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).
Wheel balancing, addressing issues of hub bearing freeness and steering wobble.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 4\3\ 03-page60 | |
| Date | 1st December 1925 | |
| R.R. 499 (b) 1M-11.23. M.{Mr Moon / Mr Moore} & S. (11909) J.{Mr Johnson W.M.} & S. EXPERIMENTAL REPORT +401 Exptl. No. _______ REF. Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}1/LG3.12.25. To PN.{Mr Northey} from Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} c. to BJ. c. to CMB. c. to EP.{G. Eric Platford - Chief Quality Engineer} _______ WHEEL BALANCING. 4401 457 PNS/IN1.12.25. On several cars we have tried, the amount of out of balance on the brake drum and hub is negligible. We suggest, what may have happened in the case you mention, is that the freeness of the hub bearings may have brought about the result obtained. For instance, if the wheels were balanced on a hub which was well packed with thick grease, and the wheel then transferred to another hub which was very free, an out of balance might show up on the free hub, which would not be apparent when the wheel was tried on the previous hub. In any case, we do not think these small amounts of out of balance are serious. As regards the statement that a steering wobble has occurred at 50 m.p.h. with balanced wheels. We may very much doubt that this was an actual periodic wobble. It is quite possible to get an oscillation of the steering wheel which, if one has the 'wind-up' as regards wobbles, one could imagine that high speed wobbles were about to commence. We have not found that the uneven tyre pressures which you mention, affect wobbles. Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} | ||