cygnusx1 Posted August 2, 2005 Share Posted August 2, 2005 My 1976Z seems to have a heavy steering wheel as compared to my friends 1977Z. The tires are sized similarly and the suspensions are setup almost exactly. I have checked the ball-joints, the rack, and have replaced almost everything in the front end at one point or another. With the front end lifted, the steering works smoothly with no effort. The 77Z seems about 25% easier to steer at a standstill. Both have similar steering wheels. Is there anything in particular that could cause stiff steering? At speed the car feels great but parking is a chore. Did they change ratios from 76 to 77? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wheelman Posted August 2, 2005 Share Posted August 2, 2005 Have you checked the castor settings? After I put in all new poly bushings I got the castor setup wrong and the steering was very heavy, particularly at low speed or stopped. After I had an alignment done the steering is much lighter and the car seems to be less darty, although I think that was caused by bad toe settings. The other thing that comes to mind is the profile of the tires. Are shoulders of your tires more square than your friend's? A more square tire might actually have a larger contact patch even though both tires are the same width. Wheelman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pop N Wood Posted August 2, 2005 Share Posted August 2, 2005 Worn steering rack bushing and replacing the steering coupler with a solid one will also make a difference. Especially when parking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
260DET Posted August 3, 2005 Share Posted August 3, 2005 Tyres and their tread flex. The more flexible the tread the easier it is to turn the wheel, particularly when stationary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK-Z Posted August 3, 2005 Share Posted August 3, 2005 Have you checked the tire pressure? That is probably the most overlooked thing when it comes to steering problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cygnusx1 Posted August 3, 2005 Author Share Posted August 3, 2005 Thanks for all the advice. I think the culprit may be caster angle as I have never had that checked. I have been through many sets of tires and the car has always had heavy steering. I never really thought it to be an issue until I drove my friends 77 280Z. Also, I do my own toe alignments with tape measure and stick to the rim edges. I usually lock the steering wheel in center position and then make both tires point straight as I can with about 1/8" toe in. Next I drive it and observe the steering wheel angle in a straight line. I come back and tweak both the left and right side angles until the steering wheel points straight and then re-check the toe. Is there a way to guestimate caster angle? maybe with a plumb bob, string and level and some clever rigging? There really is no way to adjust factory caster without shimming/cutting TC bushings anyhow is there? On another note, I have tried using the FSM measurements for tie-rod lengths and it is waaaay off. As far as I know the car has not been hit...and I have owned it for a long time. There is NO evidence of a wreck anywhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted August 3, 2005 Share Posted August 3, 2005 You can use a cheapo bubble camber gauge to do caster, but I'm not sure how accurate it is. When I had my TC rods made the guy who made them set the caster to 7º using the camber method. Then I put the car on an alignment rack and it only had 4º. Could be he just did it wrong. Any camber gauge will come with the formula, but basically you measure the camber with the wheels straight ahead, then you turn the wheels 20º (or something like that) and measure camber again, then there is a simple formula to compare the difference and figure out what your caster is. If you have "too much" caster I'd say keep it. It will make your car handle much better than too little caster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cygnusx1 Posted August 3, 2005 Author Share Posted August 3, 2005 I guess that's because caster turns into negative camber on the outside tire in a turn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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