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).
Report discussing the benefits of hydraulic dampers on 20 HP cars for improving ride comfort and spring longevity.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 29\1\ Scan229 | |
| Date | 16th March 1926 | |
| contd :- -2- With the hydraulic dampers, once the setting has been made, there is no reason why it should alter. R.{Sir Henry Royce} in his R3/M24.7.25 said :- "Many of the 20 HP. cars have given me a very uncomfortable feeling across the stomach which is undoubtedly caused by the fore and aft pitching of this car which is naturally worse than the 40/50 HP. Now, the above experiments have proved beyond a doubt that this fault can be quite simply and practically entirely eliminated by the simple process of tightening the front shock absorbers". Since that date however it has been proved definitely that tightening the front shock dampers will reduce the comfort in the back of the car. The hydraulic dampers do not have this fault. CWB. tested 10-G-111 before it went to France and reported in his CWB4/DN16.3.26 :- "The whole car gives an impression of much greater stability than our present standard, particularly in front. The hydraulic shock dampers appear to hold the axle very well indeed over pot-holes and yet do not appear to have the effect of stiffening up the front springs. A more lengthy test under more varied conditions is naturally desirable, but as far as these could be tested, they appear exceedingly satisfactory". Another point is that the 20 HP. car which was run in France with hydraulic dampers is the only 20 HP. car we have ever run 10,000 miles in France without breakage of the front springs. It should be noted that we had the front springs made by a different maker - Lemoine of Paris - but we think that the hydraulic dampers helped to increase the life of the front springs. We believe that a small amount of improvement to the riding of the car is very valuable because there is no feature on the car which impresses itself more upon the user. In our opinion therefore, the extra cost of the hydraulic dampers is justified. Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} | ||