slippery shopping!

[Keith Bennett]

Bar and I live at the top of a steep hill and are doing our best to self-isolate but every month we need to do a big Morrison's shop to stock up. With more snow forecast we thought we'd go this morning - very little snow around but boy, very slippery under foot and cross plies!
Gab sedately slid down Wood End but happily the main road was clear, so all good. Hardly any cars around (the downside of course is that our road is lined with dozens of parked cars cos folk seem incapable of parking on their driveways).

Haven't driven her for a few weeks and what struck me most was the small size of the pedals. You'd think after 55 year's ownership I'd be used to them by now...

Safely home and unloaded ready to be tucked back up in her garage.

[austina40sam]

Yes Keith, I thought you would have been used to Gabs pedals by now!
Oddly enough I only thought of you both this morning as I know you use Gab in the snow. Glad she is running well and no carb icing! Hope you are both keeping well Keith

[Keith Bennett]

The really weird thing about the dreaded carb icing is that Gab's perfectly happy in freezing cold dry weather, but even on a mild spring day, if a cold shower of rain comes down, so does the icing.

[austina40sam]

How odd. You would think in really cold weather like today then that is when you would get carb icing!

[Keith Bennett]

Perhaps it's mainly the Zenith downdraught carbs' design that encourages this problem. All I know is that on a really cold day, or a really wet one, Gab runs really well. But hit a heavy rain shower in spring or autumn and the old bugger begins shuddering and losing power. Luckily, with a mobile phone, I can now simply sit where she stops and pretend being on a call until the engine's heat thaws the carb out!

[Mike Hodgson]

I thought you had the later Mk1 air filter to cure icing problems.Most important the tube is positioned over the exhaust manifold (winter position).

[scotty]

Beautifully put Monty. There you have your answer KB. Simply, it all depends on the humidity level and a thing called the Dew Point, as to the effect caused when the cold draft of air and enough water combine, things change dramatically.

[Keith Bennett]

Thanks Mike, Monte and Scotty for the explanation. I never knew that adding water to fuel would actually increase its efficiency... And I have to admit that although Gab does indeed have the air box with a snout, it never used to be positioned directly above the manifold, just pointed downwards to one side. Needless to say, it is now !

[Stoney13]

think its a case of big feet really, small pedals , and some race cars use water induction to cool the fuel as colder fuel makes for a bigger burn more power