The Risks and Advantages of Winter

Motoring

FOR the novice in motoring, whose numbers, to judge by the letters I receive weekly from Spectator readers, are steadily in- creasing, it is perhaps a fortunate circumstance that the delivery of new cars should generally coincide with the riskiest time of year. It is after Christmas that most of the cars ordered at the motor show are sent out to their purchasers, and it is in the following weeks that the weather may be safely expected to harden and bring in its train all the special dangers that beset the neglected engine.

Time was when we seldom took thought for frost except in that it made a first start more difficult. We emptied our radiators if our motor-houses were unheated, or we piled rugs over the bonnet, but beyond that we rarely bothered about any of the special precautions that modern design has rendered necessary. Cars were very different in those days and, depressing as it may seem, they were in some respects a good deal tougher than they are now. They were 50 per cent. less ellicient, of course, and were scarcely comparable with those of today in a dozen important ways, but they did stand up to ill-usage, or rather neglect, in a manner that at this distance of time seems enviable.

We thought nothing of driving a stone-cold engine as hard as it could go. In fact I remember clearly that it was the usual procedure, so that the minimum of time should be wasted in getting it into its stride. If there was a hill to be climbed the sooner we could flog the car up it the better. " That'll warm her up," we said with satisfaction as we shoved a heavy foot on to the accelerator and kept it there.

And they made no protest, those remarkable machines, or if they did, they went unheeded and we seldom paid the price that would inevitably be exacted today for the same offence. The chief reason for the modern frailty is, of course, that all moving parts are built to much closer limits, and that until wear has begun there is far less clearance and consequently, in a cold engine, far less margin of safety. On the other hand, when the engine is warm and the oil circulating freely, that tightness gives better compression, better performance and, relatively speaking, greater economy.

The actual amount of petrol used may not be much less in a 12-h.p. engine today than it was in the old type, but thb same consumption will give you anything from 10 to 20 miles an hour more and proportionately higher power. And - another reason for the greater efficiency of today is naturally the use of much lighter materials and parts, which means higher' engine-speeds and swifter acceleration.

These are the dividends of progress, and it is essential that the novice should hold them in proper respect. • 4 brand-new car, unless it is of the type and price that means it has been run-in, before delivery:As very small selection) must be treated very much as any other modem car must. be treated in cold :weather, that is to say with the utmost con- sideration. That national disaster, a long spell of frost, has that single advantage that it helps the new owner to an appreciation of the risks that follow rough usage.

To take the obvious precautions first, be very sure always that there is no chance of frost reaching the water-systim at any time, but especially when the car is in an unheated house. The story goes that the thermometer must fall to 12 below freezing point before ice will form inside an ordinarily weather-proof coach-house. That may b:A. so, but I have seen a six-cylinder engine split from end to end after 8 degrees , outside such a house, and that was no proof that 8 was the limit. • To repeat the oldest and best rule, empty the radiator every night, being sure that no water is trapped anywhere in the jackets. It is a tedious business refilling next day, but it is worth it, not only for the absolute assurance that nothing can happen, whatever the weather, but becarise you make the next start from cold much easier by tilling up with hot water. For that reason I prefer it to using a non-freezing mixture.

'Whether you empty or use glycerine always cover both engine, radiator and bonnet with thick rugs as soon as you switch off. It is surprising how long the latent heat will last. I am not in a position to advise on the various safety heating lamps that are to be had, never having used one; but I imagine that the most satisfactory is the kind that is put under the sump, to keep the oil fluid.

When making ready for a suspected difficult early start, use what means you can to warm the induction first and use the strangler as little as possible. The effect of constant use of it is to loose free petrol into the combustion-chambers, and unless the conditions are exactly right, the charge will not fire. Further, the petrol runs down into the sump, washing away the oil on the cylinder walls and diluting the oil. If after following the normal routine you are still unable to start the engine, take out the plugs and dry the points. Condensation forms liberally in cold weather, particularly after a day or two of idleness. The owners of motor fish ing- boats always take the plugs out overnight.

The model way of beginning to start up a cold engine is, of course, to do most of it by hand. Set the controls right and turn the starting-handle with the switch off half a dozen times to get the cylinders charged. Then switch on and give the handle a sharp pull-up over the compression. If that fails use your starter. The battery will have escaped the worst strain because by then the oil will be free. If you are so lucky as to have compression-taps, squirt a few drops into them. That should make it a certainty.

It is when the engine is running that the greatest care must be used. Keep the rug over the radiator and bonnet and let the engine run at 800 or 1,000 revolutions. Scientists

tell us that this is all wrong, and that it should be run hard to shorten the period of condensation that is responsible for worn cylinders and the need for re-boring, but in a good many. years' experience I have never found that gentle warming- up had any appreciable effect on good material, and I have often seen the damage done to dry pistons and cylinder walls by cold racing.

Out on the road drive the engine lightly until it is really, warm, using as small a throttle-opening as is necessary to keep going. Remember how tight bearings are and allow. plenty of time for the oil to warm up to the safety point. of . fluidity. You can hardly pamper new or a cold engine,•but ycu can very easily* damage it. _The results of harsh

treatment may not be immediately evident, but they can be lasting—and, in the end, expensive. Jonsr Pruomsu.

[Note.—Readers' requests for advice from our Motoring Correspondent on the choice of new cars should be accompanied by a stamped and addressed envelope. The highest price payable must be given, as well as the type of body required. No advice can be given. on the purchases sales or eicharige 'of deed _ _