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 from the American to the British office regarding front axle standardization and testing.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 41\1\ Scan099 | |
| Date | 5th May 1927 | |
| COPY. X.3681 FROM ROLLS-ROYCE OF AMERICA, INC. SPRINGFIELD, MASS. Oy2-E-5527 May 5th, 1927. Mr. R.{Sir Henry Royce} W. H.{Arthur M. Hanbury - Head Complaints} Bailey, Rolls-Royce, Ltd., Derby, England. Re Standardization sheets Front Axle - Section 7C40 Dear Mr Bailey: Replying to yours of March 4th/27, with accompanying prints. 1. Pivot Lean. On the advice of Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} we have been using 2° pivot lean on all these axles. The front springs having been intended originally for use with the old brakeless axle are approximately horizontal. Actually they slope 1/4° backwards. The remaining 1-3/4° is obtained by tapered packings. 2. Cross-Steering Tube. We have not yet got the spring-loaded cross-steering tube in production but it is now coming through the Works. 3. Brake Leverage. I attach copy of Oy5-E-21527 referring to this matter. I should have referred to it in proposal sheet No. 7C but it escaped my attention at that time. From our tests in the winter of 1925-6 in ice roads we believe it will be dangerous to reduce the front braking while leaving the servo ratio unchanged, because the servo action would be so powerful as to produce rear wheel skids. In the extreme case, when the servo action was allowed to fall on the rear brakes only with the front brakes held out of action, the car was unmanageable on winter roads, since the slightest pressure produced rear wheel skids. So we believe at the moment that decreasing the total braking for a given foot pressure to 80% of the original is better for our conditions, but naturally we have not had much winter experience yet. 4. It has been proposed that it would be desirable to reverse the position of the levers in the front axle and | ||