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).
Responding to concerns about faulty steering on the 20-HP model due to front wheel imbalance.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 49\4\ Scan349 | |
| Date | 2nd February 1924 | |
| HS. {Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} C. BY C. Wor. {Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager} X42524 EP {G. Eric Platford - Chief Quality Engineer} 2/Hl.2.24. re. 20-HP. Faulty Steering. With further reference to our EP {G. Eric Platford - Chief Quality Engineer} 4/H29.1.24 and in reply to your Hs {Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} 4/LG30.1.24.- we submit that the ill-effects produced by making the front wheels 3 lbs. out of balance was a quick demonstration only. We did not go into any details, but as pointed out, we have experienced this trouble on a chassis on test under conditions as explained in our previous memo which could happen in customers' hands. We can quite appreciate the possibility of the points raised by you, but we take it this is part of your routine and investigation work, and having had the above experience it is for you to go into the matter thoroughly and for all of us here to be assured that your detailed tests have proved that for such to take place in customers' hands would be unreasonable and would not happen under normal conditions, or that the possibilities do exist and that you are able to furnish sufficient details which can be reported to R. {Sir Henry Royce} and the designers as you suggest. If your memo is meant to convey the fact that at this stage you are rather pushed and would like us to go into the job experimentally and to report to R. {Sir Henry Royce} etc. the full details of this phenomenon, we should be pleased to do so when such can be conveniently worked in with our production testing. We do not wish to be told, however, by Sales Dept. that it requires customers to point out the faults which exist on our cars. EP. {G. Eric Platford - Chief Quality Engineer} | ||