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).
Four-wheel brakes, discussing braking balance and performance on greasy roads.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 182\M20\M20.2\ img050 | |
| Date | 1st May 1924 | |
| R.B. 493A (80H) (D.A. 652 20-2-24) I.R.D. EXPERIMENTAL REPORT. ORIGINAL Expl. No. 9940 4214 REF: Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/L/CGI. 5.24. To R.{Sir Henry Royce} from Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} c. to CJ. RG.{Mr Rowledge} c. to DA.{Bernard Day - Chassis Design} R.{Sir Henry Royce} c. to BY.{R.W. Bailey - Chief Engineer} Wor.{Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager} ✓ c. to FN. ✓ S E C R E T. FOUR-WHEEL BRAKES. From our experience, we agree with the policy of reducing the power of the front brakes, at least until we have had considerable experience with cars in customers hands. It would only mean changing one lever if ever it was wished to increase the proportion of front braking. There is one definite advantage in the adopted scheme and that is, if the proportion of braking back and front is arranged so that the rear wheels always skid first, it does not matter how much pressure the driver puts on the pedal, once he has locked the back wheels he will not be able to get any extra pressure on the front. FN. considers the essential point on 4-wheel brakes is to get equal braking on all four wheels so that the maximum braking can be obtained on wet greasy roads. The Hispano car, when FN. has tried it, has been adjusted on the road to give the best equal braking effect. With the Hispano arrangement it is possible to do this. We agree that to get the maximum braking effect on a greasy road, the brakes must either be equal or, if anything, more on the front. When one has a car with equal braking on all four wheels, if the brakes are put on on a greasy road and the wheels locked, the car does not skid sideways, but it skids straight ahead. It may however be considered that a car cont | ||