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 tests comparing a standard axle with a modified version using vertical king pins.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 17\3\ Scan099 | |
| Date | 22th September 1926 | |
| Contd. -2- Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Rml/T22.9.26. The most interesting test was that carried out with a standard axle altered to give vertical king pins (5). In this case with a disc wheel giving centre point steering, the steering was as light as with the new axle for anything except absolutely stationary work, where the centre point contact increased the tyre friction, i.e. pivot bushes and tyre contact remaining the same, the steering on a standard axle can be made very much lighter by removing the transverse pivot inclination. We give a series of calculated figures relating to tested axles, shewing the average load occasioned on the steering wheel by the transverse pivot inclination when turning from the central to full lock position. It should be noted that this is only a mean figure because the load is actually much less when starting to turn out of the straight, and much more when approaching full lock. Again three pounds at the steering wheel rim is an amount that can be very easily appreciated by the driver. The advantage of nearly vertical pivots is that tyre contact considerably out of "centre point" can be adopted to give immunity from road Contd. [Text from diagram] SKETCH A TRANSVERSALLY RAKED PIVOTS Y DISTANCE THROUGH WHICH PIVOT IS RAISED WHEN ROADWHEEL TURNS THROUGH 90° | ||