steering racks

[gvnclk]

i am trying to figure out lengths of steering racks and ratios as well as where to buy one, i am part of a first year team from univeristy of ontario institue of technology and we are just in the development stages with many unknown areas, if i could get some help it would be great

thanks

[gvnclk]

i am trying to figure out lengths of steering racks and ratios as well as where to buy one, i am part of a first year team from univeristy of ontario institue of technology and we are just in the development stages with many unknown areas, if i could get some help it would be great

thanks

[Denny Trimble]

a search turned this up (http://fsae.com/eve/ubb.x/a/tpc/f/125607348/m/4516032324/r/4516032324)

Stiletto racks, sold through Chassis Shop or direct through Woodhaven Industries (where you can get custom rack lengths) are the simplest way to go. Later you may want to build your own housing, or at least outer bearings to support the rack (the stiletto housing is only ~4" wide).

But for bang-for-the-buck and being an appropriate size for our cars, you can't beat 'em.

Also, they specify certain steering ratios ("12:1") for a 5" steering arm, which must be typical of VW's or something. So to get the system ratio for your car, multiply stiletto's steering ratio by (your steering arm length)/5.

Or, I believe they use 12-pitch gears, so a 12-tooth pinion would have a pitch diameter of 1". You can figure out your system ratio from there.

Hope that helps.