My Years With General Motors by Alfred P. Sloan Jr

Author:Alfred P. Sloan Jr. [Sloan, Alfred P. Jr.]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Business
Publisher: Doubleday
Published: 1964-03-13T23:00:00+00:00

Balloon Tires and Front-Wheel Suspension

From the beginning the problem of supplying a smoother and softer ride has been one of the most complex in automotive engineering. Since a car went much faster than a horse-drawn vehicle, it communicated the irregularities in the road surface to the passengers with greater intensity. The internal-combustion engine added its own source of discomfort in the form of vibration. Consequently, improvements in the cushioning of the driver and passengers were necessary, and this need increased as cars became speedier.

One basic approach to this problem was through the tires. Early motorcars had used solid-rubber or vented solid-rubber tires. These were soon replaced by inflated tires, but in this early stage neither the rubber nor the construction was good enough, and interminable tire-changing was a sad necessity on any extended trip.

By the early twenties the rubber companies had learned a good deal about construction methods, chemistry, rubber curing, and selection of materials. Tires were much better, and engineers began to consider the possibility of low-pressure tires, which would create a softer and more resilient air cushion under the wheels. Many problems had to be met, particularly in connection with steering and ride. The engineers had to deal with front-end instability, scuffing of the treads, squeals on turns, driving under fast braking conditions, and a peculiar condition known as wheel tramp, caused by a slight imbalance of the rotating mass of tire and wheel. These phenomena did not show up as major problems until car owners began to take long road trips at high speeds.

During this development of modern, low-pressure tires, General Motors engineers made important contributions because of our many miles of test road work under varying conditions. The General Technical Committee from the first maintained close contact with the tire industry, co-operating in standardization of sizes, and in the establishment of the best types, treads, and sections. Our recommendations, based on our research, have been incorporated year after year in better and safer tires.

The second basic approach to the improvement of the ride, and one of greater engineering complexity, was by way of the suspension—the attachment of the wheels to the chassis.

In one of my early trips abroad, my attention was called to an engineering development used in the production of European cars —the independent springing of the front wheels. Up to that time, independent springing had not been used in production cars in the United States. The use of this principle, of course, would add considerably to the comfort of the ride.

In France I came in contact with an engineer named Andre Dubonnet, who had given considerable study to the matter and had taken out a patent on one form of independent springing. I brought him back to this country and put him in contact with our engineers.

Quite independently, Lawrence P. Fisher, then general manager of our Cadillac Division, had engaged a former Rolls-Royce engineer, Maurice Olley, who also was interested in working on the problem of ride. Mr. Olley recorded his recollections of the development of independent suspension in a letter he has written for me.

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