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).
Report comparing a new lightened front axle with a standard axle on various performance characteristics.
| Identifier | WestWitteringFiles\P\2July1926-September1926\ Scan186 | |
| Date | 1st September 1926 guessed | |
| -1- 1. STANDARD V.{VIENNA} LIGHTENED AXLE. (a) Lightness. The new front axle when compared with a standard front axle on 12-EX, even when the necessary friction had been added to give good high speed control, gave a very much lighter steering for shunting and low speed work. The difference was especially marked with the 6.75" balloon tyres. (b) Selectiveness. At high speed with no extra friction the new axle was rather too light. A little friction overcame this trouble but the new axle still produced a slightly less stable feeling than the standard axle at high speeds. We have given our opinion as to possible reasons for this elsewhere. (c) Road shocks. When arranged with the correct amount of friction, there is nothing to choose between the two axles in this respect. (d) High speed wobbles. The new axle has pushed up the period of the high speed wobbles with any tyre to a greater road speed. This means that the amplitude of any wobble is less causing less discomfort to the driver. Also that if the tyre pressures are kept up, there should be less chance of a wobble occurring within the range of the speeds attainable by the car. (e) Self-centering. The new axle is somewhat sluggish in self-centering with the standard pivot lean and necessary friction in spite contd :- | ||