Case Study Continued

Steering Consideration
To design the steering system we must
consider the 3-Dimensional geometry of
the system

Steering Axis
Imaginary line from the upper and lower
outboard A-Arm pivots

Kingpin Angle
Steering axis angle:

Effect of Kingpin Angle

Typically the is kingpin
angled toward the center
of the car
In this case, any turning of
the wheel forces the tire
to arc toward the ground
This causes this corner of
the vehicle to be raised,
providing a self centering
force on the steering
system

Caster
The angle of the steering axis as
viewed from a side view

Front of Car

Positive

Negative

Positive Caster
When the wheel is turned the cornering
force acts perpendicular to the wheel
through the contact patch.
creates a torque about the steering axis
that acts to center the steering system
Front of Car

Positive

Negative Caster
This has the opposite effect as positive
caster
As the tires are turned a torque is created that
cause the tire to turn farther

Front of Car

Negative

Caster
The torque created by caster is a large factor in providing
feedback for a driver.
These aligning torques are responsible for allowing a
driver to recover form a spin.
These forces are present any time the wheel is turned at
an angle to the vehicle trajectory

Trajectory

Effects of Caster Dynamic Camber

From a performance standpoint the caster
can be used to achieve the desired
camber for a given situation.
Positive Caster: Adds negative to outside
tire in a cornering situation, Optimal for
traction

Bump Steer

Steer angle generated any time the suspension travels up or down

Created any time the steering rod inboard pivot is not located on the instant
center
Causes tires to toe in or out with steer angle

Steering Rod
(Toe Rod)

Steering Rod
Inboard Pivot
CHASSIS
Instant Center

Ground

Bump Steer
Can be used for performance tuning
Can be used on the rear suspension to
create passive rear steer

CHASSIS
Instant Center

Ground

Passive Rear Steer

Relies on the vehicle roll angle during a
cornering situation to steer the rear wheels
Toe Rod
CHASSIS

Ground

Steering Ackerman
Steering Ackerman
describes the angle
difference between the
outside and inside tire of
a vehicle
The steering sensitivity of
the vehicle is greatly
affected by the amount of
Ackerman designed into
the suspension

Corner Conditions
When the vehicle
negotiates a turn the
two front wheels must
carve different arc,
the outside wheel
travels a further
distance than the
inner

Parallel Steering
Parallel steering means that
both front tires are turned the
same amount to navigate a
given corner
This will work but it reduces the
effectiveness of the steering
system
If both the wheels were turned
by the same amount, the inside
wheel would scrub (effectively
sliding sideways)
So to eliminate this scrubbing
of the inside tire, the tire needs
to be steered more to carve the
same arc

Drawing out Ackerman

To visualize Ackerman
steering geometry you can
draw it out on the vehicle lay
out
First draw a vehicle
center line
Draw a line down the
center of the rear axle
Then draw a line
intersecting the outer
steering point and the
kingpin axis
The intersection of the two
dotted lines defines the
Ackerman characteristics of
the vehicle

True Ackerman

For a vehicle to have true

Ackerman all of the wheels
must pivot around the same
point
This ensures that no tire is
unnecessarily scrubbing, so
this means that both tires are
traveling tangent to the circle
the vehicle is traveling on.
When the outer steering
attachment falls anywhere on
the pink line the vehicle will
have the same true Ackerman

Over True Ackerman

Over Ackerman refers to the

inside tire turning more then the
amount required to travel the
desired arc
This case shows how the
intersection point falls in front of
the rear axle center line, thus
increasing the angle difference
between the two tires
So it could be described as have
toe out in relation to the turning
circle
In most cases this is done for low
speed cars that require nimble
quick turning, the vehicle will have
increased steering response at
low speeds

Under True Ackerman

In this setup the
intersection point falls
behind the axle center
This causes the steering
response of the vehicle
to decrease slightly
So it could be described
as have toe in in relation
to the turning circle

Anti-Ackerman
This describes the
characteristic of the
outside wheel turning
more than the inside
wheel
This is done for high
speed stability, the car
acts lazy and does not
respond quickly to
steering inputs
This over stabilizes the
vehicle

Drawing Anti-Ackerman
When drawing out Anti-Ackerman, imagine the Ackerman
drawing just mirrored around the front axle centerline
The steering angle difference would be the same as normal
Ackerman, just that the outside tire is now turning more then the
inside

Steering Ratio
The steering ratio can be
adjusted by moving the
outer steering pickup
point along the Ackerman
Axis (dotted line), and still
maintain the Ackerman
geometry
This action will decrease
the steering effort
required, but it will also
slow the steering

Roll Gradient
Relationship between vehicle roll angle
(body roll) and lateral acceleration.
Units: Degrees / G
This is usually a design target that a
designer will use while designing the
suspension

Roll Stiffness
If you know the roll stiffness of a car and the CG and roll
center height, you can calculate the roll gradient
b = roll moment

Rgrad

xlateral b

(deg/ G )
Rstiffness