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).
The production implications of fitting Michelin disc wheels versus wire wheels with loose flanges.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 45\1\ Scan061 | |
| Date | 28th July 1920 | |
| BY4-P28.7.20. contd. - 2 - b/- contd. move in this direction, which would involve a very heavy expenditure in tools, which would possibly have to be scrapped in the course of six months. In any case, another point is, that if we were at liberty to go ahead on Michelin disc wheels it would take the Works at least six months to produce the necessary parts to start fitting chasses with the wheels in question. The proposal therefore is, that where a customer asks for Michelin disc wheels that we must treat him exactly the same as a customer who wants Warland rims, namely, we must tempt him from his actual position in favor of Michelin wheels, by telling him that we can supply wheels suitable for straight sided tyres with a loose flange - they will be wire wheels, but the big advantage thus obtainable in having an easily detached tyre, we feel sure will outweigh his ideas in regard to quick cleaning. Such a customer would be told that these wheels were available, even although we had 700 or 800 more sets of wire wheels to deliver after his chassis was due for delivery. (4) One point we would like to impress is, that the actual fitting of wheels suitable for straight sided tyres does not demand the slightest alteration on any of our existing parts, whereas the Michelin wheel demands new fixtures and jigs, and also when all has been done the customer still has the struggle of putting a beaded edge tyre on a fixed rim. As an actual matter of fact the Michelin wheel demands a different type of spare wheel carrier, so that it is anything but desirable from a production point of view. BY.{R.W. Bailey - Chief Engineer} | ||