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).
The standardization of wheels and the introduction of straight-sided tyres.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 45\1\ Scan049 | |
| Date | 15th July 1920 | |
| R.R. 585A (100 T) (S.G. 64B, 10-5-20) G 2615 X.4050 W/S. C. from By.{R.W. Bailey - Chief Engineer} c. to Sn.{Mr Sanderson} c. to Wd.{Mr Wood/Mr Whitehead} c. to Wor.{Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager} c. to Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} c. to EFC. By6/P15.7.20. X.3725. X.4050. WHEELS & TYRES. RE STRAIGHT SIDED TYRES. Referring to your C9/H14.7.20, dealing apparently with the Conference between R.{Sir Henry Royce} Wor.{Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager} Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} Pn.{Mr Northey} & C. the position is as follows, and is not modified from that laid out in my previous memos on the above subject:- (1) X.1016. It is agreed that when Warland rims are called for by a customer for a chassis to be delivered later than October 1st. we might suggest to him that he should use straight sided tyres with loose flanges wheels in place of Warland rims (Dual) but as pointed out previous since we are involved in wire wheels of the present standard type up to chassis 1500 approximately of the postwar program, we must not shout the fact on the house-tops that we can obtain loose flanged wheels suitable for straight sided tyres, by October. (2) Straight sided tyres and loose flanged wheels cannot be fitted as standard commencing with October 1st. next. This fact had been previously impressed in my memo By16/P19.5.20. The reason why we cannot adopt it as a standard at that particular point is, that we have to dispose of approximately 1500 sets of the present type of wire wheel, I say approximately, ~~because directly passed and standardised by ourselves,~~ the Dunlop Company will dispose of all the rims for the present type of wheel not then fitted to wheels elsewhere, and will at once commence to supply the wheels suitable for straight sided tyres. An Optimistic estimate of the number of wheels we shall be involved in as a minimum is 1250 sets. It is for this reason that I have again and again emphasized the fact that we must only refer to straight sided tyres as being available on October 1st. in order to push a customer off of Warland rims, who will not be satisfied otherwise. We might possibly manage, if the standardisation is pushed through at an early date, to limit the total | ||