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 concerning vehicle riding quality, specifically front axle oscillations and tests with different shock absorbers.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 43\2\ Scan174 | |
| Date | 8th November 1926 | |
| X3900 Oy5-E-11826 RECEIVED NOV 15 1926 Hives November 8th, 1926 Mr. Haldenby, Rolls-Royce, Ltd., Derby, England. (Copy for attention of Mr. Hives) Dear Mr. Haldenby: Re Riding Quality Probably the most important thing we shall have to ask you about is the matter of riding quality and its attendant details. I think we are getting along slowly in this matter, over here, especially lately, having recently swung a couple of cars as a pendulum and so found their moments of inertia, from which we get very close ideas of the limitations of present springing and desirable changes in the grouping of the masses of the car. But we have not yet made a front-brake car really behave like a pre-front-brake car as regards riding comfort. There remains (on "MK-2" the first car with the new type F.W.B.axle) a continual "tossing" of the front axle on its tires (33"x6.75"). This occurs all the time and at the same frequency whatever the road speed. The frequency is about 550 complete oscillations per minute and by riding on the front mudguard one can see and feel that the effect is always present. We have tried R.H. friction shock absorbers, American Houdailles, both the type which is free in the middle and the type without the free spot, and R.R.hydraulics. Probably the best, so far, are the Houdailles. | ||