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).
Steering stability, transmission knock, and suspension improvements.
| Identifier | WestWitteringFiles\E\September1920\ Scan44 | |
| Date | 7th September 1920 | |
| To C.J. from R.{Sir Henry Royce} -3- R6/G7/9/20 Contd. 4 the considerable speed and weight of our car, which will weigh from two to three tons, and touch 60 to 75 miles per hour. These [Handwritten insertion: which we ought not] are no machines, to fit [Handwritten insertion: with] Tom, Dick and Harry's fancies, which are often prompted by sheer laziness. A slight rearwards lean of the upper end of the steering pivots is very advantageous for steady steering at high speed and has other advantages, but seems to be the chief cause of steering wobbles at low speed (strange, but these latter I have never experienced, probably because I do not grip the steering wheel very firmly.) KNOCK IN TRANSMISSION. [Handwritten: X.4174 X.1228 X 34616 X.2628b] There appears little reason for this being worse on present cars. The cause is undoubtedly due to the bump and pot-holey state of the roads, combined with hard pumped resilient tyres before mentioned, the axle moving vertically quickly and over a greater range. Undoubtedly it is very sensitive to the weight of wheels and axles, compared with the sprung weight of the body etc. and also to the softness of tyres and to damping the rear springing of the car. You will remember that I pressed hard for rear shock dampers to be fitted (from my own road experience) but the rush for output prevented these being fitted (as they required more time and testing) My impression is that with the lubricated springs (see other note why lubricated) they are an absolute necessity, and should be fitted somehow. How much the thinner leaf springs will improve this point remains to be tested. In the meantime, with light cars and no rear passengers, use canvas type only moderately inflated. [Handwritten insertion: Further] Experiments are in hand on this (Contd.) | ||