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).
Letter to General Motors discussing the causes of wheel wobble and shimmy.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 170\3\ img058 | |
| Date | 15th July 1935 | |
| July 15, 1935. To: Mr. C.F. Hunt, General Motors Corporation Maurice Olley, General Motors Building I have been wondering whether our recent work on this subject could not be summarized in a useful form, without going into too much detail. A recent note from one of the Olley Royce men in which he speaks of the difference between steering gears in the 'transmission of road shock' appears to show a complete lack of understanding of the problem. This suggested that even as little as we understand the subject yet, a few notes might be useful. Actually the steering gear plays only a minor part in wheel fight, and the chief fault of steering gears seems to be that in general we build them too small. This makes the stresses in them high, and so causes them to lack rigidity. Forms of Wobble and Shimmy We distinguish between three distinct forms of wobble or shimmy which are best separated by considering the loop described by a spot on the end of the wheel spindle. Suppose we take the left front wheel :- | ||