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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).
Vehicle suspension and ride comfort, comparing different body types and weight distributions for driving on continental roads.

Identifier  ExFiles\Box 16\7\  Scan176
Date  14th May 1929 guessed
  
contd :- -2-

the main criticism I have of Chryslers in this country
is regarding suspension. Therefore although we may seem
to lay undue stress on the firmness that we require in our
suspension it is because we have to spring all our cars so that
they can be driven fast over Continental roads to the south
of France, where, as you know quite well, speeds as high as
75 m.p.h. are held for long stretches and the roads are bad.

Most of our energies have been concentrated
on the S.S. riding; the complaints we have of the 20 HP. riding
are few and far between. In the first place we find that
on our SS.{S. Smith} cars where we have 2 spare wheels at the back, then
a luggage trunk and then a 4-seater sporting type of saloon
body (18-EX) we get excellent riding comfort without very much
effort. This is owing to the rear passengers sitting well
forward of the rear axle, a good mass being carried behind,
thus lowering the pitching speed.

The next best body is the full-sized body
with 2 spare wheels at the back and no luggage trunk but as
with this a luggage grid cannot be fitted at the rear since
it makes the body too long, the car cannot be considered
a very practical proposition. When we come to the maximum
type body with side spare wheel carriers, we find that we
have still got to use a great deal of care in order to get
a real fine ride.

Thus we have proved out practically what we
have been thinking for a long time that a fixed mass of weight
over-hanging the rear axle is an

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