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 vehicle riding qualities and the desire for more flexible front springs, with comparisons to competitor vehicles.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 43\2\ Scan084 | |
| Date | 18th December 1925 | |
| Oy4-E-121825 December 18, 1925. Mr. R.{Sir Henry Royce} W. H.{Arthur M. Hanbury - Head Complaints} Bailey, Rolls-Royce, Ltd., Derby, England. Dear Mr. Bailey: Re Riding qualities We should be glad to know whether you have any developments coming through which will tend to permit the use of front springs with our standard deflection of 3 1/2" at normal load on cars fitted with front brakes. (Our suggestion would be that if radius rods would allow us to use as flexible or even more flexible front springs than we now use, it would be an immeasurable advantage.) Without such a change we feel that it will be very difficult, if not impossible, to obtain riding qualities on such cars, which will satisfy our public. At the risk of taking up a good deal of your time I would like to give you the following full report of our experiences with the riding of 12-MC, the Phantom at the Works. General experience in riding of cars. You will doubtless agree in principle that the riding quality depends almost entirely on the frequencies of the front and rear spring suspensions. We do not quite understand the necessary relation between the front and rear frequencies for maximum comfort but we know that we have hitherto found it impossible to make cars ride comfortably at the rear which had less than 8" deflection on the front springs. Also the tendency (with Cadillac, Marmon, Packard etc.) is to make the front deflection 4" or more by using softer springs with more initial camber. Although these cars do not yet ride as well as R.Rs.{Sir Henry Royce's Secretary} (probably because of the necessity of using rear springs with only 5 to 7 inches deflection instead of our 8") they are improving every year. | ||