Any of you lowering guys happen to know how the R/T was lowered from the
factory.
I want to lower mine but I want the straight goods on what's going on down
there already.
Ryan K
'99 R/T RC
Gary Pinkley wrote:
> The Western chassis dropped A-Arm does not correct
> bump steer.
>
> Dakotas have bad bump steer when lowered beyond
> 2". This is caused by the angle of the steering tie rods
> with respect to the rack. The factory designs steering
> geometry to cause slight understeer. In this condition,
> the tie rods point slighly downward from the rack at ride
> height. This allows the wheels to point slightly outward
> during cornering. Subjective testing by automakers has
> shown that normal drivers feel more comfortable with
> slight understeer versus oversteer. Slight understeer can
> be corrected by simply lifting off the throttle on a rear wheel
> drive vehicle. This is a natural reaction when your car is
> pushing towards a guard rail. Lowering beyond 2" on a Dak
> angles the tie rod upwards. This gives oversteer, i.e. the
> truck's steering seems to be overly sensitive and twitchy
> when cornering. Also if you encounter a bump during that
> corner, the truck will seem to dart to the inside, seeming
> to change lanes without warning.
>
> As I stated above, the dropped A-Arm DOES NOT correct
> bump steer. The only way to correct bump steer on a lowered
> Dak is to change the angle of the steering tie rod. The dropped
> a-arm only lowers the spring pocket, changing the pre-load on
> the spring, allowing the vehicle to sit lower. Only by relocating
> either the rack (can't be done without major surgery to the Dak)
> or by lowering the outer tie rod ball joint can you return your Dak
> to the factory geometry. Changing the outer tie rod location can
> be accomplished in several ways, all of which require increasing
> the rim diameter above the factory 15" size. You can cast a new
> spindle which has it's steering arm lower than stock, you can try
> to put spacers between the tie rod and the spindle, or install a new
> tie rod end that has a longer stud. Looking at the factory spindle
> with 15" rims, you will see that there is no room to play with the
> vertical height of the ball joint.
>
> Gary Pinkley
> 97 Reg Cab V-6 5 spd
> lowered monochrome red
> 255/50-17 BFG Comp T/A ZR4
> Budnik 17x8 wheels
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