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).
Steering issues, including lightness, wobble, and proposed solutions for chassis 9-G-111.
| Identifier | WestWitteringFiles\N\July1925-September1925\ Scan125 | |
| Date | 8th September 1925 | |
| COPY: C Hotel de France, Chateauroux, Indre, France. GWH{George W. Hancock - Head Chateauroux}2/Crnll:8.9.25. To Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} from G.W.Hancock. RE. CHASSIS 9-G-111. We have reported that the steering has become much lighter, also shocks on steering wheel are more severe, and slight inclinations to wobble have developed from speeds of 50 m.p.h. The steering has also become more unstable at high speeds. The drivers also complain of the car diving across the road, after pulling in to pass another vehicle. The chief causes of the change in the steering are due to the loss of friction in the pivots, due to oiling, the cross steering tube becoming easy, and slight slack developing in the steering column. We have improved the steering considerably by tightening up cross steering tube ball joints, taking up the slight slack in the steering column, and not oiling the pivots. The reason we give for the car diving, after pulling to the right side of the road, is that, owing to the camber of the road, and the increased load required on the steering wheel to pull the car off this camber, the steering is locked over too far, owing to the weak springs in the side steering tube, which slews itself immediately the load, or side strain becomes great, and less as the car re-gains the centre of the road. We believe this could be overcome by the use of higher rating side steering tube springs. We do not want a stronger initial spring, as these increase road shocks on steering wheel, but we consider that it would be a big improvement if, after the first 1/8" compression of the spring, the rating could be increased considerably. G.W.Hancock. | ||