Uprated steering damper Q's?

[JD_975]

Cheers muddle, been months since I've been laning so really looking forward to it. I'll update the thread later in the week after I've rechecked everything, hopefully it all just needs bedding in a bit

[Wolfracer]

It was me who told you to slacken the box back off lol, no only adjusted the box once when I first got it nigh on two years ago. It is giving the same symptoms of an over tightened steering box though, hopefully a good work out tomorrow will slacken everything back off, my main concerns was that it was the uprated damper causing the issues

Oh! my bad memory!
I fitted a nice new rancho damper to the 3 litre and it made sod all difference to return to centre. it did however allow me to drive over pot holes and bus/lorry dips in the roads without pulling the truck side to side. Vast inprovement. so much so Ive treated lexy 2 to one as well.

[Wolfracer]

My post on the 3.0 litre's damper
http://www.hiluxsurf.co.uk/showthread.php?t=75448

[JD_975]

Yeah that's pretty much why I'm hoping its not the damper as its cured a lot of problems, especially the speed wobble at higher speeds, I just can't get on with the constant steering corrections and its quite unnerving on the motorway, feels like its driving in elongated semi circles! I'll have a look at the steering box, give it some stick tomorrow and fettle with everything else next week, I think I preferred it when it knocked and banged and felt vague lol

[TonyN]

I've driven trucks with all sorts of steering dampers not noticed it feeling odd, even had double Procomp steering dampers on my pickup.

The angle from the vertical of the upper and lower ball joints mostly does the return to center, (alone with the caster a bit to) cranking the torsion bars and especially using ball joint spacers will alter this.

What did you set the Toe to? When I take trucks up the aligment place after doing lifts they feel twitchy in a straight line with to much toe-out that you get after lifting a truck.

[JD_975]

Cheers Tony, I've set the toe to parallel or 0, neither toe in or out, I'll have a mess again next week and try and get the camber set, will try a little toe in on the tracking, it's possible with the drag from the tyres it's causing a little toe when in drive.

It's just got me because its been lifted for well over a year and everything is set to how it has been since I first did the lift, never previously had a problem.

[MWS]

Hey John. Maybe a bit more toe in, and correct caster angle may help. I know that you have already purchased your steering damper, but for anyone considering one, this might be the way to go. Don't know who makes it ,(suspect it's Aussie) but the self centering spring may be the answer.

[TonyN]

Return to center dampers are a complete PITA, it makes really hard to do any work on the front end that you can't do with the wheels straight ahead.

I hate them!

A properly set up Surf on anything up to 35" tyres dosn't really need them IMO, they are more a gimick unless you are running stupid sized tyres, offroad racing, or hydro assist steering or something like that.

[davec170]

Dial in some toe-in! Mine truck used to do exactly as you describe after rebuilding the front end (including BJ spacers and 33" muds). Tracking had been set at 0°. Once a little toe-in was applied it runs perfectly. Not sure of the exact degree it's set to but distance between the inside edges of the tread blocks is about 10mm less at the front of the wheels than the rear. You do get a lot more bump steer with BJ spacers though.