Quote:
Originally Posted by chevy_mike
Typically a more positive road feel and quicker response. Less effort and quicker ratio. Less parts to wear out or create slop. Overall tighter feel. More compact packaging.
The recirulating ball boxes (like stock) worked fine for their entended use but they will not be as good as a R&P setup. If you look almost all auto companies have moved over to R&P setups.
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Here is a quick list of the basic parts in the steering system that lead to sloppy steering.
There are a lot of parts in either system. The road feel is controlled by the valve and torsion bar. All power racks use a large diameter torsion bar to provide more “feel”. Most steering boxes can be had with new large diameter torsion bar and have the exact same feel as a rack and pinion. Most center links are curved to fit around the engine and mount the inner pivots in a position to minimize bump steer. All rack and pinions must be made straight, making a less than ideal inner pivot location. The exception is when the upper and lower control arms can be repositioned and changed to minimize bump steer.
Power rack and pinion moving parts:
1 Rack and pinion has an input shaft connected to a torsion bar.
2 The torsion bar is connected to a control valve.
3 The control valve is connected to a pinion gear.
4 The pinion gear meshes with the rack gear.
5 The rack gear is runs back and forth thru the rack housing.
6 The rack housing is mounted on rubber bushings.
7 The end of the rack connects to the inner tie rod pivot.
8 The inner tie rod pivot is connected to the outer tie rod pivot.
9 The outer tie rod pivot connects to the steering knuckle.
10 The steering knuckle is connected to the upper ball joint.
11 The upper ball joint is connected to the upper arm pivots.
12 The steering knuckle is connected to the lower ball joint.
13 The lower ball joint is connected to the lower arm pivots.
14 The steering knuckle is connected to the inner and outer wheel bearings.
15 The inner and outer wheel bearings are connected to a wheel hub/rim.
16 The rim is connected to a rubber tire.
Power steering system moving parts:
1 Steering box has an input shaft connected to a torsion bar.
2 The torsion bar is connected to a control valve.
3 The control valve is connected to a rack gear by a ball screw assembly. (Typically the ball screw is preloaded and has zero backlash.)
4 The rack gear meshes with the sector gear/pitman arm.
5 The rack gear is runs back and forth thru the box housing.
6 The pitman arm connects to the center link.
7 The center link is connected to the idler arm.
8 The end of the center link connects to the inner tie rod pivot.
9 The inner tie rod pivot is connected to the outer tie rod pivot.
10 The outer tie rod pivot connects to the steering knuckle.
11 The steering knuckle is connected to the upper ball joint.
12 The upper ball joint is connected to the upper arm pivots.
13 The steering knuckle is connected to the lower ball joint.
14 The lower ball joint is connected to the lower arm pivots.
15 The steering knuckle is connected to the inner and outer wheel bearings.
16 The inner and outer wheel bearings are connected to a wheel hub/rim.
17 The rim is connected to a rubber tire.
Just a little more info to look at when trying to compare the different steering systems.
Danny Nix
CPP