After you have installed the Steeroids rack and pinion kit, there should not be any ‘Play’ in the steering wheel. This is also referred to as a ‘Dead Zone’ and it takes place when you turn your steering wheel back and forth a slight amount and there is no resistance – the wheels and tires are not responding. This can cause the car to be unresponsive and is a dangerous condition. Usually, people automatically think there is something wrong with the rack unit itself, but the rack is VERY seldom the problem. If you are encountering ‘Play’ in the steering wheel with our kit, follow the steps below.

It might be easiest to have another person help you at first. While the engine is off, have one person turn the wheel back and forth a little bit – but only turn it within the ‘Dead Zone’, not all the way back and forth through the whole travel of the rack. Have another person carefully look through the entire system while this is happening. Usually you will see a place where motion is happening on one end of a component but not on the other. This is a good place to start. Even if you find a problem, it is a good idea to check all of the suggestions below:

1. Check the condition of the forward most steering column bearing. If this bearing is worn out it can cause excessive play in the steering wheel.

2. Download the Installation Instructions for your product and then proceed to step 3 below. If you are not working on a Corvette, go to the applicable tech section for your vehicle and download those instructions.

3. Re-tighten all of the set screws on the u-joint assembly as outlined in step 12 of the installation instructions. If they were not tightened in the correct order or if a bur of metal got under a set screw the u-joint can then get loose on the splined shaft (both at the column and at the pinion shaft on the rack and pinion unit).

4. Double check that the bolts traveling through the center tie rod bracket into the rack are torqued to the correct amount as outlined in the installation instructions.

5. Double check that both your inner and outer tie rod ends do not have any play in them.

6. (Corvette Kits Only) Look at the support bearing where the intermediate shaft between the u-joints passes through the bearing. If there is excessive play in the support bearing, this will translate into play in the steering wheel. (We have different sizes of bearing available and may be able to provide you one with slightly tighter tolerances.) A small amount of play is acceptable, but it should be minimal.

7. If you have checked all of these items and everything is still tight, then you need to see where exactly the play is coming from. Here are some areas to look for warn parts:

   1. The u-joints can get prematurely warn out if they are binding when installed. Remove the entire u-joint assembly and try “twisting” each u-joint to see if there is actually play in the u-joint itself. If there is then the u-joint needs to be replaced – and you need to make sure the new one is installed with out ANY binding. Refer to the installation instructions to learn about installing the u-joints without any binding.

   2. While the u-joint assembly is removed, place a wrench on the pinion shaft of the rack and turn the rack slightly back and forth to see if there is play in the rack itself (this is actually VERY rare for there to be play in the rack. Usually the play is found from other loose or worn parts.) When turning the pinion shaft, look for the movement where the two center bolts pass through the center tie rod bracket into the rack.

   3. After going through these steps if it is determined that there are some replacement parts required, we can get you whatever you need. We have been using Borgeson U-joints for several years now and the only time we have seen them wear out is if they were installed incorrectly and were binding. All of the rack units have been bench tested before they were shipped out, so if there appears to be an issue with the rack we can discuss warranty replacements with you.

NOTES: You will notice that the center tie rod bracket moves on the rack unit. As outlined in the installation instructions, this is normal.

On Corvette Steeroids kits it is acceptable to have a slight amount of play where the intermediate shaft passes through the support bearing. But it should not be flopping around.

It is a common concern if the brackets made for any steering conversion kit are strong enough to handle the appropriate loads. Steeroids rack and pinion kits have steel mounting brackets that are designed to handle loads encountered in normal use with a set of wide tires while turning when the car is at rest (the highest load case). Over the years we have increased the strength of the brackets to the point that the frame rails will flex before our brackets do! These brackets are stress-tested both in our development facility with sensitive deflection tools and out on the race track where we try our hardest to punish these parts to the extreme. We once received some photos of our kit on a customer’s race car after he slid the car off the race track into a curb at a high rate of speed. He did significant damage to the front of the car, but NONE of the Steeroids brackets broke. The rack and all of the brackets were bent severely, but everything was still intact. We were very pleased… With years of experience and testing, plus thousands of these kits on the road from street cruisers to racers, you can be confident that a Steeroids rack and pinion kit will be durable and rugged enough to handle whatever driving style you throw at it.   

What’s with all of this talk about bump steer, and why is it so important? This is a subject that not a lot of people really understand, so people don’t think it is that important. It is if you want to enjoy driving your classic

 Bump steer occurs when a vehicle is moving over rough or uneven surfaces. As the suspension travels up and down, if the tie rods on the steering unit are not traveling at exactly the same radius as the suspension, it will cause the car to toe in and toe out as the suspension travels. Because the alignment of the car is changing over rough surfaces the car becomes very darty and wanders. This in not fun and can become dangerous in many situations. All Steeroids rack and pinion kits include adjustable tie rod ends so that you can make sure the tie rods are parallel with the lower control arms, ensuring they travel the same radius as the suspension. This keeps the car’s alignment where it needs to be over all surfaces, making your car not only steer better but actually making it fun to drive!

Addressing the Steering Feel with Steeroids Kits

Many factors can affect the way the steering feels. Many words can describe how the feel is, but this section is mostly covering how much resistance there is in the steering wheel. If you have play, or a dead spot where there is no response at the wheels when rotating the steering wheel, go back to the Steeroids – Addressing Play in the Wheel section. This section talks about the amount of resistance or the amount of effort that is required to turn the steering wheel. Again, there are several factors to consider, so please read carefully.

Pump Pressure & Volume

All of the Steeroids rack and pinion conversion kits are designed to work with the stock power steering pump. More questions arise when people are not using the stock power steering pump, or their stock pump has been rebuilt. Our racks can handle anywhere from 800-1400 psi. Usually the higher the pressure the pump puts out, the easier it is to turn the steering wheel (less resistance). If you have lower pressure there is usually more resistance in the steering wheel. We prefer running in the 900-1200 range, but that is also up to the driver’s personal preference and the alignment settings (more caster = more resistance in the steering wheel). If you have a stock pump that has been rebuilt and is putting out more pressure than desired, we do offer pressure reduction kits for GM Saginaw pumps.

The pump cannot have a max volume exceeding 2 gallons per minute UNLESS you have a system (such as Hydroboost braking systems) that includes an additional amount of fluid over the stock amount. Why? If you run just from the pump to the rack, then back to the pump, excessive heat is the enemy. Any more than 2 gallons per minute could damage the rack. Systems with additional fluid and routing allow the fluid to cool, allowing some pumps with higher outputs. Unfortunately, higher output pumps may result in slightly less resistance in the steering wheel. This, of course, is a matter of preference for the driver.

Steering Feel Too Sensitive

Steering feel can be described in two different ways, so the main thing we need to do is determine what “too sensitive” means, and then work to fix it. Please see the two different instances below:

1. If the steering wheel is too easy to rotate (no resistance in the steering wheel), start here: If the steering wheel spins easily and it feels like there is no resistance in the wheel, there are different adjustments that can be made to add stiffness, or road-feel, back in to the steering. First of all, make sure the car has been properly aligned TO OUR RECOMMENDATIONS. If the car was aligned to the factory alignment settings the car will feel light and darty with a tendency to wander. Be sure to set to the following alignment recommendations: 

• Camber: Between zero and .25 negative

• Caster: As much positive caster as possible (usually between 2.5 and 4.75

• Toe: Between zero and 1/8 inch toe in

Alignment is the first thing to check. If the alignment has been set to our recommendations and the wheel still does not have the resistance required, it can be caused by remanufactured power steering pumps putting out more pressure than preferred for the rack unit. Reducing pump pressure to about 900-1000psi will help increase the resistance in the steering wheel. If you have a GM Saginaw pump we have pressure reduction kits that you can use to lower the pressure on your pump just click here.

1. If the steering wheel is too responsive due to the quick ratio (small amount of steering input results in dramatic turning, for example, you change lanes when barely touching the steering wheel), start here: The rack units that we provide with our Steeroids™ kits are quick ratio racks that were used in multiple GM performance cars. Honestly, it can take some getting used to! We recommend driving the car for a good hour or so to get used to the feel of the kit. Once you are used to it, we are confident that you will enjoy the fun responsiveness of the quick ratio rack. However, some people would just rather not have the quick ratio. If that is the case, we do have slow ratio racks available that will slow down the steering responsiveness (taking the steering from 2.5 turns lock to lock to 3 turns lock to lock). We can swap the rack out without having to replace any brackets or any other part of the kit.

Steering Feel Too Hard

Begin buy determining when the steering effort is heavy. If you increase the rpm from idle to about 1500 rpm does the power assist work? Is the steering effort too heavy all the time, regardless of engine speed or vehicle speed? Is there any associated power steering pump noises such as groaning or whining? If the lack of power assist is only at idle then the your options are to:

• Increase the engine idle speed

• Increase the speed that the pump rotates at by either increasing the diameter of the crank pulley or decreasing the diameter of the pump pulley

• Check the reservoir while the engine is running to see if fluid circulates. The fluid level should change slightly when the steering is moved

• Check for kinked or collapsed lines and be sure there are no blockages in any of the lines

• If the power steering pump is older it is often the case that when a rack & pinion unit is connected than it will start to whine or prove to be inadequate even though it was working fine with the old steering.

Steeroids rack and pinion kits clear most aftermarket headers and oil pans. But there are some that do not work, and we try to keep track of all of them out there that might cause problems. To view header information, see our page on Header Compatibility.

All of the Steeroids rack and pinion conversion kits are designed to work with the stock power steering pump. More questions arise when people are not using the stock power steering pump, or their stock pump has been rebuilt. Our racks can handle anywhere from 800-1400 psi. Usually, the higher the pressure the pump puts out, the easier it is to turn the steering wheel (less resistance). If you have lower pressure there is usually more resistance in the steering wheel. We prefer running in the 900-1200 range, but that is also up to the driver’s personal preference and the alignment settings (more caster = more resistance in the steering wheel). If you have a stock pump that has been rebuilt and is putting out more pressure than desired, we do offer pressure reduction kits for GM Saginaw pumps.

Our Racks

Steeroids rack and pinion steering conversion kits utilize remanufactured rack and pinion units. All of these racks are sand blasted and repainted, have new boots, seals and internal parts and then bench tested to make sure everything is working like new. Rack units do not have many wearable parts – and all parts that are wearable are replaced with new parts so that you can be sure you will have a rack that works. Though these racks may have some external blemishes, you can rest assured that the internals are new and bench tested before they ship out.

We opted to go with refurbished rack and pinion units for several reasons, but mainly because:

• The cost is kept down to an affordable amount. With new, custom racks the cost of the kit would increase significantly.

• Using remanufactured racks we know they are proven (GM sold literally hundreds of thousands of them) so they are reliable and they will have replacement parts available down the road should you need them.

• The racks that we require are not available new, only refurbished.

• Note: Colors and finishes may vary as we use different rack suppliers.

Turning Radius: With SOME of the Steeroids rack and pinion kits, there is a slight loss in turning radius from the stock, but most of our customers have told us it is an insignificant amount. Navigating parking spots is not a problem with our kit. You can expect to gain about 6 feet when measuring the full diameter.

Running Power Kits Manually

We do not recommend running the power racks manually. You can do it to move it around a shop, but we do not recommend driving them this way. There is a chance residual fluid can remain inside of the rack and clog the valves causing what is called a pressure lock, where the steering wheel locks up under quick rotations of the steering wheel.

Fluid

We do not recommend synthetic fluid in the rack unit until the break-in period is over, usually around 1000 miles.

U-joint binding is a question that commonly comes up. Is it hard to properly adjust the u-joints so that they are smooth and do not bind? Steeroids kits have continuously improved over the years to ensure that adjusting the U-joint assembly is an easy, straight forward task. Over the last few years, we have redesigned the mounting brackets to allow for more adjustment for the u-joint assembly to prevent binding. We have also improved our installation instructions so that there are photos and numerous different methods to achieve proper adjustment. And once everything is properly adjusted, the u-joints should last the life of the car!

Steering Boxes

A steering box system has serious, inherent, technical limitations that can not be corrected by just a steering system rebuild. (See associated article on turns lock to lock, steering feel, & steering feedback) Even when your car was new the steering box did not provide either the proper steering ratio, feel on-center feel, or feedback that has become the hallmark of a modern rack and pinion steering system. There are just too many parts and joints between you and the road and all that add up to slop and poor feel. It is truly dated old technology.

We now take for granted how a modern car should feel based on the fact that most newer vehicles have rack and pinion steering. Driving our classic convinces us that something has drastically changed in steering technology since the car was designed. This can be fixed with an upgrade and maybe its time to consider modernizing something as critical as your car steering. That leads to the question: Rebuild the old dated technology that was not very good off the showroom floor, or upgrade to modern rack and pinion, get that new car feel and shed some weight in the process? Neither path is inexpensive, but the upgrade path leads to noticeable improvements not possible with a steering box system rebuild.

To help illustrate here is a list of parts you would need to rebuild the steering box system using the C2 or C3 Corvette as an example. This rebuild includes those that will also give you bump steer adjustment (comes standard with a Steeroids kit):

• Power Steering Valve To Pump Return Hose

• Power Steering Control Valve To Extension Cylinder Hose 

• Power Steering Control Valve To Retract Cylinder Hose 

• Power Steering Pump To Control Valve Inlet Hose 

• Power Steering Cylinder 

• Power Steering Relay Rod 

• Steering Column Rag Joint
  

• Idler Arm
  

• Tie Rod End, Right Inner/Left Outer 

• Tie Rod End, Right Outer/Left Inner 

• Steering Cylinder Support Grommet 

• Power Steering Cylinder Grommet Spacer 

• Power Steering Control Valve 

• Steering Gear Box 

• Anti-Bump Steer Kit 

Wow! Now compare this to installing a new Steeroids rack and pinion conversion. As you can see it starts to make a rack and pinion conversion look more appealing.

Rebuilding is time consuming, expensive and the result is the same old technology “refreshed”. Fortunately the rack and pinion option is an upgrade that can bring your car up to date to meet your expectations for a positive, accurate, great feeling steering system!

Benefits of a rack and pinion conversion:

• Truly a modification that is really gratifying; you can easily feel the results; it makes your car fun to drive.

• Vastly improved handling that technically is not possible with outdated steering boxes.

• Tames the beast – makes the car more drivable and fun to be in.

• Modernization of your classics steering to take advantage of a superior and newer technology.

• Improves your competitive advantage if you road race or auto-cross.

• A Steeroids rack and pinion conversion is easy to install and will give you the ability to easily return the car to factory stock steering if necessary. Some kits like Steeroids offer no drilling, welding, cutting whatsoever. (Investigate before you buy!!)

• Enhances the vehicles resale value.