Memorandum, reprinted by the S. M. M. & T., concerning the causes of rapid tyre tread wear.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 158\1\ scan0068 | |
| Date | 11th October 1935 guessed | |
| The S. M. {Mr Moon / Mr Moore} M. {Mr Moon / Mr Moore} & T. gladly take advantage of the permission of the Rubber Association of America to reprint the following Memorandum as a recognition of a growing problem, both in the U.S.A. and in Great Britain. The Causes of Rapid Tread Wear. THE present era of improved roads, increased automobile activity, and the modern demand for speed and power has brought on new operating conditions which cause a wide variation in the amount of wear that is possible from tyres of the same make or the same quality. The Rubber Association of America has recognized this growing problem and its attendant misunderstanding and has, therefore, gathered data from all member companies, assembled it, and for general education of the industry, drawn it up in a paper, which the Society are glad to have the opportunity to reprint for information. In this study there are a great number of major factors, each of which covers a lot of smaller ones; some interlock with others, yet each has its distinctive effect on tyre performance. These factors are as follows:— 1. SPEED.—High speed driving has become practically universal. Cars are capable of higher speeds than ever before. The many miles of improved highways permit greater speed and even where roads are not in first class condition the Balloon Tyre, with its cushioning quality, makes continuous high speed possible. Car owners have also become so well accustomed to driving that the average speed on the open road is at least 10 to 15 miles faster than it was three years ago. This increase in average speeds has undoubtedly resulted in a reduction of the average tyre mileage. Numerous experiments have proved this conclusively. In a series of tests made in various sections of the country it was found that any increase in speed will cause a definite increase in tread wear. As an example, in one test recently made, one set of tyres ran 12,000 miles at 35 miles per hour, while another set of identical quality gave only 6,000 miles at 50 miles per hour under the same operating conditions. In other words, an increase of 15 miles per hour doubled the rate of tread wear. While the treads on tyres built for use in races are thinner than for ordinary driving, the rate of wear, on the IndiaProduction 20 HP. with 4-speed box and Front Wheel Brakesnapolis Speedway, for instance, is such that tyres hardly last for 500 miles. | ||
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).