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).
Steering wander and wobble issues, likely caused by incorrect spring loading and weight distribution.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 67a\1\ scan0227 | |
| Date | 16th June 1926 | |
| HS.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} X8410 CHB1/GM/16-6-26. S/H.{Arthur M. Hanbury - Head Complaints} XP. Copies to:- NN. Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} SY JLE.{J. Lee Evans - Chassis Test Manager} G.{Mr Griffiths - Chief Accountant / Mr Gnapp} BUFFER TO AXLE CLEARANCES. Your memo EP{G. Eric Platford - Chief Quality Engineer}10/H11626 opens a most serious question. From it, it would seem that a large proportion of our cars are being delivered with springs calculated and tested with a different proportion of loading between back and front axle to that which exists in the final car. This may well account for some of our difficulties and complaints with regard to springing question, but it may account for some even more serious troubles than these. It has recently become apparent that, some quite small alterations in the distribution of the passenger load of a car may alter some of the characteristics of the steering. I refer now to the characteristic of wandering and to tests made in France recently with 10-EX and to those made by EP{G. Eric Platford - Chief Quality Engineer}, Ex and myself last Friday on 47-50. In the latter case the car had a distinct tendency to wander when two passengers were in the front seat and one in the rear. When these were changed to one in the front seat and two in the rear, no tendency to wander could be detected. It appears to be highly probable that some of our troubles with strong tendencies to low speed steering wobble in the 20 in final cars, may be attributed to the same cause, since it is inconceivable that the chassis would have passed you in the state in which they were found on the final test. I feel sure that this matter needs immediate thorough investigation, so that we may ensure that weights are calculated and chassis are tested with approximately correct distributions of load between front and back axle corresponding to those which will be obtained in the final condition. Will you therefore please consult By as to the course we should adopt to obtain this result in the shortest possible time. CWJ. | ||