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 system tests investigating friction levels and damping to mitigate wobbles and road shocks.
| Identifier | WestWitteringFiles\P\2July1926-September1926\ Scan068 | |
| Date | 20th August 1926 guessed | |
| Contd :- -3- (b) There is no doubt that small steering shocks on this axle are bad without any frictional resistance in the system. We tried various quantities of friction by loading up the cross steering tube ball ends with springs of various strenght. The method of measuring the friction was to jack up the front wheels and measure the tangential pull at the periphery of the steering wheel required to start it moving. With 7 to 8 lbs. friction the steering was good for Continental conditions but would probably have been considered too heavy for traffic conditions in England. Also the self-centering was sluggish. 5 to 6 lbs. friction was therefore adopted. This eliminated any signs of low speed wobbles and much reduced the 'nibbling' at the steering wheel. It also has an appreciable effect on high speed wobbles. Further tests both in France and England are required to determine the best compromise in this direction. Cross steering tube. Our tests in France confirmed our English results. Any spring controlled movement of the cross steering tube ball ends promote high speed wobbles though it lessens road shocks. Therefore we adjusted the cross steering tube so that the ball ends were spring loaded but could not move until wear had taken place. Hydraulic dampers. As previously stated, these are an invaluable antidote for high speed wobbles. They also undoubtedly contd :- | ||