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).
Questioning the benefits of modified silent tread tyres and their proposed adoption.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 45\2\ Scan344 | |
| Date | 29th April 1931 | |
| 84050. PN.{Mr Northey}4/WT29.4.31. S/W. Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}..from PN.{Mr Northey} Copy to C. Whm. Silent Tread Tyres. In reply to your Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}6/KT.24.4.31, Silent Tread Tyres. We fail to understand what is to be gained by our testing these modified silent tread tyres, or that there can be sufficient advantage in their adoption in the future to justify the always inconvenient change of stock and instructions arising from making the previous tyres obsolete. You do not apparently find any advantage from the point of view of performance, and appear to consider that the whole consideration as to the adoption of these depends upon whether they look allright. I believe that it is suggested that this modified tread with its perfectly useless excrescences all along the sides which never touch the ground, are likely to fill owners with confidence which otherwise they might not have. This may be so but we do not think that the point should cut much ice. What of course we should always like is that a tyre might be produced which is capable of holding the road better, at the same time being silent. Apparently these points do not arise in the present case. PN.{Mr Northey} [STAMP] RECEIVED 1931 APR 30 HS{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} | ||