BUMP STEER
One of the latest services that we are pleased to offer is to check and adjust your Bump Steer. But what is Bump Steer?
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In simple terms, Bump Steer is the change in your toe angle when the suspension passes through it's travel without steering input from the driver. It is an undesirable trait of steering and suspension assemblies and frequently results in unpredictable, and sometimes dangerous handling effects. Most manufacturers design their steering and suspension systems to minimise bump steer, however it is frequently found in older vehicles where suspension design wasn't as advanced, or modified vehicles. Typically cars that have been lowered will normally require some sort of bump steer adjustment due to the steering and suspension pivots and links that are now operating away from their optimal design position.
What handling traits does bump steer give you?
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Well, if you find that your car is nervous or wants to pull you all over the road when you hit a bump or take a kerb at the track then there's a good chance your bump steer needs to be checked. The intended steered angle of this wheel will change when the suspension is compressed (bump) or when extended meaning that it's not pointing where you expect it too! This effective change in steering angle is why the car feels unexpectedly nervous as it's steering the affected wheel somewhere where you don't want it to go. Another noticeable effect that bump steer will be that your car is extremely nervous on the brakes. This is because of the steering angle change when both front shocks are compressed under the braking load.
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If you would like to make the most of our Bump Steer service please get in touch. Each enquiry will be priced individually as it will depend on the vehicle, location from us and whether you require wheel alignment first. If your car has no way of adjusting bump steer we will still be happy to come out and measure it for you, but if we need to return once you have fitted a bump steer adjusting kit then we will need to take this second visit into account in the price.
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Ok, it sounds like my bump steer needs checking so what can I do about it?
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Call us! To adjust bump steer you first need to have the correct parts to adjust it, on standard parts there's nothing you can do normally. The most common way of adjusting bump steer is with an adjustable outer tie rod kit. This will replace your regular track rod end. Normally it will consist of a pin, a rose joint, some adjuster shims and a toe adjusting sleeve that connects the rose joint to the existing track rod. By changing the amount of shims between the steering arm and the rose joint (which in turn changes the angle of the track rod) you adjust the bump steer. Depending on what parts you have fitted to the vehicle and how much you've modified it / lowered it by, these kits are normally enough to get the bump steer a lot better. Sometimes they wont be enough to make it optimal, but will have made it a lot better. Another way of adjusting bump steer is to change the mounting height of the inner part of the tie rod where it mounts to the steering rack (Honda Civic for example) or change the height of the rack mounting itself. If the inner and outer tie rod adjustments aren't enough then you are looking at more complex solutions!
To check the bump steer you need a good quality gauge like the one we use from Vision Motorsport and the alignment needs to be set to how the car will be driven. It's no good checking bump steer then adjusting camber, caster and toe. Everything has to be done in the correct order. If you require a wheel alignment or track setup first we can help you with that too. Once any bump steer adjustments have taken place the toe angle on that axle will have to be reset.
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