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).
Proposal for improving the ride quality of the Phantom II by mounting front suspension components directly to the engine.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 17\1\ Scan107 | |
| Date | 24th October 1933 guessed | |
| FRONT SUSPENSION - PHANTOM II. We think that the mass of the front of the car is much more important in order to give a good ride than the stiffness of the frame. Improvement in riding was noticed when a radiator which had been centrally mounted was mounted on the engine for frame jellying tests. We suggest therefore that we should try the following mock up schemes, using the mass of the front of the car to its best advantage - (1) Shock Dampers mounted on the engine. (2) The complete independent front wheel suspension unit mounted on the engine. (3) Radiator mounted on the engine for both schemes (1) and (2). Mounting the independent suspension unit on the engine has the following advantages - (I) Engine is supported upright by the front road wheels. (II) All engine vibrations due to the reactions of the engine power are transmitted only to the front road wheels. (III) The harshness felt in the body from any front road wheel movement is resisted by the engine mass. (IV) As the only attachment of the engine and front suspension to the frame need be a centre mounting each end of the engine, any deflection which is caused by one road wheel hitting a bump when the other wheel is on a smooth surface is shared between both wheels. | ||