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 discussing chassis troubles and steering complaints, specifically relating to low-speed steering wobble.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 20\2\ Scan105 | |
| Date | 7th October 1920 | |
| X963 OF7-G71020 Oct.7.1920. Mr.Claude Johnson, Managing Director, Rolls-Royce Ltd. London, England. Re New Chassis troubles - Steering Complaints X963 X5791 Dear Sir:- In reply to Mr.Hives' report of the 9th of September on this subject, we wish to thank Mr.Hives for his report, which we have circulated to those interested namely, Messrs. Nadin, Bagnall, Belnap, Poole, Hulley, Caswell. Our troubles in this country have been limited to items 1 and 2. We have had far more trouble with low speed steering wobbles than with unstable steering. On imported cars Mr.Hulley has been very careful to test every car in which the pivot lean was altered so as to be sure that the steering was still stable at high speed, while as far as possible avoiding the wobble at low speed. His attempts to avoid the low speed wobble were not fully successful, however, until we introduced a little friction in the steering. Mr.Hives and Mr.Royce will understand, if they refer to my report of Aug.9 (Oyll-G9820) on this subject, that the spring plunger in the stub axle was introduced by us not as the best means of curing wobbles from a design point of view, but as the only means available to us by which no existing parts of the car were changed in any way. We do not think, as Mr.Hives suggests, that the brass shoe will cut into the front axle after a time, but think it probable that the brass shoe will wear considerably after a year or two. The device also recommended itself to us because it put so little friction in the steering that the sensitiveness of the steering is not interfered with at all, the car being still self-centering after turning a corner, while at the same time it has been found in our experience that so long as the device is mounted before the steering joints have worn slack, it is quite an effective cure of wobbling. | ||