[TR] [Spits] GT6 Bump Steer

[Skip Gurnee]

Bob Berger wrote:
> Ok, I'm confused, exactly what happens when your car has a "bump steer"
> problem?  Is this when the steering wheel is jerked out of my hands when I
> hit a pot hole?  Or is it too subtle of a problem on a street car to even
> describe what happens.
>
I bought a book some years ago entitled "How to Make Your Car Handle" by
Fred Puhn.  He dedicates several pages to bump steer, including the
following:
    "Adjusting bump steer is an advanced suspension-tuning technique and
often makes the     difference between average and outstanding handling....
Bump steer is the change in         toe setting as the wheels move up and
down."
The book describes an inexpensive way to check and adjust bump steer without
fancy tools, in your own garage.  I did it, and found the adjustments were
easy, involving shims under the steering rack mounts.  It took less than an
hour to build the gauge (two sheets of plywood and a piano hinge plus two
nails), and a few hours to do the job, including removing springs so the
suspension could be moved up and down.
If you can find the book, buy it.  It's got lots of good information and
PICTURES so even I can understand, including a TR6 showing lots of body roll
in a slalom, a Spitfire showing the rear wheels tucking in under hard
braking, and another Spitfire leading a Mini at Riverside.
Best,
Skip Gurnee
64 TR4
65 TR4A
70 TVR