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).
Feedback and issues with a chassis after a 650-mile test drive, focusing on brakes, steering, and fuel consumption.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 107\1\ scan0285 | |
| Date | 25th April 1935 | |
| H3 X560 To Wor.{Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager} from Sg.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} Copy to C. E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} H.{Arthur M. Hanbury - Head Complaints} re My New 20/25. Sg{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD}16/E25.4.35 During Easter I went a little trip of about 650 miles and, generally speaking, was delighted with the chassis with the exception of the brakes about which more hereunder. I should be very much interested to know whether any special effort was made to pick out nice units for this chassis or whether it was just standard. It certainly is a very nice chassis and the engine so quite at, say, 40 miles an hour that, if one coasts down a hill, one can really not tell whether the engine is on or off. It seems to be free from some of the troubles we have such as vibration of change speed lever and the feeling of vibration when standing still owing to rubber engine mounting, although Idid not look to see if some one had fitted the damper to overcome this trouble. Perhaps you can tell me. The brakes are really ridiculously bad - in fact I should complain about them on a Morris Oxford car. Even the side brake fails to hold the car on a moderate incline. The car will be at Thrupp & Maberley from Monday for a few days. I should be glad if you would make arrangements with Br.{T. E. Bellringer - Repair Manager} to send there and fit all the improvements set out in the memo. which you handed to me at our meeting last Tuesday. I should like him to remove the brake drums and tell me whether the brakes are oiled up. The steering is not too bad but not too good from the point of view of stiffness. Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} is getting me the shorter pendulum lever to try and I should like Br.{T. E. Bellringer - Repair Manager} to have instructions to fit this at the same time. The patg petrol consumption worked out at approximately 13 1/2 to the gallon which of course is very bad when compared with the former carburetter. I only drove fast for a very small portion of the time. | ||