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 detailing low tyre mileage and management during a 10,000-mile test on chassis 9-G-111.
Identifier | ExFiles\Box 4\9\ 09-page111 | |
Date | 26th August 1925 | |
COPY. Hotel de France, Chateauroux, Indre, France. GWH{George W. Hancock - Head Chateauroux}1/Cm26.8.25. To Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} from G.W.Hancock. RE. CHASSIS 9-G-111. With reference to your letter dated 24th. inst., also Wor{Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager}2/M24.8.25., we have already had 38 tyres and tubes for the 20 HP. car. These were used in the last 10,000 miles, and on the present 10,000 miles test as shewn by the attached sheets. We get an average mileage of 2,088. This is low because of the high speeds and conditions of the roads we run on. We run the tyres until we consider that they are unsafe for high speeds, i.e. shewing canvas all round the treads. We know, when the tyres are in this condition, they may run 30 or 40 miles more, but we do not consider this extra mileage would warrant risks of bursts. Unfortunately, when a tyre is punctured, the valve is generally torn out before the car is pulled up, therefore rendering the tube useless. We find it is also necessary to keep double the amount of tubes in stock than tyres because, as we have to send the tubes out to be vulcanised, which takes from four to seven days, we must have other tubes in stock to keep going. We are, at present, O.K. for tubes and tyres, also we have been fortunate of late in not scrapping the tubes. This will enable us to order tyres only, the next time we require them. In the dry and hot weather, which we have been having up to late, the tyres become worn very quickly. One must realize over here that the roads are not like the English roads, neither are they like the main roads from Paris, which compare very favourably with our English roads. We endeavour, as far as possible, to get the most life out of a tyre as we can, but it would be unfair to compare the mileages of tyres run over here with mileages obtained in England by private owners or Works' tests. G.W.Hancock. | ||