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 performance, consistency issues, and potential improvements to the system.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 73\2\ scan0208 | |
| Date | 23th January 1924 guessed | |
| contd:- -2- There is also the simple cause for steering towards the heavy brakes by the uneven braking causing the tyres to roll sideways on the road like a boat with an oar stuck in the water at one side prevents the boat following its keel. CONSISTENCY. It will be seen that nearly every experiment shews inconsistent braking. Then Mr. Day excuses ourselves for Mr. Moore-Brabazon's remarks on Goshawk brakes as possibly being badly bedded when he tested it. I quite agree that one cannot see any reason why other cars are better than ours. Probably they are not but may get over some of the fault by giving ample operating force, as in the hispano, or using shorter or jointed shoes which do not depend upon bedding, or are self bedding and cannot wear out of balance, (i.e. lapping and unlapping) as the locomotive type, or Perrot servo type, or our floating fulcrum type. We must buck up and get the brakes working more con-sistently. We do not mind squeaks half so much as brakes which vary by bedding, wear, or condition or surface, and are some-times effective, and sometimes not. I do not think that a change with temperature should be relied upon to make the brakes effective, and I do not think much trouble would be found in practice if brakes were less effective hot, providing we had enough power to hold the car always, hot or cold, forwards or backwards, on a steep hill; for sudden emergency use when double the braking is needed the brakes would generally be cool or cold. contd:- | ||