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).
Comparing 'Marmon' worm and nut steering with the company's own central points steering system.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 32\5\ Scan137 | |
| Date | 24th January 1921 | |
| W F 258A (100 T) (S H 159, 11-5-20) C. 2500 X.1692 To HS.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} " EP.{G. Eric Platford - Chief Quality Engineer} " R.R. of America Inc. } from R.{Sir Henry Royce} (for attention of OY.) c. to CJ. c. to PN.{Mr Northey} c. to H.{Arthur M. Hanbury - Head Complaints} c. to Wor.{Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager} c. to Da.{Bernard Day - Chassis Design} c. to By.{R.W. Bailey - Chief Engineer} c. to BN.{W.O. Bentley / Mr Barrington} c. to HM.{Capt. W. Hallam - Head Repairs} c. to OX. c. to C. c. to SA. X.1692 X/963 RE STEERING. X 3791 It is interesting to compare "Marmon" steering with ours, because this is the best car of the American shipment to handle that I have had, and the steering is like ours in principle (worm and nut). It steers well, but not as easily as ours, because it has plain thrust on the stub pivots, and also these pivots are some distance out of the track centres, so that there is considerable twist in the bearings. There is one defect which is quite notice-able, and is serious under certain circumstances, i.e. it is not centre point steering, and if one hits a rut or brick etc. on one road wheel, the steering gets a bad shocl. Also, if a tyre suddenly deflates, or the front wheel gets into soft road on one side, there would be a big pull round on the steering wheel. Therefore, our central points steering is far to be preferred, and if it has the defect of being too sensitive through absence of friction, it is only necessary Contd. | ||