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).
Technical memorandum discussing vehicle silence, clutch performance, and a significant issue with the brakes pulling to the right.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 96\3\ scan0057 | |
| Date | 27th January 1936 | |
| - 2 - Cxl/KW27.1.36. the best we have had yet from the silence point of view, and reaches I think an acceptable standard. My impression is, having regard to the improved effect by a generous treatment of sound absorbing material on the dashboard, that if the bodies fitted to this chassis also received a generous treatment of sound absorbing material, particularly on the floors, seat boards and lower panels, including wheel arches, we might achieve a still better standard of silence generally inside the car. The clutch, in my opinion, was not as nice as that of 35-EX, and I think it could be made to jagger rather easily if one attempted to start from rest on high gear. Having regard to the contents of Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Rml/KW24.1.36, I am not touching on any of the other points mentioned therein than are covered in the foregoing, except to confirm that the engine was difficult to start hot but not difficult to start cold. The worst point about the car, I think, as it is now is the brakes. Apart from pulling to the right when applied- which they consistently did - theywere affected when applied by unevenness of road surface, particularly wavey surfaces, and I found the brakes applying themselves with the pedal kept constant when pulling up on wavy surfaces, the pressure varying with the deflection of the springs. This is most unpleasant and on slippery roads might be highly dangerous. It is the first time I have noticed this feature on the Phantom III, although it seems hard to believe that anything such as rubber shackles is the cause of it. It seems that the brake ropes tighten and slacken as the springs are depressed, but I imagine that this definitely should not be so, and we could never I am sure accept that as a standard of braking. Enc. RC{R. Childs}4/L16.1.36. Cx.{Major Len W. Cox - Advertising Manager} P.S. We now understand from Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} reason of unequal brake pressure. Brakes pulling to the right probably want of adjustment. | ||