Craig Perronne
Brand Manager, Dirt Sports & Off Road
After
Before
Steering is one of the most overlooked systems. A new suspension, bigger tires, lockers, and gears are the things at the top of everyone's list. While some wise folks might make steering corrections to accommodate the geometry changes brought on by a lift, few think about upgrading the actual steering components themselves. They don't think about it, that is, until their steering becomes a twisted mess out on the trail.
Such was the situation with our '69 Ford Bronco. We twice mangled our tie rod on a Moab trip, so we knew something had to be done. Knowing that we would just bend a stock setup again, we looked for an alternative. After doing plenty of Web surfing, we finally landed at www.performanceunlimited.com and liked what we saw. Our wimpy stock steering would be replaced with super-stout tubing and rod ends. Even better, this new system would allow us to flip the tie rod to the top of the knuckle to gain valuable clearance. Also, the drag link no longer would mount into the tie rod itself.
Oh, you don't own an early Bronco? That's OK, you're not out of luck. Performance Unlimited can build one of its Bullet Proof steering systems for just about any vehicle, as each setup is custom-made. From trail rigs to cars to snowmobiles, the company can build the steering for your rig as long as you can provide the necessary measurements. So if you are tired of bending your steering and replacing it with weak, stock pieces, you now have a solution to your steering woes.
Playing With Your Toe
Adjusting your rig's toe-in settings is a fairly simple process. Measure from the center of the passenger-side tire to the center of the driver's-side tire on the front of the tires. Then take the same measurement on the back of the tires. Our tires had a bead down the center from when they were made that we used to take consistent measurements. If your tires don't have this then you can use spray paint or chalk to draw a line. The toe is then the difference between the two measurements. We like to run about a 1/4-inch of toe-in.
