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).
The steering performance of a 20 HP Sunbeam car, noting issues with wobbles and wear.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 180\M3\M3.5\ img045 | |
| Date | 6th May 1925 | |
| EXPERIMENTAL REPORT. REF: Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}1/L.616.5.25: To R.{Sir Henry Royce} from Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} c. to CJ. BJ. c. to RG.{Mr Rowledge} E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} c. to DA.{Bernard Day - Chassis Design} BY.{R.W. Bailey - Chief Engineer} c. to Wor.{Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager} 20 HP. SUNBEAM. Little X457 STEERING. We have borrowed locally a 20 HP. Sunbeam car. This car was delivered new 12 months ago. It is fitted with low pressure tyres all round. It also has 4-wheel brakes. When driven over our usual test routes, low speed steering wobbles were apparent if the wheel was gripped tightly and the car was driven over a bad road. We should say, taking this car as an example, the low speed steering wobble could be produced more easily than on either our 40/50 HP. or 20 HP. The steering on this car is the worm and sector type. UGH!! The car has run 3,800 miles since it was new. There is now a considerable amount of slack in the steering which has developed due to wear. The steering is comparatively free from road shocks. There is only one buffer spring in each ball end joint on the side steering rod. The springs are arranged so that they only work with compression. The rod is solid in tension. The springs exert a load of 200 lbs. each on the ball when normal. The movement on the springs when the side steering tube is fitted is .1". We are confident, that if the steering on our cars is similar to this particular example, we should get many more complaints than we do at present. Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} | ||