Landracing Forum

Tech Information => Steering - Suspension - Rear End => Topic started by: Jonny Hotnuts on June 20, 2010, 12:55:10 AM

Title: Any cars running steering dampners?
Post by: Jonny Hotnuts on June 20, 2010, 12:55:10 AM
Something I should be considering?
Title: Re: Any cars running steering dampners?
Post by: John Burk on June 20, 2010, 04:51:51 AM
JH I'm using a pre '49 Ford Houdaille shock as a steering damper .
Title: Re: Any cars running steering dampners?
Post by: Rex Schimmer on June 21, 2010, 03:46:52 PM
John,
My little modified street roadster has side arm steering, Schroder midget steering box, and if the alignment was perfect it goes down the road pretty well, and only a big one wheel bump would set it off on the "death wobble". When I installed the Howe 2:1 speed increaser backward to slow the steering down I also installed a steering dampner, which I got from So. Cal. and that was the best thing I have done to make the steering stable. I connected it between the spring mounting bolts and the cross link it works great!

If you don't go with a dampner make sure that all of the steering parts are stout and all of the joints are tight. Normally what will happen is if you go into a "death wobble" as you go faster it will go away because of the gyro-scope action of the tires. The larger the diameter the quicker it goes away. Also remember that it will add some steering resistance, if I had not slowed the steering down with the Howe unit I don't think that the dampener would be a good idea because of the increased steering force required.


Rex
Title: Re: Any cars running steering dampners?
Post by: Stainless1 on June 22, 2010, 02:35:39 PM
JNuts, in the lakester the drivers gut is the dampener.... seems the older we are the more dampner we get...
Title: Re: Any cars running steering dampners?
Post by: akk on June 24, 2010, 08:39:11 AM
We use a Volkswagen steering dampener on one GMR and a So Cal our other GMR. The VW unit looks exactly like the So Cal unit without the decal at half the price!!?!

Akk
Title: Re: Any cars running steering dampners?
Post by: Rex Schimmer on June 27, 2010, 08:16:47 AM
Akk I am sure that you are right about the So Cal dampner and a VW dampner, it was just that I was at a So Cal store and not a VW store. Those So Cal stickers are expensive! and you can't even see it where I have it mounted~!!!

See you all at the salt.!!!!

Rex