New improved steering! - diffrent Box + less play Late 2023/2024 cars

[Krabby]

I cannot comment on the 2023 trucks as my NAS was built in late Nov. as a MY 2024. That said, the steering is fine and I have had no on-road concerns. Moreover, this past weekend I was off-road on some moderate trails and it performed amazing. No kickback, precise, and properly weighted. Yes, the turn radius sucks and I required shunts on tight turns, but that aside I am quite pleased with the steering - I was running about 22 PSI.

 

[angstorms]

Krabby, I think people forget what it was like to drive old Lincoln or similar GM car with steering wheel engagement combined with floating suspension and long turning radius. Some most fun driving was in friend 1974 T-bird in the snow, what a boat. Modern road cars with electric motor assisted rack and pinion steering has them spoiled. I am looking to adjust to the new steering and move on, plus it mostly going to used in San Juan Mountains trails. So it going mostly slow driving heading down shelf road.

I drive 2020 X5 40i xDrive as daily driver, it what made me comfortable with BMW engine in Grenadier. But I do not expect it to handle nor have the level steering precision of this vehicle especially in Sports Mode, where the car even retune the shocks and stiffen the steering. Most SUV do not reach this level of sport car handling, which is great at speed when driving tight turns in Hill Country of Texas, Hwy550 in New Mexico or run between Gunnison and CB. Also the two vehicles have 1000 LBS delta in weight unloaded you need to drive them differently since they will behave differently.

 

[angstorms]

I still remember blasting around the fire roads in foothills of North County San Diego in CJ6 in the 80's , it had plenty of play in the steering as well, but I could get it to drift though the corners on fire roads, but it also what gave a love of Inline 6, smooth power delivery. Back then I go between CJ6 and Opel GT which was non-assisted rack and pinion. It was fun to adapt to the two vehicles. But I guess we had lot more to think about back then since you had Clutch to engage and Gear to shift as well.

 

[Lord Ripon USA]

I drove a '69 Deuce and a Quarter (Buick Electra 225) for a while. It was a luxo barge. A floating living room with plastic seat covers, and a 6 way power front bench seat. It used up entire lanes just going straight ahead.
With regards to the Grenadier steering box, it certainly could make use of faster steering in the center 20-30 degrees, and then slow it down outside that zone. We did that sort of thing to compete with early rack and pinion systems to allow more time to catch up to the Euro cars in the early 1980's. It gave a more connected, or on center feel, when the taught steering of the european imports was all the rage.
I think the Tahoe Sport my wife had was doing something like that. I never looked.
I don't wrench on stuff like steering boxes anymore.
For most people, the torque on the big nut is miles too high for at home fiddling.

I bought a Jaguar shooting brake with a locked up engine recently, and that's as big a project as I want in the barn.

 

[angstorms]

I drove a '69 Deuce and a Quarter (Buick Electra 225) for a while. It was a luxo barge. A floating living room with plastic seat covers, and a 6 way power front bench seat. It used up entire lanes just going straight ahead.
With regards to the Grenadier steering box, it certainly could make use of faster steering in the center 20-30 degrees, and then slow it down outside that zone. We did that sort of thing to compete with early rack and pinion systems to allow more time to catch up to the Euro cars in the early 1980's. It gave a more connected, or on center feel, when the taught steering of the european imports was all the rage.
I think the Tahoe Sport my wife had was doing something like that. I never looked.
I don't wrench on stuff like steering boxes anymore.
For most people, the torque on the big nut is miles too high for at home fiddling.

I bought a Jaguar shooting brake with a locked up engine recently, and that's as big a project as I want in the barn.

I am sure the steering box can be improved.. Do we know which steering box they are using, It be interesting to see what PSC could do help sort this out.

 

[255/85]

This is not a front ball joint axle, this is not a front swivel ball axle - it's a kingpin. And the reality is there have not been many production vehicles with front kingpin solid axles in the last 30 years. The last mass produced front kingpin axle I can find seems to be a 91 Ford F350.

1993 Dodge W250 and W350 diesel 4X4s were the very last I think. Yep, 30 years ago.

 

[holdmybeer]

An interesting kingpin anecdote ...

 

[Tom109]

Yeah Ford