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).
Car suspension development and a comparative analysis of competitor vehicles, particularly Packard and Cadillac.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 178\2\ img181 | |
| Date | 19th February 1934 | |
| -2- SUSPENSION. Have been following Cy's efforts to get production cars to ride well. Results now good. The slightest friction or excess damping on the front causes pitching in the rear and ruins the ride. It seems that a little friction is desirable in the rear springs to keep the back axle from dithering. Cy. is actually fitting friction strips between the two top leaves of the rear springs. Can we compare the effect of reducing unsprung weight on axle dither by making a test with and without the rear brake drums. These independently sprung cars with 9" deflection seem just about as uncontrollable as the standard car with 4" deflection, both being arranged to give the optimum boulevard ride. We shall certainly require ride control to get high speed cornering and stability. PACKARDS. I was very impressed with Packards, as previously mentioned. I consider their engine to be the smoothest and most silent 12 cyl. I have tried (160 B.H.P. 445 cu.ins. disp.); their suspension as good as any conventional and their gearbox remarkably silent. I also drove their light eight, 320 cu.ins. which is quite a nice automobile, refined and well sprung at about £500. It is not as well silenced intake and exhaust as the Buick. Packards are doing little or no aircraft work at present, nor are they in any way mass producing. Their testing is most thorough; their standard for a major alteration being 50,000 miles. They have just completed a 10,000 miles run on the 12 cyl. continuous full throttle full speed without trouble. This parallels Cadillacs who run 100 hour full throttle engine tests at 4250 r.p.m. successfully. Packards have their own proving ground. They spend 1,000,000 # on experimental work, but this includes bodies which probably account for 1/3 of the total. They are absolutely meticulous on balance in the Works. I have not seen so much trouble taken elsewhere. | ||