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).
Test report on a car's clutch, steering, and springing performance with different leaf springs.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 82\3\ scan0213 | |
| Date | 21th April 1935 | |
| CARY Hotel de France Châteauroux. Indre. France. 21st April 1935. To Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} From G.W.H. 5 B IV. We have received your Memo.Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} 15/KW of the 18/4/35. We have received the new Clutch yesterday; We notice that it has a solid driving plate. We have fitted it up and tried the Car. The Clutch engagement is good, free from jaggers and stops in normal time, approximately 10 seconds. We have carried out the Steering and Springing tests, the reverse way to what you requested in your Memo. We had taken the thick leaf front spring off and fitted the original thin leaf springs, to see whether they gave us any better results with brake shudder, but the result was not satisfactory, owing to the Steering being impossible with the bent Axle. We have since, tried the Car with the thin leaf spring with the 4° axle, and again this morning with the thick leaf spring. The thin leaf springs gives us a better ride, and a steadier steering than the thick leaf springs. There are two features in which they differ:- For town riding and medium speeds, with the thin leaf springs the Car rides steadier and is under control with minimum damping, on the other hand with the thick leaf springs the Car seems unsteady, and feels as if it wants to roll. The front is continually bouncing; To stop this by using medium damper control, the Car does not ride so well, it is on the hard side and still the front bounces. The thick front springs have not become any better by running as you suggest, by increased friction. The dry friction as you suggest, may give us the steadying we need, but shall we not lose the weight gained on the Springs by the weight needed to get the dry friction. The Steering in our opinion, with the 4° Axle and thin leaf springs is good. We should like to try it against the Paris trials Car to get a comparison, before we commit ourselves, as one so quickly gets used to anything., and after the poor steering we have had, we may be mislead. The rear of the Car is too lightly sprung. We are hitting the buffers at the least provocation and skidding with this Car was definately bad, until we changed the tyres. G.W.H. WHancock | ||