steering 'weight'

[Gallandro]

Help!

Does anyone have a S2 Elise with A048s...at parking speeds is your steering light or moderately heavy? - ive just had a new rack put in and before
steering had 'weight' to it now it feels like its power assisted at low/medium speeds! whats the norm people!!

thanks

[nsm3]

What front pressures have you got?

The manual states 31psi (I think?) but most run on say 22-24 in the fronts (seems to improve turn in).

I do and my steering is well heavy when manouvering.

[Gallandro]

have tried different pressures no difference

i think the rack hasnt been weighted properly i can park with one hand easily

just need other peoples feedback so i can get an idea what the 'norm'

[Scuffers]

Gallandro said:

have tried different pressures no difference

i think the rack hasnt been weighted properly i can park with one hand easily

just need other peoples feedback so i can get an idea what the 'norm'

change in camber and castor will change steering weight....

[Gallandro]

isnt there also a nut on the steering rack which increases / decreases
steering load?

the reason i dont think its the geo is that i had the same geo settings
done when the new rack went in i had before..

[kambites]

I'd be amazed if there was a way to implement artificial resistance in the steering... why on earth would anyone want such a thing?

[Sparxy]

Are you sure it is not a case that you had a very stiff rack before and now you have a nice clean, well lubricated one you are really noticing the difference.

Do you have forearms like popeye? ;-)

The steering at parking speeds is light for a car with no power assisted steering but much heavier than a power assisted car of a similar size. You shouldn't be huffing and puffing to park it but it's not a single hand job.

[Scuffers]

Gallandro said:

isnt there also a nut on the steering rack which increases / decreases
steering load?

the reason i dont think its the geo is that i had the same geo settings
done when the new rack went in i had before..

there is a pinion pre-load adjuster, but it's not there to make the steering heavyier...

[Gallandro]

no you miss the point

you have to set up the 'load' on the steering rack to a certain
weight/force anyway.

I think mine may have been set up incorrectly - but needed feedback from
people as to how there cars felt at low/parking speeds as that is where
the most obvious difference is - as at higher speeds loads on the
shocks etc when cornering can have more effect.

im running on A048s and think it should be quite difficult to park
but its not its far too light......

[Gallandro]

Scuffers realise its not there to make it artifically heavy

but could it have been set too low/weak thus making it artifically light?

[Scuffers]

Gallandro said:

Scuffers realise its not there to make it artifically heavy

but could it have been set too low/weak thus making it artifically light?

if it's too 'low' (as you put it) you would feel slack in the pinion/rack...

set too high will just cause the rack to wear out faster....

[kambites]

Scuffers said:

Gallandro said:

Scuffers realise its not there to make it artifically heavy

but could it have been set too low/weak thus making it artifically light?

if it's too 'low' (as you put it) you would feel slack in the pinion/rack...

set too high will just cause the rack to wear out faster....

Agreed. It should be set up as light as is possible without there being any play in the system. Anything else is just like sticking a friction brake on the steering column.

[shangani]

Just a thought.

Have the tyres been bedded in properly - new tyres even 048's have very little grip at the outset. The other issue is tyre temperature - my steering feels much lighter in very cold temperatures (at parking speeds) compared to warmer weather.

[Mr_C]

Mine has always been very light with the current rack too. Some racks are lighter than others it seems...