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).
Brake design decisions for the Wraith model, including comparisons to the Phantom III.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 7\7\ X 606 Brakes-page006 | |
| Date | 1st April 1936 | |
| xx C. Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Fer. Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/AFM.{Anthony F. Martindale} Hdr. XTOUT 606 Ex.2/HP.1.4.36. Wraith Brakes. Referring to Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/AFM.{Anthony F. Martindale}10/JH.27.3.36, it will be remembered that at a conference between Experimental and Design some three weeks ago it was decided that it was necessary on a Rolls-Royce car to have a separate hand brake. We have proceeded on this decision, and if the recommendations given in the above memo are approved, we shall have to start again to some extent. We should like to point out that:- (1) The use of a limited equaliser will cause the loss of the brake on one of the wheels rather sooner than would be the case with an unrestricted equaliser. (2) Though in theory the foot brake may wear out sooner than the hand brake on Phantom III this is not borne out, the hand brake requiring practically the whole of its stroke to hold the car on a steepish gradient when new. We think there is something not yet discovered on Phantom III which may explain this. It may be better on Wraith, but there is no outstanding reason at the moment why it should be. The design of a single pair of shoes will undoubtedly prove a much simpler and more economic job than a separate hand brake, and for this reason we should welcome it, but we suggest it may be premature to abandon entirely the double brake. Previous recommendations for the brakes from Experimental Department have not panned out exactly as was expected, for example:- (a) All four brakes pulled up by the pedal. This necessitated a hasty return to the R.R. semi-servo type with considerable work which had to be done against time. (b) Full Girling brakes. Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/AFM.{Anthony F. Martindale}10/JH.27.3.36 does not give a very full account | ||