Rolls-Royce Archives
         « Prev  Box Series  Next »        

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 comparing the steering and handling of experimental cars 1.EX and 6.EX at high speeds.

Identifier  ExFiles\Box 80\1\  scan0098
Date  23th August 1920
  
To Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} from R.{Sir Henry Royce}
Copy to CJ.
" " Wor.{Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager}
" " Da.{Bernard Day - Chassis Design}
" " By.{R.W. Bailey - Chief Engineer}
" " EFC.
" " EP.{G. Eric Platford - Chief Quality Engineer}
X.3923a.
X.3763a.
X.3791a

RE STEERING - 1.EX COMPARED WITH 6.EX. X.963. X.3791. X.3791a.

It will be remembered that both these cars are fitted with a plain thrust washer on one of the front pivots, with the object of producing a certain amount of damping friction to render the steering more stable, but 1.EX has got the old form of springing in the longitudinal tube, whereas 6.EX has got set up single springs on each ball.

There appeared little difference in the behaviour of these cars at high speeds on the various roads tested, and from some points of view my impression was that 1.EX was rather better than 6.EX because one felt rather less the unevenness of the roads I could not detect any corresponding disadvantage from this.

One could imagine, however, that the control of the leading road wheels was slightly better in the case of 6.EX and in case of steering wobbles they may be considerable difference in the two arrangements, but I did not experience any such short-comings in the steering.

The only difficulty I found in steering at high speeds was on some of the narrow Norfolk roads are very mcuh but-in crowned, the car being somewhat

Contd.
  
  


Copyright Sustain 2025, All Rights Reserved.    whatever is rightly done, however humble, is noble
An unhandled error has occurred. Reload 🗙