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).
Test report from France detailing issues with the servo, brakes, clutch, transmission, and dampers.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 1\4\ B001_X 100a-page117 | |
| Date | 7th December 1932 | |
| Sen E/12/32 To Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} From G.W.H. By security Please Return after perusal Hotel de France, Chateauroux, FRANCE. 7.12.32. Z.ER.II. we managed to get 100 miles in last night after finishing off the work on the servo. We are very disappointed with the results. We still cannot get over the sponginess. This is all in the rear brakes. There is no solid feeling. The servo is not efficient. We cannot get that winding up effect of the car at slow speeds that we obtain on our other cars. Grylls says we should be getting about 1.1/2 times more braking on the front. We do not appreciate it. The front seems very lacking in braking, there is no definite dip, either at high or low speeds, and the brakes do not heat up. We have made certain that there is no obstruction to cause the loss. We definitely cut out the sponginess by spragging the rear brakes ( i.e. - cutting these out of action). We cannot understand how you have obtained solid braking. CLUTCH. The RAD. fabrics are very smooth in engagement. There is no slipping, and the clutch stops more readily than what it did previously. TRANSMISSION RATTLE. We have spoiled the results obtained previously. The rattle is as bad as it was when we came out. Your scheme of cutting the slots apparently is the best, but the rubbers we are using are to much like vulcanite, there is not sufficient rubber. I have been on the 'phone this morning to see whether Paris had any rubber buffers as fitted to the bump of the rear axle. This type of rubber seems to be more what we want. The present blocks collapse. The other feature is, there is too much back lash in the gears, if this was tightened up, we should have less tendency for the rattle. It is exactly the same trouble as experienced with engine gears. DAMPERS. We again broke the aluminium bracket holding the O.S. rear damper. The reason, I'm sure was, because the damper arm fouled the bolt as previously stated. It has been | ||