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).
Letter from the American to the British office regarding steering and front spring stiffness.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 43\2\ Scan184 | |
| Date | 11th November 1926 | |
| x3900 ROLLS-ROYCE OF AMERICA, INC. SPRINGFIELD, MASS. Oy10-E-111126 November 11, 1926. Mr. E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} W. Hives, Rolls-Royce, Ltd., Derby, England. Dear Mr. Hives: Re Steering We notice that you are doing a lot of work on the side-steering tube springs, and springs in the cross-steering tube, to reduce shocks to the steering wheel. We cannot quite understand this, as we have found the new front springs shackled at the front to be particularly free from shocks to the wheel even on rough roads at high speeds. We have found however that stiffer front springs give greater shocks to the steering, and vice-versa (which is the reverse of what we found with shackles at the rear). Is it possible - do you think - that your front springs as mounted in the car are still much stiffer than R.{Sir Henry Royce}'s latest figures of 30% to 32% of the load? Stiffening of front spring. We find we get a very pleasant steering when the actual spring stiffness is down to 30% of the load, and also a greatly improved riding as compared with the 32% stiffness. We recently found that a clip representing the new F.W.B. axle-pad, stiffened three springs 13%. Another spring was only stiffened 10%. | ||