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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).
Comparison of gear ratios and a discussion on hill-climbing performance for various cars.

Identifier  ExFiles\Box 75\1\  scan0139
Date  9th September 1920
  
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Mr. Radley's car of 1912. Even when we use the lower gear axle we are still a long way off being equal to the Austrain Trials Cars.

Below we give the gear ratios when taking into account that smaller diameter wheels were used on Mr. Radley's car and the Austrian trials cars.

COMPARISON OF GEAR RATIOS. ALL CARS FITTED WITH 895 X 135 TYRES.

| Car. | Top. | 3rd. | 2nd. | 1st. |
|--------------------------------------------|------|------|------|-------|
| Mr. Radley's Car which failed in Austria. | 3.17 | | 5.18 | 8.93 |
| Austrian Trials Cars 1913. | 3.48 | 5.16 | 7.72 | 11.84 |
| Present standard. | 3.25 | 4.83 | 7.22 | 11.07 |
| New 3-speed box. | 3.25 | | 4.98 | 8.98 |
| New 3-speed box with 3.47 axle ratio. | 3.47 | | 5.32 | 9.56 |

After we have spent so much money in proving that Rolls-Royce Cars will climb the worst hills on the Continent we think it would be a retrograde step to produce cars which would have a very poor chance of doing this. We feel that this matter could very easily be decided by taking one of the old 3-speed gear boxes and fitting it on to one of the present cars because it will be seen that the ratios in the gearbox are practically the same

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