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).
Customer's noise complaint, comparing the performance of Dunlop and Michelin tyres on a Phantom car.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 47\2\ Scan021 | |
| Date | 9th November 1927 | |
| RECEIVED X4117 S/W Ha 02/09.11.27 During the last six or eight weeks we have had a good deal of trouble with an old customer - Mr. C.B.A.Hartridge in respect of his 'Phantom' No. 62-LF, his complaint being that his new car is so much coarser and noisier than his old car No.29-NK. We endeavoured to convince Mr.Hartridge that the noise of which he complained was due to the tyres but he was not prepared to believe this in respect of coarseness, or most of the noise, inasmuch as his old car was satisfactory in these respects. Yesterday we drove his old car, fitted with Michelin tyres to his house and changed the Michelin tyres and wheels on to his new car and took him out for a run on it. These tyres appear to have made all the difference, and from being an entirely disgruntled customer Mr.Hartridge (who is very finicky) is delighted with the car and we accordingly left him with the Michelin tyres and drove his old car back on the old Dunlops. It was noticed by Bt.{Capt. J. S. Burt - Engineer} that the old car was far better in respect of noise and coarseness, going down on the Michelins than it was going back on the Dunlops. Of course we have had this point of tyre noises over with the Dunlop people on a lot of occasions, but this is such a very marked case that you ought to look into the possibility of Michelin tyres. We are, of course, aware that there are other things to be considered, such as swaying and road adhesion, non-skidding, etc., so that we must arrive at a decision as to whether the Michelin are so very much superior and if the loss of other properties is compensated for by the gain in silence and smoothness. Will you please let me know whether you have recently made any tests with the latest type of Michelin balloon tyre, or whether you would like us to send you up a duplicate of the set that we have fitted to Mr.Hartridge's car. Incidentally, these tyres were not made specially for us, but were a set that we happened to have in stock because they were removed from a chassis we were exporting after we had purchased them from Michelins. If/ | ||