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).
Continued report on steering issues, attributing problems to tyres and road conditions rather than split rear springs.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 78\2\ scan0258 | |
| Date | 20th February 1920 | |
| Contd. -2- R7/G20.2.20. reason for the steering being less satisfactory, but it is only to a small extent. There appear to be other reasons and I understand that the absence of shock dampers, and some recent designs of tyres (Goodyear make) are more responsible for the want of perfection than the split rear springs. X.3763. My own experience is that 1.EX car which is here behaves quite satisfactorily unless the road is defective, viz., when we have found the same effect as with other makes of cars, viz., when the road is hard and dry the car is quite satisfactory, but when as recently, the roads have been full of holes (and in some places are in a very soft state during repairs) these road conditions are very unsuitable for very high speeds, and I find it necessary under such conditions, to keep below 40 miles an hour, whereas when the surface is satisfactory the car is quite satisfactory above 60 miles an hour, which speed I frequently obtain on the straight mile between here and Chichester. I feel sure, however, that the sooner we abandon the split leaves and go back to more rigid lateral control and fix rear shock dampers, the sooner we shall stop writing about imperfect steering. I do not hope to cure all the defects point-ed{J. L. Edwards} out by Mr. de Salamanca, many of which I believe are beyond my control, namely the state of the roads, and probably want of stability in the tyres. Moreover Mr. de Salamanca is of the Latin race which, if encouraged, is liable to exaggerate. (HSq/LG 23.2.20) Since writing the above, one of the 10,000 miles trial cars called here with a double limousine body, and | ||