How To Drive A Motorcar
A Key To The Subtleties Of Motoring

t CHAPTER X Gear-changing EVERYONE who drives a car is bound frequently, from one cause and another, to change gears. As there are so many cars in general use it is perfectly reasonable to argue that the majority of drivers are capable of doing this with more or less ease, otherwise there would be an outcry for further information, or simplification in the mechanism itself. Now, it is quite one thing to change gear, and another matter to change gear properly. It is an art—the word ‘ ‘ art ’ ’ is used advisedly— which every driver should endeavour thoroughly to acquire ; and this for many reasons. In the first place, a bad gear-change is very detrimental to the whole mechanism of the gearbox, and the gear control levers, striking rods, etc. A bad clash when gear-changing means that a distinct tendency is set up towards the chipping, or, in these days, perhaps, the scaling of the gear wheels themselves. Then, again, a fiendish noise is made, which is likely to give a very bad im- pression, both to the occupants of the car and those near at hand, whilst in the third place the bearings of the gearbox are subjected to an end thrust of consider- able force owing to the big leverage provided, and consequently there is also a strain put upon the control mechanism which it is not intended to take. Before going further one must admit that gear- changing is very considerably easier on some cars than on others, but so far as the broad principles of gear- changing are concerned the writer, with a large, diversified experience, covering practically every car at all well known to the world of automobilism, has not 80