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).
Riding qualities, the necessity of combining luxury with high-speed capacity, and the development of controllable shock dampers.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 17\1\ Scan065 | |
| Date | 1st September 1931 | |
| SG.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} FROM R.{Sir Henry Royce} X7410 R1/138.9.31. C. to WOR.{Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager} BY.{R.W. Bailey - Chief Engineer} C. to HS.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} PN.{Mr Northey} DA.{Bernard Day - Chassis Design} RIDING QUALITIES. X.7410 X.5410 Experience is proving the absolute necessity of looking upon our motor car productions as luxury carriages rather than racing machines. At the same time we are being increasingly impressed of the necessity of combining in the one design a satisfactory capacity for high speeds. It is difficult for us to standardise two varieties because of the inter-minable confusion caused by getting the chassis mixed. There is little doubt that the springs of maximum practical flexibility are the only ones suitable for our work. These go back to our earliest days, the Grey Ghost being a remarkable specimen. Owing to the lower speeds prevailing in those days, and the much greater friction of the unlubricated springs, the advantage of shock dampers was very doubtful, and after various trials were abandoned until more recent years when conditions changed. Having now adopted well lubricated springs, and the cars and roads permitting much higher speeds, it is agreed that we have arrived at the necessity of fitting controllable dampers as quickly as possible. HS.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} points out that GWH.{George W. Hancock - Head Chateauroux} in France found that cancelling the leak in the dampers made a very good change-over from luxury slow speed riding to the high speeds used in their endurance running. Although I do not think this will prove the best solution it may be what we shall have to adopt owing to the urgency of the situation. In any case I suggest that the control shall be arranged to open and close completely the leak passage, so that there need be no refinement about this control. It may be found possible with passable simplicity to work such a control by either mechanical wire, fluid pressure, or by electric wires magnetically. (1) | ||