This Gear-Changing. Two Examples
THERE was a time not very long ago when the motoring world was split in two by the controversy over the four-six business, whether a 6-cylindered engine was better or worse than a 4-cylindered engine, which design would survive, and for how long. It all seems rather pointless today when the more far-seeing makers have adopted such forms of suspension for their Fours as to make them, for all practical purposes, as vibrationless as a Six or an Eight, but at the time the Battle of the Cylinders, as it was called, was acrimonious enough. The bolder makers decided that the Four was dead ; the particular ones derided the notion that perfect balance could be obtained from any unit but a Four, an Eight or a Twelve ; and-the rest waited to see what would happen, hoping, no doubt, that the new fashion, whether imposed by their brethren or the car-buying public, would be the least expensive. -There were one or two courageous fighters, like Lancia, Cadillac and Ford, who maintained that two Fours in V-form were the real answer to the question of how to get flexibility, silence, acceleration and impulseless power.
Today the situation is little changed, except that nobody argues any more about it. Those who pinned their faith to the Six are still faithful ; some have brought out Fours in sufficient numbers to justify the claim that the Four is returning to favour ; the Eight school still make Eights. But, as a general rule, nobody claims for his car any special freedom from vibration because it has more than four cylinders, or in spite of it.
That battle is over. Nearly everybody now makes a remarkably good engine and it matters very little to the average owner-driver whether he owns a Four or a Six. The latter has certain drawbacks, such as entailing rather more work in decarbonization, valve- , grinding, timing, and the like ; in a few instances slightly higher taxation for the same or less cubic content ; here and there heavier petrol-consumption, size for size and performance for performance ; but taking it all round the only thing a man need worry about today in choosing a modern car—all else being equal, of course—is accessibility of parts needing atten- tion. They all go well and they all go smoothly, each in their particular way. When they cease to do so, it is essential for peace of mind and pocket that the trouble should be readily reached and remedied. The car of tomorrow will be much more simple than today's.
Arc we in the first stages of a Gear-box Battle, destined to last no longer than the Cylinder conflict ? To read advertisements and catalogues as seriously as they are written; each fervently upholding the merits of the pre-Selective, the synchro-mesh and, the "straight," with or without free-wheel, is to be convinced that the very existence of the entire car depends upon its trans- mission, that if you choose a car without this or that form of drive you are -simply- buying a back number and have already lost all in the second-hand market. I have not the slightest doubt that the different claims are made in the best of faith. Nobody could hope to sell anything in which they did not themselves believe. It falls to me to drive most cars made in the company of either their designers or of somebody whose whole heart is in the business, convinced of the super-excellence of their special design as they are of the procession of the seasons, and I cannot sufficiently admire their zeal. It is the real thing, quite different from the rather shallow enthusiasm I remember for the Four, the Six and the Eight, the Three-speed and the Four-speed gear-box (ancient history there !) and the sliding roof. Very few were really convinced about those matters, but every maker is perfectly certain which is the right gear to use. Did I say every one ? I know of one, a producer of thousands, who lately abandoned one system after a brief trial. I know nothing of the facts, but I imagine that it was not because of any defects in the system itself but because its application was in some way at fault.
You may call all this a Battle or not, according to your, temperament. To me it is a cheering sign. It means the proper sort of competition, the kind that gives us better motor-cars. The why or the how are of no importance. Remains only for each of us to decide which we prefer.
Among the unexpectedly heavy batch of letters I have received since my last article, asking for advice in the choice of a car, are several insisting upon a definite pro- nouncement on the merits of each gear system. As the prices the writers are prepared to pay vary between £250 and £700 it is not practical to attempt a comprehensive answer. Some synchro-meshed gear-boxes are much better than others, and they are not always the dearest. In one free-wheeled car you can change speed with very little loss of time, in another only after an appreciable wait. Some arrangements of the Wilson transmission are better than others ; there arc still plain gear-boxes, without so much as a " silent " third, which will give the driver who knows them gear-changing almost as swift and silent as thought. One can only deal with each on its merits and leave generalization to the converted. For myself, I have catholic tastes and am converted to no system to the exclusion of any other. I only ask of each that it gives me the least amount of trouble of any kind.
Two cars of moderate price that I have tried in the past few weeks, the 10 h.p. B.S.A. and the 16 h.p. Hillman, have " new " gear-boxes. The B.S.A. has the Daimler transmission, which consists of the Wilson gear-box and the fluid flywheel, and the Hillman has an all-silent plain gear-box, with top-and-third synchro-meshed, plus a freewheel. Both systems did all that is claimed for them. In the B.S.A. the Daimler drive gave the familiar " lightning " change ; in the Hillman you could, with the freewheel, change up or down at any car speed, as soon as the engine-speed had dropped to idling-rate. There is no question here of comparison, invidious or other. I could make a change up or down a little faster in the B.S.A. when the engine was driving, without a pause; in traffic or except when accelerating fast, I could change with a little less physical effort in the Hillman, just as fast and with no noise- at all. -I have no idea which, if either, I should prefer to my own plain, straight 6-year-old box. I hope that strikes you as fair comment.
In another article I expect to be able to review other examples of the freewheel and/or synchro-mesh and/or silent systems, and perhaps of the Wilson gear-box with a different form of coupling. In the meantime the behaviour of these two cars on trial deserves some remark. The B.S.A. is the cheapest car made with the Daimler transmission. The plain saloon costs £230, which I consider a very reasonable figure for a car capable of nearly 60 miles an hour and having accommodation for three large adults. or four of average size. The 4-cylinder engine has side-valves and is accessibly arranged. 'There is little ordinary vibration, but: there- is a slight *tremor noticeable on picking up from low speeds. It is perfectly inoffensive and transitory.: About 45 miles an hour can be had on third and the pick-up is lively for the power. Steering, springing and road-holding are above the average. It is a sturdy piece of work, with a good " lasting " feeling about it. It is obviously trustworthy. The Hillman is the successor of the Wizard of last year and an immense improvement on it in every way. It is not a new model, but a successfully modified old one. Lessons learnt have been wisely applied. For example the liveliness is new. This car has a maximum speed of about 65 or a little more, but it reaches that easily and accelerates very readily. It is an eager engine, it has life and a • good deal of sensitiveness. It, too, is plain, with side-valves. I cannot say that the finish under-bonnet is what I like, but, at the price, it is fair. Everything that matters most, brakes, steering, springing and steadi- ness at speed, is there, besides exceptional quietness of running and, most important, notable roominess of coachwork. It is definitely a comfortable car and you get a great deal of accommodation for the price, which is £269. It is, for its weight and bulk, a good hill-climber. Sympathetically treated it should give excellent service over .a long pericid. liftes are distinctly attractive.
JOHN PRIOLEALT:
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