Steering rack re-centre
Discussion
Back in November my Tamora had a 'health check' at Center Gravity to see what the setup was like. Center Gravity seem to have a good reputation for very detailed car setups using the best kit.
It was a fairly informative couple of hours. I found out that the weight was 1124kg with a full tank of fuel (it has air-con fitted), corner weights were a bit off, damper response was ok, dampers were set a bit firm and the car was a bit too twitchy and non-complaint on bumpy B roads where it also rubbed a rear wheel on the arch (I find my Mondeo faster for that kind of road) along with some other bits and pieces.
The overall plan we had for the car was to up the rear spring rates (currently 325lb/in), make it a little less twitchy and more compliant on A/B roads, and deal with a steering rack centering issue (below).
This now gets a bit technical for me, hence seeking the opinion of those who may know more.
One thing that was noted was that the steering rack seemed to be off centre. An effect of this was that the tie-rods on either side were quite different lengths and there was different maximum steering lock in each direction. One of the front wheels (I think it was passenger side) was effectively machined on the inner face where it had rubbed on full lock. I have never heard any noises on full lock, so assume this predates my ownership.
I don't know why the rack would be off centre, but it was suggested that the right place to start would involve re-centering the rack and setting up from there.
Does anybody know if this makes sense, and how much work it is?
I had a quick chat with Jason at TVR Power who suggested that the steering column section in the engine bay needed to be removed, along with some universal joints. The rack could then be centered, everything re-fitted and a full geo done. He estimated 3 - 4 hours work.
This sounds like a job best done by a TVR specialist, rather than a suspension tuning company with some experience of TVRs as it might take them a lot longer. Or I could be incorrect and Center Gravity can also dfo the work easily.
If TVR power were to do that much work, then they need to reset the geo before it can be driven, which means that taking it straight to someone else to do a more detailed setup is just spending lots of money...
Opinions welcome.
It was a fairly informative couple of hours. I found out that the weight was 1124kg with a full tank of fuel (it has air-con fitted), corner weights were a bit off, damper response was ok, dampers were set a bit firm and the car was a bit too twitchy and non-complaint on bumpy B roads where it also rubbed a rear wheel on the arch (I find my Mondeo faster for that kind of road) along with some other bits and pieces.
The overall plan we had for the car was to up the rear spring rates (currently 325lb/in), make it a little less twitchy and more compliant on A/B roads, and deal with a steering rack centering issue (below).
This now gets a bit technical for me, hence seeking the opinion of those who may know more.
One thing that was noted was that the steering rack seemed to be off centre. An effect of this was that the tie-rods on either side were quite different lengths and there was different maximum steering lock in each direction. One of the front wheels (I think it was passenger side) was effectively machined on the inner face where it had rubbed on full lock. I have never heard any noises on full lock, so assume this predates my ownership.
I don't know why the rack would be off centre, but it was suggested that the right place to start would involve re-centering the rack and setting up from there.
Does anybody know if this makes sense, and how much work it is?
I had a quick chat with Jason at TVR Power who suggested that the steering column section in the engine bay needed to be removed, along with some universal joints. The rack could then be centered, everything re-fitted and a full geo done. He estimated 3 - 4 hours work.
This sounds like a job best done by a TVR specialist, rather than a suspension tuning company with some experience of TVRs as it might take them a lot longer. Or I could be incorrect and Center Gravity can also dfo the work easily.
If TVR power were to do that much work, then they need to reset the geo before it can be driven, which means that taking it straight to someone else to do a more detailed setup is just spending lots of money...
Opinions welcome.
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