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).
Extract from 'The Autocar' magazine discussing the cause and cure for flapping steering wheels.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 28\4\ Scan021 | |
| Date | 9th November 1912 | |
| X454 Extract from "The Autocar" of November 9th 1912. The Flapping of Steering Wheels. An article under the above heading appeared in the issue of"The Autocar" dated September 7th which interested me, as I had a car two or three years ago which caused me a great deal of trouble in that respect. For some time I was puzzled as to the cause, but finally found that the axle was vertical, and putting a wedge in between the front axle and the springs, throwing the top of the axle back and the bottom of the axle forward completely cured the trouble. I think it is wrong to surmise that the flapping of steering wheels is caused by the axle not being vertical. On the contrary I think that the axle being vertical is the very cause of the wheels flapping, although many car makers appear to believe that front axles should be vertical. I have not tried the experiment personally, but I believe that had I put the wedge in, throwing the top of the axle forward instead of backward, it would have had the same effect of completely curing the flapping. When I had the wedges inserted I found a remarkable difference in the steering. It required no effort to keep the car in a straight line: it seemed to want to go only in a line straight ahead - in fact, after going round a corner and entering on the straight the wheels would straighten themselves automatically without my having to pull them round with the wheel. I think this is a matter which | ||