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Show Sudden Stop Harmful to Automobile Chassis IIow long would your present automobile auto-mobile last if you Installed a S'A) horsepower engine In the chassis and drove It wide open? There isn't a motorist In the world who would Impose such a load on an ordinary chassis, because every driver knows that no standard automobile could withstand the terrific stresses Imposed by so powerful an engine. Nevertheless, many motorists habitually habit-ually Impose 'equal stresses on their cars without realizing It, a fact brought out by a Detroit manager of a large automobile concern, in a discussion dis-cussion of brakes and braking. "Few persons realize how much energy must be dissipated to stop a car," he said. "Motor-wise drivers who know that it requires tremendous horsepower to give rapid acceleration never seem to think of braking in similar terms. "With hydraulic four-wheel brakes, a car running at any speed can be brought to a dead stop in one-fifth the time that It takes to attuin that speed. A 2.000-pound car, therefore, there-fore, would require an engine of 350 horsepower to accelerate to 30 miles an hour In the same time that it may be stopped when going at that speed. "Some drivers who would not expect ex-pect a standard chassis to stand up with a 350 horsepower engine make it a practice to use the brakes to their full power for every stop. That is, they maintain speed to the last possible possi-ble moment even when they know long in advance that they must come to a standstill, and then bring the car to a sudden halt. "It is a great advantage to have the ability to make sudden stops in emergencies, but it Is a gross abuse of a car to use this power harshly every time. '"Drivers should use their brakes moderately for all service stops. When they see a red light a block a head they should let the car slow down gradually, bringing it to a standstill stand-still finally with gentle brake pressure. pres-sure. "This practice, if followed 'regu-' larly, not only saves the tires and brake linings, but guards the whole chassis from undue stresses." |