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).
Serious faulty steering issue with the 20-HP car, which causes a violent wobble at high speed.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 49\4\ Scan347 | |
| Date | 29th January 1924 | |
| HS {Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} C BY G Wor. {Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager} Hurlby EP {G. Eric Platford - Chief Quality Engineer} 4/H29.1.24. re. 20-HP Faulty Steering. Confirming our demonstration to you today, we have experienced a very serious fault in connection with the steering on a 20-HP car, which appears to be due to the front wheels being out of balance. Normally when running about 20-30 m.p.h. there is a slight steering wobble, which may not be particularly noticed by the customer, but between 50 and 60 m.p.h. the steering suddenly builds up an intensified joggle, which sets the front of the car completely dancing on the road, and the steering appears to be absolutely beyond control. This state of affairs continues until the speed is dropped to about 35 m.p.h. We have not heard of any complaints of this kind from the customers, but we feel it is a feature which may easily take place while the car is in the hands of the customer, as in this case the out of balance was originally caused by the front wheels being clogged with mud, and we certainly feel that for a car to run in this condition which in the hands of the customer this can be claimed as being a fault of vital importance, a reason for breakage or loss of control and danger to life and limb. One has the feeling that the front of the car is entirely breaking up and that if the action is continued some feature of the front of the car will break, such as the springs, frame, etc. We feel this is a point which should receive your immediate attention, and that some action should be taken whereby the cars we are now making and cars in the hands of customers can be attended to so that such trouble will not take place while the cars are in service. EP. {G. Eric Platford - Chief Quality Engineer} | ||