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).
Danger of front tyre bursts and the effectiveness of irreversible steering.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 1\7\ B001_X15 20 46 50 59-page161 | |
| Date | 12th April 1921 | |
| X.20 X.3791 X.20 RE. Mr. Faddon and Danger from Front Tyre Bursts. Psl/N12.4.21. c. to Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} Thanks for copies of correspondence re. above, Mr. Paddon left for London about a fortnight ago. The point raised by Sa. is not new to me I was asked the same question by Capt. Hill. Mr. Hives describes the danger very accurately and although the fitting of a friction device would assist the driver to control the steering wheel, it would add very little to avoiding the accident. I dont think the danger is peculiar to R-R.{Sir Henry Royce} Cars the possibilities exist on all cars not fitted with an absolutely irreversible steering gear. No car that I know of has an irreversible steering and there are several makes now-a-days with the steering as light as our own. The danger lies in the fact that few drivers are really conscious of what may happen from a front tyre burst at high speeds, and consequently drive even at high speeds with the steering wheel light in their hands. In such instances if a tyre bursts, the wheel is wrenched out of their hands and the car is in the gutter before they realize what has happened. That is the danger which Mr. Hives rightly points out. From experience (and I have had three different bursts of at high speeds), I find a tyre will not come off if the wheels keep their direction, there is nothing to induce them to do so. Two of the three ~~happened~~ bursts were on R.R. cars and nothing extraordinary happened although one side of the tyre in one case was blown off. The third instance was on a similar H.P. Peugeot on which I was a passenger, the tyre came right off the wheel and an awful accident would have resulted had there been the usual no control of the steering wheel - the car darting to one side changing the direction of the front wheels and ripping the tyre off, producing the same effect to the front wheel as rounding a corner at high speeds. I am an ardent supporter of the absolutely irreversible steering gear, in spite of its disadvantages in a few minor points. During 1920 the French papers to my knowledge reported four fatal accidents due to front tyre bursts. Ps. | ||