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).
Testing and potential use of Vacuum Oil versus Castrol oil and the company's reluctance to recommend it.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 144\1\ scan0063 | |
| Date | 15th November 1920 | |
| To WOR.{Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager} from HS.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} x.967 G.F.C. Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}5/LG15.11.20. x.964 RE VACUUM OIL. With reference to the attached correspondence from BJ. and the Vacuum Oil Company Ltd., at present we cannot give any definite information as regards the Vacuum Oil. It will be at least two to three months before we can definitely say anything. We have been testing Castrol oil eighteen months and are still not through. You will remember that the only condition in which we agreed to test the vacuum oil was because in some parts of the world only vacuum oil is obtainable and for that reason it was agreed to test which grade of Vacuum Oil was the most suitable for our cars. We do not think for one minute we should ever get Mr. Royce to agree to recommending vacuum oil because of the fact that they are straight mineral oils. The suggestion in their letter, for instance, that vacuum oil should be used on the aero engines. This we could not agree to. As regards America, we shall certainly do all we can to get the same quality oils used on R.R. Cars there to which are used in England. As we do not use Vacuum Oil and have never recommended it, we shall undoubtedly recommend the same policy in America until we are convinced by tests that Vacuum Oil is satisfactory. HS.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} | ||