-=Mr B=-

I am sure there is a proper term for this, but as i don't know it, i improvised.

So, what i'm looking for is a way to make certain movement on the steering wheel translate to a larger directional change, decreasing the count of "end to end" turns on the steering wheel.

Is there anything in the area, that doesn't take a complete rebuild of the front end of the car?

set2748

do you just want a more responsive car? you could upgrade the shocks and some other suspension parts. or put in alot of research for power steering ratios and other makes and models to transplant.
but a firmer front end would probably be the cheapest

-=Mr B=-

Already got a coilover kit in the works. It wont be here until June/July, or, if i can strike a deal with a Swedish retailer that wont stock, but can order Tein's for me, sometime August.
I'm getting Flex Z, with the EDFCII controller, and stepper motors to adjust dampening factor. Should make it somewhat comfy when the *** factor is counted, and stiffer when i want the better traction, and be easy to swap between presets.

But what i'm looking for "here" is something that would decrease the "end to end" turning of the steering wheel, while maintaining the same actual turning of the wheels.

I'm assuming things, even tho i know you shouldn't, but it feels fairly certain someone has already thought about this, and possibly shared their efforts with the forum, and I'm just not finding it here, nor on Google, since i lack the right search terms.
Since we share some, or even a lot, of parts with the Evo's, old, and new, i was hoping someone could point me straight at a suitable match, that would be a fairly easy swap in, and not impossible to get a hold of.
Yes, that IS wishful thinking.

c08

I have seen some threads discussing swapping the steering rack (and maybe PS pump too) from an evo into a ralliart, but I'm not sure that anyone ever actually confirmed that it would fit or what would need to be done to make it work.

-=Mr B=-

Great. No real info to be had then. I did run with the new info you provided. Steering rack, EVO X, and Ralliart on Google gave me this thread. I assume this was at least one of the threads you saw. I cant really find anything else, but then again, i'm not really even sure what i'm looking for, so i guess it's a language deficiency. Knowing enough to ask the right questions helps, a lot. I don't, so i'm sort of fumbling in the dark.

Thank you so much for your input, even if it didn't exactly accelerated me head first in to an answer. I sent TheNEWB a PM, hoping he gets emails on PM's sent to him, and asking if he has anything to share. He hasn't been here for "a while", so who knows, he might have given up on it all, never completing it. But it is at this point my best option.

c08

Yeah that thread is one of the ones that I saw. Unfortunately nothing definitive in there (or anywhere else that I've seen). Let us know anything you find though, it would be really good to know.

-=Mr B=-

Yeah. I started out e-mailing a few "used parts" dealers that have the EvoX steering rack asking if they could be bothered to take a few measurements for me. They are asking a large lump of cash for it, so if they want to sell, they should be willing to take measurements. Then i just have to be a bit sneaky about it, and email someone with a Ralliart steering rack, and ask for the same thing.
Measurements with, and without the "rods" on the end.
That way, we "should" be able to find out if something fits, or not.

That is, if anyone answers, at all.

-=Mr B=-

Small update. Got some measurements for the EvoX rack.

Now i need to find someone that has a Ralliart rack i can get the same measurements from. So far, i haven't been able to find anyone with one on the shelf, and taking the measurements on my car might turn out to be a lot less exact then one would want.

Oh, wow, the forum really suffers with images. I haven't seen images load in row by row in years.
For that reason...
Red line, 140, green line, 120, both in cm.

RalliFast

iTrader: (1)

That all seems quite complicated.... Wouldn't it be easier to just make the steering wheel smaller? Would that work and not ruin your turning circle cause an EVO rack will if it's prevent possible to fit it to an RA.

-=Mr B=-

Big or small, the steering wheel still has to move exactly as far to make the same turn.

Also, i'm not sure how you figure the EvoX steering rack would ruin the turning circle. Care to elaborate?

c08

The Evo has a larger turning radius than the Ralliart, and the steering rack is probably partially involved in that (along with wider track, longer wheel base, other steering components, etc.). So if you switch to the Evo steering rack your turning radius will likely grow, although it's probably impossible to know by how much.

-=Mr B=-

So basically, one has to work out how much travel a turn on the steering-wheel gives to a spindle, to find out if the difference in lock to lock alone is responsible for the wider turning circle, or, if there actually is a higher "turn to travel" in the rack. Ideally they travel exactly as far, and the difference in turning circle comes from the spindle arm being longer on the EvoX to give it more leverage. Craptastic.
I wonder what the odds are that i can find a EvoX on a scrap-yard i could take the measurements from. It's not like i know anyone who has one i can hoist on my lift, and start looking around at.

Wish Mitsubishi would be more helpful when one asks questions like this... Oh well. Doubt any other brand is more willing to "advice" on topics like this, since it basically means your turning the car in to something it was never meant to be and the "whole vehicle type approval" at that point pretty much is voided. But then again, tuning it does the same thing. Hell, running a combination of rim and tyre that gives you the exact same size wheels as it's certified for, still voids it.
("whole vehicle type approval" might be something we only have over here? I couldn't find a good translation, so i let Google translate improvise.)

Anyway, i'm going to have to poke more at this, but i'm not exactly in a hurry.
Thank you guys for your input. And for making me aware that the difference in lock to lock might just be that the steering rack is set up for shorter travel. In that case this is a dead end, and something else has to be done to archive the same goal. If at all possible without rebuilding the whole car.

RalliFast

iTrader: (1)

A smaller wheel means you have more steering input with less change in steering... It's like changing one of the gears in a rack and pinion steering but it's the gear in your hand which is the first or last "steering" "gear ratio".

I rememeber my '65 Impala with a pizza for a wheel it was like driving a bus until I put on a smaller wheel, the lock to lock is the same amount of rotation but the amount of rotation you have to do is tighter so less distance, hence faster steering though it will be a little stiffer (harder to turn the wheel).

-=Mr B=-

Look. If you grab the wheel up top, dead center, and turn it 90 degrees either way, you have turned the steering wheel, and affected the wheels, just as much, regardless of if your steering wheel is 5cm, or 50 cm wide. I want to do more "work", so to speak, change the steering angle more, on this 90 degree turn. The steering wheel feels fine, i'm more then happy with the size, where it sits, and the color. Ok, the color is boring, but it's black, so it just works.
Anyway... No, changing the size of the wheel isn't the solution. I want more response when i turn the wheel.

RalliFast

iTrader: (1)

No offence Mr.B but I don't think you get what I'm trying to say, there is tiny to no chance at all that the steering components from what is eccentially a completely different car will fit, especially since the EVO has a wider track it stands to reason the steering rack would also be wider... Just trying to keep things in the realm of real and possible.