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 Cadillac, Packard, and Lincoln engines, focusing on crankshafts, bearings, and performance.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 173\4\ img165 | |
| Date | 16th December 1935 guessed | |
| Sgt. & Wg.{Mr Gill - Financial Director} c to E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} B., By.{R.W. Bailey - Chief Engineer} Hdy{William Hardy}, R.N.C E.V. To HS{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} By arguing with the Cadillac & Packard people about V8 and 12's & seeing the various cars it seems that a 12 of any V angle gives a smoother drive in V8 at high loads and also at high speeds due to the lateral deflections in the V8 shaft. All of which is far worse on a 3 bearing. As I wrote in an earlier letter, the performance of the V8 varies with its finish. Packards maintain that combustion roughness is due to deflections in the crankshaft and crankcase & that by making them sufficiently stiff. The 4 bearing Packard 12 cyl crankshaft weighs 125 lbs. They say that the Lincoln number of bearings is a 7 cgs: shaft does not remedy for smaller smoothness unless the bearings are sufficiently stiff. There doesn't seem any doubt that we can go further than on chain construction of the same dimensions. The Cadillac is a smoother engine than the Packard. | ||