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 gear improvements, cornering, and modifications for a specific vehicle.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 20\2\ Scan085 | |
| Date | 26th April 1920 | |
| Contd. -2- absolutely no movement due to the axle rising and falling on the road. / Any definite improvements found, such as the ones you have already enumerated, should be applied without delay to the car that PN.{Mr Northey} personally drives, by sending a special man to fit the parts, so that there shall be as little delay as possible, and that we shall not be working without as much criticis as we can possibly obtain. I think it will also be wise to send or bring suitable parts for the car I am driving. I feel that in the past my judgement of steering gears has been slightly defective, because the cars I have had have always been more or less fresh ones in which the steering gear is perhaps not worn to a state of perfect freedom..If, however, the friction is obtained by the means that we are suggesting, the car would not be capable of wearing itself to a condition of very great freedom. I am very pleased to see that we are getting some light on this subject. With reference to cornering and steering the car backwards, we think it would be found a distinct disadvantage to depart from centre point steering. I shall be glad if, as soon as you have noticed the difficulty of steering backwards with certain cars, to always keep this in mind, especially when suggesting any alteration to the lean of the steering pivots. Unless you find a further definite improvement, I think I should fit the three modifications mentioned in your Contd. | ||