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 wobble issues and potential solutions for the Phantom and 20 HP models.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 67\4\ scan0210 | |
| Date | 16th November 1926 guessed | |
| contd :- -2- the spring controlled movement of the balls is much less relat- ively than the latest design for the Phantom N.sch.2258 produced as a result of tests in France. We should like for the 20 HP. springs equivalent to a rating of 1300 lbs. or less on the Phantom (as 1500 lbs. have shewn themselves satisfactory on the large car) and with the same relative spring controlled ball movement. We cannot get anything approaching this value into the latest design of side steering tube N.sch.2067 with reasonable stresses. We should also appreciate a scheme for incorpor- ating either the steering damper or the latest pivot friction on the 20 HP. so that we may keep the improvements on this car in line with those on the 40/50 HP. With reference to the buffer springs in the cross steering tube. Our difficulty so far with the Phantom has been that any spring controlled movement in the cross steering tube promotes high speed wobbles. We are completing some experiments on 'wobbles' which we hope will enable us to overcome this trouble Our tests to eliminate taking charge by increasing the backward pivot lean are not very encouraging. With 5 1/2o backward lean we can still get the steering to dive, though naturally it is a considerable improvement over standard. To prevent low speed wobbles in this condition, it is necessary to have 40 lbs. load on the hydraulic damper arm. This, combined with the excessive lean, makes the steering somewhat heavy. We have the impression that the increased backward pivot lean emphas- izes road shocks but are confirming this. Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Rn.{Mr Robinson} | ||