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).
The performance of controllable shock dampers on car 22-EX.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 16\5\ Scan127 | |
| Date | 30th October 1933 | |
| HS.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} LES n7520 Hd{Mr Hayward/Mr Huddy}/SB{Mr Bull/Mr Bannister}19/HR.30.10.33. see me HS{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} re CONTROLLABLE SHOCK DAMPERS ON 22-EX. We have had another run in this car in order to gain a better impression of the springing, and we give you below our remarks. Before judging the general effect and to get used to the general response of the car to the hand control, we noted the following impressions when the control is placed in various positions:- (a) HAND CONTROL AT MIN. Good riding in rear seats up to 45 m.p.h. Damping quite inadequate at higher speeds. Car rolls badly and pronounced wandering and joggling of the steering is noticeable. (b) HAND CONTROL 1/4 FROM MIN. Good riding in rear seats up to 65 m.p.h. "Dithers" begin to be noticeable. Steering not much better, and car still rolls when cornering. This seems the best position from the point of view of comfort in the rear seats. (c) HAND CONTROL MIDWAY. Riding seems comparable to normal rating springs and standard dampers when travelling on good main road, but dithers are worse than standard and car still heels over when cornering at speed. Steering fairly good. (d) HAND CONTROL AT MAX. Riding in rear seats much too hard, even on good main road. The higher damper loading makes the steering very good, but the rolling characteristic of low rated springs is not entirely overcome. Judging the springing on more general lines, and taking into consideration the controllability of the dampers, we would record the following impressions:- 1. The hand control of the damper poundages over a wide range seems very precise and easy to handle, and is undoubtedly very much better than anything else we have seen in the way of adjustable shock dampers. 2. The governor control seems a desirable feature but it gives one the impression of being too subordinate to the hand control, e.g., one has to make too frequent use of the hand control to combine adequate damping at speeds over 45 m.p.h. with soft riding at low speeds. A more progressive governor action might overcome this. 3. We think the system is, to some extent, handicapped by the weakness of the road springs fitted. As things are, the rolling -contd- | ||