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TR 3 Steering

To: <fot@autox.team.net>
Subject: TR 3 Steering
From: "David Talbott" <dtalbott@archrepro.com>
Date: Thu, 28 Jul 2005 09:42:45 -0700
Speaking of rack and pinion options for TR3's, does anyone have any experience
with the Revington kit?  From what I've seen and read about them on-line, they
seem to say all the right things with respect to minimizing bump steer and
adding some Ackerman effect, and it appears to be a very sturdy weld-in
affair.  With my current bare metal frame now would be the time to do it,
however, it is a fairly irreversible step, and here in the NW these kinds of
modifications are typically frowned upon.  It also seems to me that the
geometry and bump steer issues are much a function of ride height, and the
Revington folks appear to be very focused on rally preparation with the
obvious requirement of much more ground clearance than a road course car.

I continue to question the basic need, not to mention the measurable benefit
in terms of lap times.  I'm hearing lots of positive responses from those who
have made conversions with various components, but I'm having a hard time
comprehending how the worm and peg could be quite so bad, especially if it is
maintained.  I'll admit that my prior TR3 racing experience is many years
past, but I don't recall a great revelation in steering when I moved into a
TR4.  Sure, they are hard steering and awkward around the pits, but aren't
most race cars, especially with locked diff's?   It seems to me that the
steering in almost anything gets pretty light when you're going fast, so the
question becomes are you steering or herding?  I'm also a strong believer that
one learns to drive around most of this kind of stuff anyway, realizing that
may not be the fastest approach, but I try to remember that we are talking
vintage here.

I think I remember Hardy having added a TR4 rack to his TR3, based on the same
logic as Joe B., i.e. the cars are on the same page of the SCCA PCS book,
although I'm sure that came about in a much later edition than the usual 1969
cutoff date for most vintage rules.  If you are listening Hardy, maybe you
could chime in on this.  As Damdinger said however, every such change just
makes it that much less of a TR3.

On the fence in Oregon,

Dave Talbott

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