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).
Description of the controllable shock damper system and its advantages over fixed load dampers.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 151\2\ scan0203 | |
| Date | 3rd March 1934 | |
| W/S. {Derby Works / Sales} Bkl. From Hs {Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} /Les. Hs {Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} /Les.2/KW.3.3.34. R.R. Controllable Shock Dampers. Bkl.14/WT.28.2.34. Up to the present the damping applied to the road springs of a car has been a compromise to deal with all conditions without being correct for any particular one. For instance, a racing car only suitable for high speeds needs a great deal of damping, but a town carriage requires scarcely any. The difficulty to get a suitable compromise setting for the dampers has become more and more acute owing to the fact that the modern town carriage is capable of travelling at 90 m.p.h. The R.R. controllable damper system has been designed to overcome all the various difficulties which exist with the present fixed load dampers. At low speeds for town work there is only a very small load on the dampers, but at high speeds the load is much greater than the conventional dampers. This is effected by a patented governor system which increases the damper loads as the speed of the car increases. From giving a luxury cushioned ride at low speeds the car can be accelerated up to 90 m.p.h. with a feeling of safety to the driver and a freedom from swaying and pitching for the passengers. Such a system enables us to produce a car with the correct amount of damping for every individual road speed. Owing to the fact that a car full of passengers and luggage requires more damping than an empty car, the R.R. system includes a very accessible finger light control on the top of the steering column. This control increases the quantity of damping throughout the complete automatic range in ten different stages. The ease of movement of the hand control is so great that were it not for instant effect on the riding of the car for each notch it would be hard to realise that it was connected. The range of the control is large so that the car suspension can be adapted to all the various road conditions, including Continental conditions, so that anybody may arrange the suspension to their particular liking. Hs {Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} /I.A.Leslie. | ||