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 page discussing vehicle suspension, brakes, engine smoothness, and details of a competitor's crankshaft damper.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 179\2\ img207 | |
| Date | 4th February 1932 guessed | |
| -3- (4) Improving suspension. (5) Getting a good brake hook up. and the nett result of their efforts is that they have produced a car with many Rolls-Royce characteristics. I think that one thing we are definately superior to them in is suspension and they certainly beat us on steering judging by the L.H. cars at Springfield and have a small advantage in pick up smoothness as one would expect from a 12 cyl engine. Both 12 cyl power units are quite smooth at 4200 R.P.M. at which speeds the valves bounce. The brakes are remarkably smooth and easy to operate - considering that the car weighs up to 5800 lbs and there is no servo assistance other than from the shoes, which are of the two shoe Bendix type. The acceleration is good the car is not fussy and it holds the road well, mechanical noises are conspicuous by their absence. The points which appeared to be responsible for some of these merits are :- DAMPER-SHAFT. Cast iron crankcase, very rigid. I found that they had tried aluminium but stated that with it the engine was not so smooth and torsional periods were accentuated. Main bearings 2.5" dia, plus 2" dia, shaft balanced, what I could not ascertain. Crankshaft damper of the Buick type see sketch & flywheel driven through a hardy disc. The only detectable period was somewhere between 3200 & 3500 R.P.M. and it required considerable concentration to pick this out. It was definately worse on the over-run than on the drive. They fit a thermostatically controlled hot spot which seems a good scheme for quick warming up and can do no harm if it sticks closed or open. (See sketch over page.) | ||