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).
Customer complaint about tyre performance, comparing Dunlop and Englebert tyres on a Phantom III.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 96\1\ scan0248 | |
| Date | 7th January 1938 | |
| 361 To Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}., from Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}/GWH.{George W. Hancock - Head Chateauroux} c.c to Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} c.c to By.{R.W. Bailey - Chief Engineer} c.c to Mx.{John H Maddocks - Chief Proving Officer} Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}/GWH.{George W. Hancock - Head Chateauroux}7/N.7.1.38. Re: Phantom III - 3-AX-121 - A.G.Clarke,Esq., The Plessy Co,Ltd., The above Owner's car was brought into Cricklewood by the chauffeur on the 5th.inst. as arranged. In my interview with the chauffeur I learnt that both he and the owner do not like Dunlop tyres, firstly because of the safety factor i.e. skidding, and secondly, wear factor. The chauffeur claimed that the Dunlop life was only 7000 miles, and that Englehurt's gave a longer life, the exact mileage he could not state, but pointed out that the rears had done 5000 miles with practically no sign of wear shewing. He claimed they were considerably safer in road holding qualities, and as the owner always drove fast, they were entitled to use tyres giving a higher value of safety. The question of placing a preventing liquid in the tyres was next raised. The chauffeur is, as far as I could ascertain chiefly responsible for this. His argument being that the roads and conditions he runs under has in the past produced many irritable nail punctures, and that with their other cars the steering has not been affected. I told him that his other cars having a much lower ratio of steering would not shew up to the same extent any out of balance in the system, but that the steering system was receiving shocks that they were not aware of, which caused excessive wear. We then jacked up his car at the front, and demonstrated to him the out of balance of the tyres due to the liquid and explained that after we had taken every precaution to make a balanced steering it was being unbalanced by this method of treating for punctures, and by the way, telling him that present day tyres were very free from punctures. The tyres fitted to the car were Englebert 10 ply 7 x 18 pressure 44 lbs. The chauffeur informed me that previously he had been running with only 33 lbs pressure and it was with these pressures that his boss had complained of heaviness and unsteadiness of the steering. The owner had not tried the car with the higher pressures. Before taking the car on the road we balanced up two Dunlop 7 x 18 wheels fitted with the 90 type tyres with the open slots at the sides, 35 lbs pressure. Cont'd.{John DeLooze - Company Secretary} | ||