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 issues caused by out-of-balance tyres and proposing a high-speed wheel test rig.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 2\B002_X168\ 00000001-page029 | |
| Date | 30th March 1912 | |
| W.M. R12/D14313. From F.H.R., Copies sent to: Mr. Hives Mr. Johnson. Mr. Wormald. Mr. Spinney. Re Front Pivots. Waldron has found here/Dunlop new tyre made at their French factory very much out of balance, so much so that at 40 miles per hour it is impossible to hold the steering wheel still. I am inclined to think that this combined with slackness of the joints of the cross steering tube may be the cause of the broken sphere and steering pivots in the French cars. I sent from Paris particulars of a test to ascertain the effect of out of balance much as that mentioned above. I particularly asked for English near side wheel to be driven at a high speed, while the steering wheel were either fixed or held firmly by hand. To drive this it will be necessary to arrange the electromotor or driving shaft directly under or over the stub axle. A special belt & pulley will have to be fitted to hub of the road wheel and if an electromotor is used its axis will have to be inclined so as to be parallel to the stub axle, otherwise the chassis will have to be tilted up so that the belt will run correctly. The pulley fixed to the road wheel should have a good crown so that there will be little difficulty in getting the belt to run on the centre of the pulley. The pulley on the shaft or motor which drives it would have to be long and parallel. F.H.R. W.F. Wormald [Stamp: W.M. RS{Sir Henry Royce's Secretary} MAR 30 12 A-M- P-M- RECEIVED] x168 | ||