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).
Test results and observations for controllable dampers and shock absorbers on car 104-MY, including a report of steering wobble.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 18\4\ Scan088 | |
| Date | 30th October 1933 | |
| S/W. Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}.. from PN.{Mr Northey} Copy to Sg.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} Won. LFS x7960. PN.{Mr Northey}1/WT30.10.33. Controllable Dampers on sg{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD}'s car 104-MY. In reply to your Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}2/MJ28.10.33 I take it from your memo that you would like to have this car available between 11.30 and 3 o'clock on Tuesday next at Lillie Hall in order that you can make some comparative tests with the 10,000 mile ex-Experimental car, and also form an opinion as to how the shock-absorber control etc. on Sg{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD}'s car is behaving. I have ascertained from Sg.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} that this will be quite convenient. At the time of the Motor Show special test runs were made on this car by the following with a view to reporting on the new controllable Rolls-Royce shock-absorbers :- Cx.{Major Len W. Cox - Advertising Manager} Bt.{Capt. J. S. Burt - Engineer} Hb.{C. E. Harcombe} PN.{Mr Northey} I am not sure whether Bn.{W.O. Bentley / Mr Barrington} was finally able to do so. Everyone considered the control and effectiveness of the dampers at varying speeds to be remarkably good, and undoubtedly better than anything of the nature in which had previously been employed; having regard to the fact that this car is fitted with low-rating springs the control was felt to be all the more encouraging. Incidentally Bt.{Capt. J. S. Burt - Engineer} reported that the car went into a high-speed steering-wobble on the Colnbrook by-pass when the setting of the control-lever was 2" to the right of the centre position, unfortunately he did not try quickly throwing over to maximum load in order to see the effect in reducing the Wobble, whilst maintaining the speed. [STAMP] RECEIVED OCT 30 1933 PN.{Mr Northey} | ||