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).
Car performance issues including oil consumption, brakes, and handling.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 46\2\ Scan399 | |
| Date | 22th August 1922 guessed | |
| contd:- -2- 13. We consider the engine does use too much oil. The oil consumption was excessive when it first went to France. There has been an alteration to the pistons to reduce the oil consumption since that car was built. As regards the other criticisms of the car. We feel that the brakes would have oil on them. We know at one time there was a complaint of oil running out of the drains on the rear hubs. We have written to Wa.{Mr Wallis} Faris who is taking the car for the final week, and asked him to make sure that the brakes are free from oil. We agree that the riding of 7-Goshawk-ll at fairly high speeds over rough roads, the car gives one the impression of being unsafe. We realised this before the Car left Derby and it was turned out with the R-R shock absorbers to give a maximum friction throughout the whole range. Personally, I do not think the trouble is any worse than on the 40/50 with a similar type of body. On the Goshawk car we use very flexible springs with a big range of movement. The car is therefore likely to be susceptible to rolling. What makes it worse on Goshawk-ll is the fact that the steering is not as good as the 40/50. We especially asked for a Saloon body to be tried on the Goshawk because we realized it is the worst type of body for bringing out faults. We must say that our Coachbuilding experts succeeded in providing us with a very bad example. We ought to do all we know to prevent similar bodies being fixed to Goshawk chassis. Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} | ||