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, tyre pressures, hydraulic dampers, and axle improvements.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 39\2\ Scan181 | |
| Date | 18th November 1925 | |
| ✓3538 To HS.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} from R.{Sir Henry Royce} To BY.{R.W. Bailey - Chief Engineer} from R.{Sir Henry Royce} c. to CJ. BJ. PN.{Mr Northey} R6/M18.11.25. STEERING - TYRE PRESSURES. X.3538 X.5830 X.8430 X.457 I notice in France they have come to the same conclusion as myself, namely, that tyres much over 40 lbs. pressure cannot be run with any satisfaction, and we shall be obliged for the reputation of our town carriages, to make them successful with tyres at lower pressures, and in many cases with semi-balloon tyres of 25/30 lbs. pressure, especially those supplied to the 20 HP. Regarding steering, we have now a larger nut with slower pitch which I think is acknowledged a decided improvement from road shocks. We hope you will push forward the hydraulic dampers, which, if sufficiently reliable, should be a distinct improvement for (high speed) steering wobbles. We are struggling to fit EAC.7. with a friction damped pendulum lever which will permit of any combinations of damping friction and spring control, and I feel sure with some combination it will be found a distinct improvement for low speed and high speed wobbles, and better than increasing the permanent friction in the pivots. We believe we have gone far enough in the irreversibility of the steering to just prevent spoiling the beauty of the free and semi-reversible steering feature. In the new axle we have given a combination which we think will be very consistent - a plain well lubricated thrust and plain lower bearing with a roller type of upper bearing to the steering pivots. This, with the improvement in the more vertical angle of the steering pivots and the lightness of the whole axle and hubs, together with the 1" out of centre point steering, should touch all the features we know of that can be modified to improve the steering from all points of view. We believe that a slight improvement will be found in the running of EAC.1. and 7. owing to the change in the rear springs etc. keeping the axle more square with the car, and less flexible sideways. R.{Sir Henry Royce} | ||