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).
Investigating a steering complaint by Sir Henry Seagrave, tracing the issue to improperly balanced wheels by the coachbuilder.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 19\6\ Scan029 | |
| Date | 14th April 1930 | |
| Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} C. Da.{Bernard Day - Chassis Design} C. E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} X7518. EP{G. Eric Platford - Chief Quality Engineer}5/H14.4.30. re. STEERING COMPLAINT - SIR HENRY SEAGRAVE. 80-WJ. With reference to your Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}3/MJ11.4.30. I can quite appreciate the possibility of the front wheels being out of balance. When the chassis was first delivered from the Works India Tyres were fitted and the balance was O.K. and as a chassis the steering was comparable with the usual standard. I was anxious to try the car as a complete car but unfortunately I could not be in London on the date the car was ready for test. It was also definitely made clear that no modification must be made to the car but it should be supplied to the owner as a standard car and modifications should be made later when his new 20-HP. car was available. According to the report received from JLE.{J. Lee Evans - Chassis Test Manager} on the final test of this car, I find that the complete car was tested by PN.{Mr Northey} and JLE.{J. Lee Evans - Chassis Test Manager} and they complained that the steering and jellying at the front was not at all good and that by changing the India tyres to Dunlop Silent Tread on the front they found very considerable improvement effected. There is no report, however, that any test or inspection was made of the tyre balance. I was later in London during the test of Sir Henry Seagrave's 20-HP complete car. This car was fitted with standard Dunlop tyres, but the steering of the car was very bad, obviously due to the front tyres being out of balance. Examination of these tyres revealed that not only were they badly out of balance, but were badly fitted, causing them to run definitely out of truth, in spite of the fact that the tyres had been fitted at the Works before leaving as a chassis. On enquiry, I have found that the tyres had all been removed at the Coachbuilders (Weymanns, Addlestone) for the purpose of painting the wheels and they had refitted the tyres and had used up the balance washers without any idea or knowledge of wheel balance. I can only suspect that evidently the same trouble must have taken place with 80-WJ. Arrangements were made, on discovering this, for CONTD:- | ||