The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1942-05-15

Maximum mileage from your
motor car is linked in exact ratio
to the manner in which you drive it,
for storing car will not necessarily
increase either it's life span or the
miles you will get from 1t, advises
Ed Hedner, national director of
service for Chevrolet.
While the condition of your tires
may very directly indicate the num-
Der of miles you can expect from
your automobile, he points out, they
deteriorate faster in storage than
in use, and the same can be said of
other vital parts of the car.
But even today, most motorists
are guilty, unconsciously as rule,
of minor driving faults that take
their toll of car life, increase repair
bills, and waste gas and oil. Among
these habits are the following:
Pumping gas at traffic stops.
"Figet-footed" driveres who pump
the accelerator like an old-fashion-
ed organ, waste many gallons Of
gasoline each year. Because of ner-
vousness or simply from habituat-
ed misuse Of their car, these mo-
florists increase their fuel bills and
waste precious resources. Driving
experts advise that you let the motor
idle at stop lights or other traffic
halts, and let yourself idle" along
with it.
Misuse of brakes. Braking a car
simply means converting speed
energy" to Heat energy. Once the
forward progress of the car has
been transferred into heat energy
and thrown off by the brakes, the
car comes to a stop. Obviously, the
heat is a result of friction, which,
in turn, means brake wear. Stopping
your car in such a way as to mini
mize wear means longer brake life.
Although brakes will stop car in
SO feet or less at 80 miles per hour:
the wise motorist allows at least 100
feet in which to come to a gentle
stop, letting the cars deceleration
take some of the stopping load from
the brakes.
Sudden uackrabbiting"
are expensive. A gradual applica-
ton of power insures you full value
from every drop of gasoline fed
into the engine. Conversely, fash
ing away from the traffic lights is
almost certain to feed more fuel to
the motor than it can handle, with
consequent waste. Most motorists
realize that this is no time for waste.
Weaving through traffic. In a city
at peak traffic hours, virtually every
driver has the same thought in mind
getting home in the minimum
time. Since drivers are in accord, in
general, at these peak hours, little
is to be gained by weaving in and
out of traffic in an attempt to beat
your neighbor home. The irony in
the situation is that no matter how
you dodge mid-block, the car you
strove SO hard to pass invariably
rolls alongside at the next traffic
light.
Misuse of low gear. The lower
the gear, the greater the power at
the expense of speed. Drivers who
habitually try to flash away at the
traffic light and "gun" up to the
speed limit in first or second gears,
waste gas. By shifting to the next
highest gear as soon as practical,
maximum operating economy is at
tanned.
Finally, driving habit probably
well established but always worthy
of emphasis, is the sound plan of
engineering" your motor car opera
ton. Since your automobile is your
own private transportation system,
it deserves the same careful check
ing and attention any bus or train
or plane receives. Periodic inspec-
tions, regular lubrications always
cheaper than repair bills), and con-
sistent attention to the air pressure
in your tires will pay real motoring
dividends.