Turning circle

[Rick Fischer]

Old question

How many turns in on the Defender steering stops can I go in to reduce turning circle?

Cheers

RF

[tequesta]

Did 3 turns on a MY12 Puma D90, no rubbing on stock MTRs

[VladTepes]

Land Rover Defender - turning circles.

90: Disproportionately large.
110: Onerous.
130: Ridiculous.

[Don 130]

Does alteration of the stops to improve TC cause accelerated wear of the steering components?

[Jeff]

I fitted -25 offset rims and it made the turning circle smaller without adjusting the steering stops. I don't use them all the time but it is noticeable.

Jeff

[Bush65]

Does alteration of the stops to improve TC cause accelerated wear of the steering components?

Probably not that you would notice.

Apart from larger tyres rubbing the trailing arms, if all else was OK the cv's are the limiting consideration on how far the hubs can be turned. The balls get too close to the weak zone near the edge of the inner "star" or outer "bell".

Even when the stops are not adjusted for more lock you need to be careful on the accelerator reversing uphill on full lock. With a load it is prudent not to use full lock when reversing up hill.

[Don 130]

Thanks John, I'd love some more lock (I've got the standard 130 rims) but don't want to pay with worn out bits. Any Idea how much I can safely go?
Don.

[Bush65]

I don't know what wheels and tyres you have.

Lift the axle onto stands so the tyres are just clear of the ground.

While the steering is turned to full lock one way (i.e. against the stops), spin the wheel and it should be completely smooth with no feeling of vibration or roughness coming from the cv joint.

Turn to the opposite lock and repeat.

You are getting the feel for what is normal.

Adjust the stops and turn the steering to full lock and repeat the above test both ways.

If it still feels nice and smooth, adjust some more.

Back out the adjustment if the tyre rubs on the radius arms or if you detect any sign of roughness from the cv.

Note if the cv is worn the roughness may be due to it rotating further onto the wear steps. This can be fixed by "blue printing" the cv's but that is for another thread.

If you have managed to gain significantly more lock, you may find the tyre will rub on the radius arms when the suspension is not at normal ride height i.e. a wheel pushed up, or drooped due to the uneven track surface. If you don't like the tyre rubbing (noise or possibly feel through steering, back the stops out a bit next chance you have.

Also try to avoid using full lock when reversing up hill as per my previous post.

Edit I see you have standard wheels I was just worried you might have wheels with more negative offset and with standard tyres. One reason people change to wheels with more negative offset is so they don't have to back out the stops and loose turning circle because larger tyres rub on the radius arms.