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).
Suitability of Dunlop's modified silent tread tyres as a standard fitment.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 45\2\ Scan335 | |
| Date | 26th February 1931 | |
| S/W....Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} c. to PN.{Mr Northey} ----- X4050. C1/C26.2.31 DUNLOPS MODIFIED SILENT TREAD TYRES. ----- With regard to the two modified silent tread tyres which were brought to Bond St.{Capt. P. R. Strong} last week from Bignall's Corner in Sg{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD}'s car, it does not appear to be quite clear whether our opinion is wanted in respect of effectiveness or appearance. If the former, we have had no chance of testing them, and will be prepared to rely upon your opinion that their qualities in respect of non-slipping are at least as good as our standard silent type of tread. We are aware that the Dunlop Company take the view that the appearance of a cover shall give the impression of being one which holds the road well, quite apart from its behaviour in actual service, hence the additional serrations or indentations at the side of the cover which are never likely to get in touch with the road surface. We do not mind these additional serrations, not that we are inclined to think that they are likely to cut any ice one way or another with the ordinary customer, who is likely to be more guided by our opinion and his own experience. The whole point, however, appears to be as to whether there is any improvement in the non-skidding properties while retaining the degree of silence that we require, in this particular tyre, that would justify us in agreeing to Dunlops making this new type, and the difficulty and trouble we always have when changing the pattern of tyre. What we want is to be able to fit a tyre as standard without consulting the customer. As I think you know, at the present time we are in the position of giving customers the choice of the silent tyre or the buttress tyre, pointing out that the former is not quite so good from a non-slipping point of view as the buttress, but that the buttress is very noisy. What we really want to get is a tyre that we can fit as standard with some confidence, feeling that we are giving the customer a safe tyre, the impression having got abroad, at least among a large number of our customers' drivers, that the silent Dunlop tyre is unsafe under certain road conditions. C. | ||