a rear
or side view mirror, but it will prob
ably find its greatest service in en-
abling the driver to make sure she
is going to look her best when ar
irving at her destination.
Having a lock to prevent garage
and parking lot attendants from en-
joying the cars radio receiver ap-
parently isn't all the protection
needed. The latest Is lock to pre-
vent actual removal of the entire re-
ceiver. Although 1t serves a new pur-
pose and has what might seem to
be a difficult job to perform, the new
lock can be installed in the time
required to tell about 1t. The price
is attractive.
A woman tells of an interesting ex-
perience that may prove helpful to
those drivers who take their safety
| so seriously that 1t hurts. Homeward
bound through the mountains in a
cold rain, she was making good run
ming time and feeling that she had
reasonably good control of her car.
There was no tendency toward skid
ding Brakes held well, tires gripped.
Then suddenly she found other
| drivers stopping to put. on chains and
debate the rear tires for better trac-
ton. Several cars had actually gone
off the road. Danger ahead, surely.
And so-fear!
She tells me that for the balance
of the trip she ambled along at ex-
actly half the speed she had been
travelling. Yet all the while she was
in mortal fear of skidding. In fact,
she became so nervous that her pre-
cautions seemed useless. Several
times the car exhibited tendency
toward instability which it had not
even limited at when being driven