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 to Dunlop Rubber Co. detailing the disadvantages experienced with balloon tyres, focusing on tread noise and vibration.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 39\2\ Scan169 | |
| Date | 1st October 1923 | |
| Y3538 Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}13/LG. 1st. Oct. 1923. Messrs. The Dunlop Rubber Co., Erdington, Birmingham. Dear Sirs, For the attention of Mr. Macbeth. Y3538 X4565 We will not repeat the known advantages of the Balloon tyres - we only propose to give you our experience of the apparent disadvantages we have so far experienced. 1. Noise from the tread. We have proved that the noise which comes from the tread is influenced considerably by the pressure in the tyre. The lower the pressure the more noise. This confirms the experience we had with the standard cord tyres with the traction tread. There is also a considerable increase in noise caused by the tyre when the brake is applied - this occurred before the wheel commenced to slip. From our experience it seems to be much more difficult to get a quiet tread when the tyre has a big area of contact with the road. 2. When you were at Derby we tried to demonstrate to you a vibration which occurred when running over granite sets. We were not very successful then, but we have since made a number of tests with this. We find that we can produce this fault and we have actually had customers complain of it with the present standard cord tyres if they are run with low pressure - the lower the pressure the more manifest it becomes. contd:- | ||