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).
Desired vehicle handling characteristics, comparing to American cars, and future design considerations.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 173\4\ img197 | |
| Date | 1st January 1935 | |
| -2- He/Gry.{Shadwell Grylls}10/K.s.1.35. from a 12-cylinder engine, which at low speeds full throttle will always be an improvement over the V-8. Before dealing with the replies to the questions to which we have found answers in the States, we should like to point out several important features in which the good American cars excel over R.R. products. (1) They steer straight in a varying side wind. (2) The car can be driven continuously for 100 hours full throttle maximum speed such as round Brooklands. (3) No periods of undue noise are caused by running the engine up light to maximum revolutions when the car is stationary. (4) No damage is done to the engine by running full throttle in neutral for a few seconds. (5) Some very interesting work has been done on the behaviour of a car when cornering due to roll, and slip angle of the tyres. A car can be produced which understeers at all times requiring more "rudder" the faster a corner is taken, so that even when pushed to the limit there is no tendency for the tail to come right round. Ly. considers that as a demonstration of this, a car should be able to be driven at full speed on a large open space without being steered, and never spin round or roll over. A very simple piece of apparatus, namely, a flat space 80 yards diameter, like the G.M. "skid pan", would be very useful in settling such points and enable us to determine the exact behaviour of our cars when cornering. FUTURE DESIGN. Opinion about front wheel drive is that it is not wanted. On icy roads it is sufficiently difficult to get traction with a rear wheel drive. As regards rear engined cars, it is agreed that the ratio of weight rear to front must not exceed 2 : 1 or the car will not handle well. The engine then has to be in front of the rear axle, and although better streamline shapes are attainable, the same wheelbase is required for the same body accommodation. | ||