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).
Letter discussing tyre tread requirements, steering performance issues, and proposals for further technical collaboration on tyre development.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 157\1\ scan0146 | |
| Date | 16th November 1934 | |
| -2- Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}22/KW.16.11.34. What has actually happened is that we have agreed to accept about 25% of our supplies in "90" tread to accommodate your Sales Department while we proceed with our routine tyre testing at an accelerated rate. You will appreciate that we do not question that the "90" tread is probably better for the majority of Dunlop customers, but that our requirements are almost invariably different to those of the mass-produced car. For instance, you will recollect that when the triple stud was standardised by Dunlop you were rapidly forced to develop another tread because it was altogether too noisy for us. In the same way we suspect that the flatter tread of the series "90" tyre may run us into difficulty under parking conditions in London traffic, because we presume it has a greater area of contact with the road which we know tends to make the steering heavy. You will probably already have all this information and we should be grateful if you could let us have the data at your disposal. We should also like to know whether you produce the "90" tread in the "Fort" size on a 6" rim and whether it differs at all from the M.A. type tread in effective rolling circumference, both on the standard type and on the "Fort" size. If, in the future, you could arrange for someone technically engaged on your development work to contact with me regularly, I believe both companies would benefit thereby. I have particularly in mind independent front wheel suspension which has produced quite a number of new steering problems, most of which are affected in some degree by the tyre. During my visit to the States earlier in the year I found that Cadillacs and Goodyear had between them carried out a very considerable research on the tyre relative to independent suspension, and feel that we should like similar co-operation over here. Yours faithfully, FOR ROLLS-ROYCE LIMITED. | ||