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).
Tests to diagnose a transverse shake on a Bentley fitted with a Citroen front suspension.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 123\1\ scan0158 | |
| Date | 12th January 1937 | |
| 1040 E/Ev.{Ivan Evernden - coachwork}2/MN.12.1.37. To Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} Copy to E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} Da.{Bernard Day - Chassis Design} Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}/Les.{Ivan A. Leslie} Re Bentley with Citroen Front Suspension. We confirm our conversation of this morning re the above car. We would be very glad if you could arrange for tests to be made to discover the cause of the transverse shake at the centre and back of this car, and to determine whether it results from the reactions of the torsion bar at the rear fixing or from the gyroscopic reactions from the front wheels. We believe that the gyroscopic effect of this car is fairly great and it may be that the shortening of the front arms of the frame and the stiffening of the frame back to the front end of the rear spring may have moved back the node. A test on the shivering rig, which you suggest, would be very helpful to us. At the same time we suggest that if it is not a very big job it would be interesting to try the all-steel body which is now fitted attached solidly to the chassis aft of the centre door pillar. The body is now mounted on Silent Bloc bushes throughout. If the degree of gyroscopic reaction is the cause of this transverse shiver, as we believe it is, on this car and on the standard Phantom III, one should notice a marked improvement on the Phantom III with Wraith II levers as in this case the wheel movement is more nearly perfect. EV.{Ivan Evernden - coachwork} | ||