steering turn-in
 

Compared with our previous car we find the '86 is very different in that it does not turn into angle parking spaces as quickly. Is there anything we can do to quicken the steering progression without messing up the more straight ahead range? I know it sounds pathetic but after six months I still overshoot.


At least I have become adept at handbrake skids

You can change the tires and front camber and caster so the front responds faster and follows steering input better.

I am suggesting it is more of a problem with the operator than the machinery.

I'm not sure I understand, are you saying the turning radius is to long?

You can drive slower lol. I keed I keed.

the car has a pretty low steering ratio as it is... what car did you have previously?

I agree with you all and you are all correct but I JUST REMEMBERED.

Our previous car was said to have a small degree of passive rear-wheel steering built in. That would also explain the feeling I have always had that the back of the '86 is never coming round like I expect.

FYI the old car was a 1994 Nissan 200SX turbo, rear wheel drive, and at lowish speeds it would glide around a constant radius bend as if it was anchored on the end of a cable.

The only way to do it quicker would be to drive faster, but be careful not to oversteer going in. Haha

I have to agree though. Out turn radius isn't that great.

If you think the turn radius isn't great in our cars, try owning a Evo 9! Worst turning radius ever. I was embarrassed when trying to do any kind of turn arounds on a street as it would take about 5 lanes to do a u-turn.

Lol i know your struggle.

Toe out works much better for this. About half an inch each side should do the trick. The car may wander a bit at highway speeds but parking should be a breeze.

In fact, matching rear toe out should tighten up the whole turning circle and make the handbrake turns more effective.

He's talking about steering rack rate, not ultimate turning circle.

I'm fairly sure he's pulling your leg, also. Australians are known for this.

Rear toe-out is a VERY tricky thing to set up and use. It can very easily turn into uncontrolled oversteer. Best to leave the rear at 0 toe or a little toe-in.

At first I thought your old car was a 240SX. Then you might have had Super HICAS, with 1 degree of mechanical turn-in that operates in opposite phase at low speeds to turn sharper for parking. Maybe that's what you need. Passive rear steering like Mazda and others claimed in the 90's is negligible.

[QUOTE=Draco-REX;1211915]Rear toe-out is a VERY tricky thing to set up and use. It can very easily turn into uncontrolled oversteer. Best to leave the rear at 0 toe or a little toe-in.[/

Our Oz friend is not a skilled driver. He needs all the alignment help he can get to park his car. The giveaway is he says he uses the handbrake turn to angle park. Only a complete nut would need to do that.


I use handbrake turns only for parallel parking. Much more efficient than the new park assist software. You can slide into a space only slightly longer than your car.

This would be correct.

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOtQiE-HwAQ"]Parking the car - YouTube[/ame]

Trust me... I was not pulling anyone's leg (except about doing handbrake turns).

Yes I was thinking of steering rack rates OR if electric steering motor does the progressive steering, then perhaps it could be tweaked there.

I'm pretty much convinced that the 200SX passive rear steering, however small, is the explanation. Not to belittle the '86 steering/handling, I do miss the different seat-of-the-pants feeling from the old 200SX.

The parking solution I have adopted is to find two parking spaces side by side. Aim for the nearest but end up in the furthest. Simple. NOW I am pulling your leg.

Just looked up the Aus 200 SX.It's an S chassis. Super HICAS was optional.

It is also undesired for high speed cornering instability.

Just relearn.

The latest Golf GTI has introduced variable steering. I took it for a test drive and liked that feature.
Hint... if you take one out, experiment with the handling/suspension settings.