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).
Proposed improvements for power output, gearbox, and suspension systems.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 179b\2\ img154 | |
| Date | 23th November 1932 | |
| -2- Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}6/WT.23.11.32. Cont'd.{John DeLooze - Company Secretary} (1) INCREASED POWER OUTPUT. The demand for increased power is always with us especially on the Continental type car, and now that we have accepted that the standard which was set for the Continental can now be used on the general purpose car, it will mean that we can go ahead again to try and improve the Continental so that it will live up to its specification of being faster than the standard car. Actually the crankshaft of the engine now fitted is quite safe, as the critical speed is somewhere over 105 M.P.H. We consider that we could try with the compression ratio increased from five and a quarter, to five and a half to one. Another point we should like to get on is the automatic adjusted tappets. These will come through as standard on J.11 and therefore customers would anticipate them on the more expensive model. The advantage we expect to get out of these tappets - (a) They will greatly reduce tappet noise during the warming up period. (b) They will enable us to use a cam form with the reduced toe which would permit of more effective overlap without spoiling the slow speed running, and a later effective closing of inlet valves without spoiling the pick up power. We also expect to be testing shortly the semi expanding carburetter, which has been made larger than the existing one and should give us an appreciable improvement. (2) GEARBOX. We certainly must have a silent second speed. This is now fitted to 19-EX., and once we have got used to the greatly reduced noise on second gear we shall never be satisfied with anything else. We have designs for a larger fabric coupling. This requires testing out and it is one of the frequent Service complaints on the present car. (3) SUSPENSION. The car will have controllable shock dampers. These will either be the complete automatic or a scheme with an over-riding hand control. | ||