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).
Experimental weight reduction and design improvements for springs, exhaust, battery, and radiator.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 88\3\ scan0104 | |
| Date | 1st February 1935 | |
| -3- (2) Road Springs. Since we no longer depend on inter-leaf friction, we ought to be able to use thicker and fewer leaves in the springs. We know that we are nowhere near the stress in our rear springs that we are in our front ones. Actually we have already run 15,000 miles on a pair of rear thick-leafed springs which saved a total of about 15 lbs., and we are considering standardising them. Of course any reduction in body and chassis weight means we can use less material in the springs. We are tackling the front immediately. (3) Exhaust System. The Experimental Dept. accept the full responsibility for this being so heavy. We expect to have more exhaust system than the Americans because our high compression O.H.V. engine has a bigger bark, but ought not to be 200% heavier. We have tried four American exhaust systems on the Bentley without any success. We hope, however, to reduce the weight of this item by 40% in the immediate future. (4) Battery. We have heard suggestions that we want a still larger battery than the one we are at present fitting. We say that, judging by the Pontiac, we want a smaller battery. (5) Radiator & Water. The useful part of the radiator which we have been working on experimentally, and which is the matrix, now only weighs 29 lbs. against the Pontiac 34 lbs. In other words, our shell, bottom tank and shutters weigh more than twice as much as those of the Pontiac. We think design might look into this, and also into reducing still further the matrix size on the single point wing and radiator scheme, as we have a more efficient matrix than the Harrison Mark III on test. | ||