[signbuilder]

Thanks for reading....
I'm ready to start mounting my custom front clip and have a question about ackerman. I'm satisfied with my roll-centers, instant centers, anti-dive and flexibility in bumpsteer adustment, but can't decide how much ackerman I should be trying to build in. All of my experience in circle track racing tells me that I don't need much.....we only run 1/8 of a DEGREE (out) per 10 degrees of steering on our current setup. I don't think that is an acceptable amount for the street. What is? My current plan (cad drawn) has me with about 3 degrees in 20 degrees of steering.....any insight would be appreciated.

Phil

[BillyShope]

According to Maurice Olley, Ackerman steering was initially a design feature to minimize the disruption of gravel on the driveways of early wealthy motorcar owners. It is certainly not a requisite in a modern design. Formula One cars often use negative Ackerman, simply because of the different slip angle requirements of the inside and outside tires.

http://home.earthlink.net/~whshope

[curtis73]

You'd be surprised at how many cars on the road today survive quite fine with a lot of reverse ackerman. Don't stress over it. One of the nicer handling cars (the 4th-gen F-body) survives with a front-steer reverse ackerman quite well.

You can set it to neutral using the rear axle centerline, but honestly I wouldn't worry about it.