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).
Brake wear, pedal movement issues, and problems with Rudge Whitworth road wheels.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 82\1\ scan0124 | |
| Date | 9th April 1933 guessed | |
| -10- this type of car. At the finish of the mileage there was no adjustment left on the rear brakes and one notch only on the front. The brakes have had to be adjusted every 1500 miles, during the runs from Chateauroux, to keep the pedal from the floorboard, with maximum braking. Examination of the drum shows a fair amount of wear, the surfaces have become ridged. The following are the causes of the springiness and lost movement on the foot pedal. (1) Slackness in pins from the pedal to the rear brake shafts, accounts for .500" lost movement. (2) Pilot shoe with .007 clearance accounts for .625 lost movement. (3) The anchorage of the front pedal bearing on the gearbox allows a further loss of movement of .875" (This is caused by the rocking over of the engine when heavy braking is applied.) The total lost movement possible being 2.250" out of a total 3.750" movement of the pedal. With very little wear of the brakes the pedal can be pressed down to the boards. We would like to point out the serious position this is liable to give. We find with the brakes not fully adjusted that when braking hard, from high speed as in the case of emergency braking is obtained down to approx. 30 m.p.h., from that speed downwards there is practically no braking, as the pedal is down on the floorboards. A false security is given to the driver as with normal braking, the brakes are efficient. RUDGE WHITWORTH ROAD WHEELS. The O.S. front road wheel was found loose and could not be tightened up solid due to the wearing of the cone on the stub hub, and the wheel cone. We find that with the hubs well greased it is difficult to know when the wheels are locked solid. All the wheels show wear to have taken place. A knock on the N.S. rear was found to be due to slackness in the serrations and to cure it heavy hammering on of the coned nut had to be used. | ||