Ackerman

What is Ackerman?

Ackerman is the angle of the front tires, in relation to each other, as you make a turn. Basically, it causes the inside front tire to turn tighter than the outside front tire.

How do you change Ackerman?

The standard setting (kit setting) on most cars is set so as to make the car easy to drive. Making the Ackerman Link longer will take away Ackerman but make the steering more aggressive. Making the link shorter will result in more Ackerman, or less aggressive. You can also try mounting the ball stud on the steering knuckle to the outer holes (less Ackerman, more aggressive) or the inner holes (more Ackerman, less aggressive).

On the TC3, simply adding two .100" (2.5mm) shims and the optional longer ball studs to the steering rack will do the trick. This will give less Ackerman, and a more aggressive steering feel.

As a rule, less Ackerman is a bit harder to drive.

There have been times where we wanted more Ackerman than the stock steering rack will allow. To do this on the TC3, you will have to disassemble your steering and remove the rack from the car. Remove the ball ends from the steering side, and shave the rack 'nubs' down 2.5mm, or roughly equal to the re-inforcement rib. You will also have to slightly shorten the ball ends so they don't poke through the rack and hit the rack bearings. This will give you MORE Ackerman, and actually make the car easier to drive. This has worked very well for extremely high bite tracks such as carpet.