From the Rolls-Royce experimental archive: a quarter of a million communications from Rolls-Royce, 1906 to 1960's. Documents from the Sir Henry Royce Memorial Foundation (SHRMF).
Review of the drawbacks and technical points of a Turbo Transmitter for potential use in a car.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 156\4\ scan0101 | |
| Date | 7th July 1939 | |
| -2- Were there any other major drawbacks ? From a Rolls-Royce point of view; yes. To accelerate even gently from low speeds such as 15 or 20 m.p.h., there is an immediate increase in engine revs with consequent noise and fuss. There had gone the charm of a Rolls-Royce which pulls away on a high gear without fuss. We now come to some rather more technical points which we have discussed at some length since trying the transmitter. Cost. It will be less than the pieces it replaces. Noise. Difficult to form an opinion on the Humber, but should not be audible. Balance. It may have the out of balance problems that Daimlers have encountered on their fluid flywheel. Petrol Consumption. Theoretically this must be worse than the orthodox car. Other Points. (1) No gear lower than top is available as a brake for descending long hills. Below 20 m.p.h. the braking effect of the engine is not as good as an orthodox car in top owing to slip in the converter. (2) The engine cannot be started by running downhill or towing the car. (3) The engine cannot be a safety brake when parked on a hill. Summing up, the Turbo Transmitter should be ideal for commercial vehicles and trains but as it stands is not sufficiently good for a Rolls-Royce car which has a speed range of 0-90 m.p.h. What it would be like on a car of a far lower power weight ratio than the Snipe, is very difficult to foretell, but our forecast is not promising. | ||