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).
Customer complaints of pitching and dithering on chassis No. 43-KR, detailing ongoing experiments to improve the springing.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 47\2\ Scan147 | |
| Date | 25th October 1929 | |
| W/S - C. c. to Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} X4117. Hn{F. C. Honeyman - Retail orders}7/KW25.10.29. Re. Springing. Chassis No.43-KR. X.4117 X.3005 Reference: CLO/C22.10.29. We agree that the alterations which were carried out by Experimental Department to the springs and shock absorbers of this car made the riding at slow speeds very good. It would not, however, satisfy a good many of the owners who are complaining of the pitching of the car at speeds over 40 m.p.h. on quite ordinary roads. With regard to Stoye's complaint, he complains of dithering at low speeds and pitching at high speeds, and we have already had his car here and altered the springing so that he has been satisfied with the slow speed dithers, but still complains because the pitching at high speeds remains. His case differs rather from that of Hague's car as he has only complained, as far as I know, of dithering at slow speeds, so it is rather difficult to think that the work carried out on Hague's car is going to be effective in the case of Stoye. At the present time I think we should just deal with Hague's car and return it to him and find out what results we have obtained. As you know, we are going to spring it as near aspossible in the same manner as Sg{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD}'s car. We have got some useful and interesting experiments which we are trying at the present time, which we think will help us to improve very considerably the many springing complaints which we have at the present time. The first one is similar to the changes made on Sg{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD}'s car. The second is 20% stiffer springs at reduced strength; this is an undoubted improvement with regard to pitching. The third is a combination of the two, that is, with the stiffer springs and the American type of shock absorber. With regard to the fourth, the Experimental Department are testing out a means to definately lubricating the Cantilever spring leaves. Cont'd.{John DeLooze - Company Secretary} | ||