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).
Comparison of the 40/50 HP steering system with the Delage steering system.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 38\1\ Scan112 | |
| Date | 10th January 1925 | |
| Y/3465 To R.{Sir Henry Royce} from Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} c. to CJ. c. to L. c. to Dm.{D. Munro} c. to EY. Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}2/LG10.1.25. RE. STEERING. X3500 X3465 We have made several comparisons with the 40/50 HP. steering with and without the plain thrust on the steering column, compared with the Delage steering. The ratio of the Delage steering compares closely with the 40/50. The steering wheel makes 1.5 turns over the complete movement of the road wheels. On the R.R. the steering wheel makes 1.6 turns over the complete movement of the road wheels. As we, however, have slightly more lock, the ratio is approximately the same. The length of the pendulum lever on the Delage is the same as the R.R. - 9.25". The length of the steering arm fitted to the pivot is 9.6" compared with 7.5" on the 40/50. The backward lean on the Delage pivots is .500" in 8" length compared with .200" to .250" in 8" length on the 40/50 HP. There are springs in the Delage side steering tube. These are approx. 50% stronger than those on the 40/50. The Delage steering on the road is free from road shocks - is heavy at low speeds and is excessively self-centering. It is very stable steering at high speed. Steering wobbles can be brought up easily. On one test, comparing the Delage and the 40/50 steering, we dis-connected the side steering tube from the pendulum lever and fixed on to the ball end of the pendulum lever a wire rope which passed over a pulley. To this rope we hung weights. We found with the standard R.R. steering with the ball thrust contd:- | ||