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 from India Tyre & Rubber Co. investigating reports of skidding on a demonstration car's tyres.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 29\4\ Scan148 | |
| Date | 23th November 1933 | |
| [Illegible handwritten note] INDIA TYRE & RUBBER COMPANY, LTD. TELEPHONES: PAISLEY 4141/5. INCHINNAN SCOTLAND TELEGRAMS: INDIAOWL, RENFREW. OUR REF. Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}1/MJ. YOUR REF. 23rd November, 1933. W.A. Robotham Esq., Experimental Department, Messrs. Rolls-Royce Limited, DERBY. Dear Robotham, Very many thanks for your telegram and letter of the 20th inst. I am very glad to be able to tell you that this question of skidding is not nearly so serious as I feared when I telephoned you on Monday last; at that time I was under the impression that there had been quite a number of skids, but on going into the matter more carefully I find that there have been only two or at the most three skids, the others were merely different accounts of the same skid from various sources. Immediately on receipt of your wire we examined the tyres on the demonstration car, the driver (Mr. Burridge) told us that they had never been changed and that they had done over 7,000 miles of demonstration work, which is of course equivalent to a much greater mileage of ordinary running. The pattern was appreciably worn, although this was not apparent until closely examined. It was still fairly nonskid, but not sufficiently so for a demonstration car being used under the conditions prevailing up here at present, which are extremely bad from a skidding point of view. We, therefore, in view of your telegram, immediately arranged in conjunction with the Clyde Auto Co. Ltd., for new tyres from the factory to be fitted and balanced. I trust that this was in order? The driver informed Mr. Worth and myself that he had never experienced a skid at speed on any conditions of road, but they had all occurred when braking, or just after braking and locking over the wheel, at between 30 and 40 M.P.H. Then it had been the front wheels which had slipped forward. He most kindly took Mr. Worth out in the car, but they could only find three or four greasy patches and the car did not skid, even on the old tyres. Our experts have examined the tyres most carefully and they find that the rear tyres have worn perfectly evenly but as regards the front tyres, although there is very little overall wear, the/ | ||