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).
Issue of front wheels locking on Bentley cars during braking and inquiring about a potential cure.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 85\1\ scan0116 | |
| Date | 19th June 1936 | |
| x206. Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} MARTINDALE. S/W. Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} Cx{Major Len W. Cox - Advertising Manager}15/KW19.6.36. You will remember some discussion took place recently on the fact of the front wheels on Bentley cars locking with the application of the brakes. As we were sure this was wrong and they should not lock when the brakes were applied, I thought you might be interested to know that in a report which I called for from RC{R. Childs} on the Trials Cars, the following appears :- " With reference to your memo CxIO/KW20.4.36, I tried the " brakes on B-3-GA and B-4-GA on wet wood paving and found " that the front wheels of both cars locked. Out of " curiosity I tried GBJ-16 with the same result. I would like to reiterate here that we experience very unpleasant conditions in London when this happens. The braking efficiency of the car is greatly reduced, it becomes almost out of control and may lead to a bad accident. Will you please tell us whether, in the modifications that are now being made to Bentley brakes by reducing the amount of brake lining, you had in mind a cure for this trouble as well as other defects in the brake system ? Cx.{Major Len W. Cox - Advertising Manager} Luel | ||