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).
Chassis vibration issues, discussing past remedies and proposed future tests.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 25\3\ Scan081 | |
| Date | 20th July 1922 guessed | |
| Contd:- -5- of both these cars, we consider that the people dealing with the finished cars ought to have been able to put them right. The faults of vibrations caused by the fan and dynamo belts have been circulated to them. Summary. Whilst we have to admit that there is definite vibration on the 40/50 chassis, we consider that we shall always be in trouble with the Sales Dept. It was this same identical complaint of vibration which led you (in 1913) to design the system of engine mounting on the Hawk which we consider is the only car we have tried on which these vibrations do not occur. We have already tried rubber packings, leather packings and springs in the rear engine feet of the existing 40/50 chassis but we have not been able to make any definite improvement. We suggest that we might try mounting the body, footboards, scuttle and dashboard on an entirely separate frame which is isolated by means of buffers or springs from the main frame. (This, we believe, is done in the case of the Daimler car). In the meantime we think it is up to the Sales Dept. to produce what they consider is a good car. When they do that we should like very much to bring the good car and a car condemned by Sales to WW. for you to try. In the meantime we are carrying out tests to prove how the silky-running and feel of a car is effected by changing the axle ratio. The Repair Dept. at Derby say they have had instructions to change an axle on a covered car from 16 X 52 to 14 X 52 and they found the feeling of the vibration and the noise was materially increased. We are carrying out tests with a 14 X 52 and a 18 X 52 axle on the same car, with such a wide difference, we ought to notice easily the effect. Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} | ||