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).
Letter to A.H.R. Fedden regarding his disappointment with a car's performance, specifically addressing wheel wobble and steering issues.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 89\2\ scan0063 | |
| Date | 5th January 1935 | |
| x7961 & Exptl. Dept. HS{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}5/KW. 5th January, 1935. A.H.R. Fedden, Esq., The Bristol Aeroplane Co.Ltd., Filton House, Bristol. Dear Fedden, Thank you for your letter of January 2nd. I note that you are disappointed with the car. I think your steering criticism is sufficiently important for us to send somebody down to appreciate exactly what the trouble is. We have, as you know, a car almost identical with your own in the Experimental Dept., which I use personally a great deal. This car could be brought down to compare with your own. (1) Wheel Wobble. The amount by which we increased the friction of the steering to overcome the low speed wobble was very little. If it has made the difference you mention then for some reason it may have increased since the car left us, but when I drove it before it left the Works I did not notice the trouble you mention. (2) Effects of Change in Steering. The changes in the springing had nothing to do with the low speed wobble, they were made in order to overcome your criticism that the front axle had too much travel, and that the whole of the car tended to surge when going over a bumpy road at high speed. The setting you have is not the standard setting, personally I do not think the car was such a good compromise when we had altered the shock absorber load as in its standard condition. The best move would appear to be to put them back where they were. | ||