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).
Test report detailing vehicle ride quality and handling issues over pavé and undulating surfaces.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 82\2\ scan0098 | |
| Date | 21th July 1934 guessed | |
| - 2 - 4. They definately & not soften the riding of the car over pavé, and the steering does not feel safe, rapid joggles take place. 5. With the minimum control travelling over pavé and undulating surfaces, the front chassis frame is being twisted and bumped about to such an extent that the car feels like a solid truck. Head lamps, wings and bonnet are all trying to go different ways. 6. To get any value out of the control dampers for continental use, the front springs require to be softer, increased buffer clearance, separate radius rods which will hold the axle, and more range of damping. After trying out the car as above we fitted the 6 x 18 Dunlop Silent Tread tyres keeping the pressure at 30 lbs., front and rear. We went over the same course round Versailles, and at 20 MPH the riding with minimum control was a night-mare. It is a series of bumps and crashes and the steering wheel oscillates rapidly. The maximum damping actually gave a better ride and less oscillations of the steering wheel. The only difference that the larger tyres give is, they soften the blows a little. If one were blindfolded, the difference could not be detected. On the moderate surfaced roads, the larger tyres are slightly better for riding, and the steer -ing was not affected. To drop the pressures lower than 30 lbs. affects the sterring stability. [Signature of G.W.Hancock] G.W.H. [Faint vertical stamp on right: PERFECT] | ||