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).
Future vehicle testing plans for steering, comfort, and body types.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 148\5\ scan0018 | |
| Date | 4th June 1926 guessed | |
| -2- It seems desirable that we should now make tests as soon as possible in France with cars with covered bodies, as tests with open bodies are not of any great value, in view of the fact that only about 10% of our cars have open bodies. It also seems desirable that we should make tests with as many experimental cars as possible in order to obtain an all-round opinion of the results, as it seems likely that bodies of different designs affect the springing vibration question very considerably, but generally speaking, we are more likely to arrive at a satisfactory conclusion by making tests with cars such as our customers use. For instance, the effect of the position of weight makes a considerable difference, as in the tests recently carried out. CWB states that when extra weight was put on the back of the car, the effect on the steering was considerably altered. The test made on 10.EX. was probably as far as possible from the car that is usually used by our customers, as it was a short wheel base chassis with a feather-weight body one. The point now to consider is, as to how we can test cars in France, and which cars can be tested with the modifications which we now intend to make standard on cars which resemble as far as possible those which the majority of our customers use. These bodies, as far as possible to be in such condition as will enable the test to be carried out satisfactorily: - they should not be in a state of looseness and rattling so far as can be avoided. The modifications I refer to are - (1) Hydraulic shock-absorbers on front axle. (2) .72 steering. (3) Steering-column tube support. (4) Side steering springs, which it is intended to use as standard with .72 steering. These tests could then be made with our present standard high pressure tyres and with the well base medium pressure tyres to ascertain the actual effects both on steering and passenger comfort, our object being generally to find out exactly what our future cars will be like when all our improvements have been adopted, and whether a combination of all these improvements result in a satisfactory car both as regards steering and comfort. contd. | ||