I have a 90 T/A and read somewhere about a piece to tighten up the steering response but now I can't find it anywhere. I think the going price was around $40 or so. Anyone got any ideas on what I'm talking about?

 

You may be thinking about the rag joint eliminator. This is a solid unit versus the stock rag joint.

 

You may be talking about the Wonderbar (aka a steering box brace), which was OE on IROC's only. It was a Bandaid used to strengthen that area for car's with 16" wheels. A desirable piece for that reason alone, but I doubt you'll feel any significant difference in steering response.

JamesC

 

actually i think it was the wonderbar that i read about, but if it's not worth it then i won't bother. i'll look into the rag joint eliminator though. i've also been looking at getting a quick ratio steering gear box but that seems like a lot of money to spend just to tighten it up a little.

 

Don't do the rag joint eliminator. That rag joint is supposed to be there. If you eliminate it, you'll cause a spot in the steering to bind. At least from what I've read.
You could check and replace the bushings in the steering, get the wonder bar, replace the steering box, and look into replacing the linkages in the steering column. This will help you with response.

 

I've been reading the same thing. I think I'll just replace it with a new one I mean it is 18 years old. Also subframe connectors are on my to do list, so after that, the new rag joint, and then a wonderbar I'll see how the response is. Once I get my packet from Pontiac Restoration Services then I'll have my RPO codes so I can know what suspension I have then I can order new greasable polyurethane bushings as well. I think just those together should not only tighten up the steering a little but the whole car.

 

Well, a 90 T/A should have the same WS6 suspension that I have, i believe. Do your wheels say WS6 on the center cap, or do you have a "performance suspension" badge on your dash board above the passenger knee area? Also, your RPO codes should be in the center console compartment; mine are. If your car is so much modified by a previous owner that you cant tell what RPO's or suspension you have, I would be hesitant to use the info from a piece of paper to tell me what is underneath. These cars are some of the most commonly modified cars on earth, so be careful.

Another thing to consider, is that if you do in fact have the WS6 suspension, you should have the tight ratio steering that the IROC's got too. You can tell by turning the wheel all the way to the left, then count how many times it goes around before it hits the opposite stop. It should be about 2.5 times i believe, more or less, for the better steering.

 

The BEST thing you can do...and the first step you should do...is inspect and replace your steering components. You might have a teeny tiny bit of slop in the tie rods...and one wouldnt matter, but when you add them all up, it equals less responsive handling.

Spohn sells a pretty nice package that will let you re-build your entire front end. Tie rods, center link, ball joints, his solid adjusters and the idler arm... The price isnt bad for all that stuff either. Atleast I dont think its bad... You'll notice a difference if you do all that. Toss in new sway bar bracket bushings and end links also.



With front struts, you'll notice the struts being worn also. Any and all of that can combine to make things loose on ya. The rag joint can too I guess... And you can eliminate it if you wanted. People do it all the time. They upgrade to the astro van steering link which just has two u-joints. just like the 4th gen steering shafts. Rebuilding the rag joint is the easiest way to elminate that as a source for slop. I like the idea of the wonder bar... The unibody lends itself to shifts and movements everywhere on the chassis. And anything to tie it all together is good in my opinion. Plus its only $40.

When I built my car two summers ago, I replaced every bushing, steering part, put eibach springs on, and bilstein shocks/struts with a wonder bar. Wow what a difference. Car felt 100% different...it probably equals the LS1 I put in as far as bang for the buck improvement.

J.

 

I have a question for ghettocruiser...

Spohn doesnt say if those are stock replacement, just that they are better than stock. My question is, what makes them better than stock? Is it just the fact that they are new pieces? Do you happen to know?

 

the Moogs are made with tighter quality control and better materials.

 

Where have you heard that? I used it on my car and it seems fine.

 

Yup. They are just a better quality part in my opinion. Plus just putting fresh parts on will make a huge difference. I didnt use the spohn kit. I got the solid adjusters, but that was it. The ONLY reason I didnt, was because I get a hefty discount at two of my parts stores. Otherwise I would have nabbed them. The solid adjusters are nice...not sure if they offer a performance gain, but adjusting the tie rods is easier in my opinion. I thought the price was pretty good after adding up the parts at my local stores without my discount.

J.

 

Several people have said they noticed a "flat" spot in the steering when using a solid eliminator for the rag joint. Its slight, but its there. When I built my car, I was trying to make the 4th gen shaft work with the two u-joints. Just didnt feel like messing with it. This time around I might though. Or find an astro shaft and make it work. One or the other.

I dont mind having the rag joint though... Doesnt seem to be causing any steering issues on my 87. As long as its not busted or real sloppy.

J.

 

Turn the wheel sooner & faster.

 

Well that was a waste of bandwidth now wasn't it...

Here's a few links you may want to look over SovereignDragon. For the sake of knowledge.
Link

Link

Link

Link

I remember reading in a magazine a few years back, about a "steering accelerator" that was just two gears in a housing. It was for off-road use only, and to be honest, it didn't look like a piece I would want my life depending on.

And lastly, finding these parts appears to be no easy task.
Here's
One I found, but be warned, it's a billet 12:1 ratio steering box, and is probably going to run a few hundred dollars.

As the previous posters have recommended, simply replacing the existing parts with new quality parts, will greatly increase performance.

One way to see where the "slop" is coming from is to get both front ties in the air, and have a buddy bounce the steering wheel back and forth, not enough to turn the tires, just until he can feel resistance. As he's doing this, you look under the hood, at the steering shaft, looking for any "loose" appearing parts. Then get under it, and look for the same thing, at all your connections. Anywhere you see parts flexing, but not turning the next component, is something you could improve.

I recently replaced the struts, idler arm, center drag link, tie rods and sleeves, and the ball joints on mine. I have the "non-performance" suspension on my RS, but I have to tell you, it still makes a world of difference, to just have new parts.

I sure hope I didn't just type all this out for nothing...

 

Yes, yes it was, thank you for noticing. This also is. I'm glad you noticed.

 

You can also tighten your steering a little by tightening the steering box. Theres an allen socket on the top of the box with a locking nut. Turn the key on the on position, loosen the lock nut, then wiggle your wheel a lil back & forth youll see your front wheels move, turn the allen head til you feel & see them moving quicker with your steering wheel. Usually there is some play with your steering box, you can tighten it up a lil jus by doing that. As for a wonder bar & a strut brace yes those also help in a big way. Also you wanna make sure the rest of your front suspension is in good shape, doing all this & adding stuff is worthless if your front end is shot.

 

Be careful about tightening the adjuster nut on top of the box. The boxes I've looked at that needed adjustment of the top nut also required tightening of the plug at the input shaft. Adjusting the top nut without first obtaining the proper pre-load on the input plug can lead to some funky steering action.

It's best to bench adjust it with it drained of fluid. There's a tech article on montecarloss that describes the procedure.

 

True, but I don't think a 1/4 turn or so would do much. I did mines on all my cars, so far so good....hhehe. Yeah those steering boxes are pretty heavy, so wear steel toes...lol

 

Turning the preload screw on the box can help... However its a sign that things are becoming worn inside the box. The only thing things Ive seen go wrong with doing this are steering that is TOO tight and has snags. And Ive seen it burn up box and accelerate the wear to the point where it gets super sloppy.

People do it often...Ide just go conservative on that if you are going to try it...


J.