So, today, I applied my DIYGK knowledge to the car to correct two senior team members. We're trying to mod last year's car to incorporate anti-ackerman, where the outside tire takes a tighter circle than the inside tire. While trying to figure out how to do this since the computer wasn't cooperating, they proposed simply moving the tie rod pick up points from behind the kingpins to in front. I stepped in say that doing so would invert the steering since the column came down in front of the steering rack. They gave me a puzzled look, then turned the wheel and looked at the push/pull... HA!
Anyways, as for anti-ackerman... I think they're trying to go with anti because, in testing, the we're pulling in excess of 1.5 lateral G's through corners. This puts little, if not 0, weight on the front inside tire. IIRC, one driver recalled seeing the tire off the ground. I assumed they're trying to put the outside tire on a tighter circle so that, in a high G turn, it will be on a tighter circle since nearly all of the front-end weight is concentrated on that tire.
To do this, we need to move the tie rod pick up points out so that the invisible kingpin-tie rod connection point line intersects BEHIND the rear axle and not on it, or in front as it does now (pro-ackerman). Currently, it intersects somewhere in the ballpark of 25% of the F-R wheel base length in front of the rear axle.
I'm sorry; I just have to say it..... You are in PITTSBURGH!!! Chain that size is not much for a steel mill. Probably came from the rolling mills.
