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).
The André Dubonnet independent wheel suspension system.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 179b\2\ img156 | |
| Date | 23th November 1932 | |
| ORIGINAL X4214 X3531 H.{Arthur M. Hanbury - Head Complaints} From He/Sn.{Mr Sanderson} a.{Mr Adams} to W.S. c. to HGT. d.{John DeLooze - Company Secretary} to Dr. e.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} to Dy.{F R Danby} f.{Mr Friese} to Hy.{Tom Haldenby - Plant Engineer} HISPANO SUIZA. INDEPENDENT WHEEL SUSPENSION. ANDRE DUBONNET. Dubonnet has been working on this car for about four years. He has built three complete cars. His equip-ment consists of a drawing office and a comparatively large workshop. He has a competent engineer who carries out his designs under his direction. We were able to drive the car under a wide range of conditions. It impressed us as being a definite advance on anything that has previously been done on independent wheel suspension particularly as regards high speed control and steering direction. This is the more remarkable in that the car has a fixed shock absorber setting. We do not think that with automatically variable dampers and low rating springs we shall be as good as the Dubonnet car. We shall get almost as good as low speed ride, but, from experience that we have had, our high speed control and steering will not be so satisfac-tory as that of the Dubonnet. We attribute this to the rigid way in which the wheels are controlled in all but the vertical plane by the lever and attachment. We drove the car at 75-80 M.P.H. on a highly cambered road with one wheel in the gutter with perfect confidence. When it is considered that the poundage given for the front spring rating (100 lbs/1") is less than half the figure for our most flexible type, the result is quite a notable achievement. Steering shocks, under these conditions, were almost non-existent. | ||