how to calculate steering lock and steering ratios

[malks]

hi does someone know the basics of how this works,its got me bamboozled at the moment,and could you explain in simple laymans terms,if you have the steering wheel set at say 540 degrees what would the equivalent be in the wheel lock i know this probably varies from car to car,is there anywhere i can find charts to show all the different race car values, tried searching on the net but to no avail,probably just not putting in the proper description to find what im looking for,

hope you can make head and sense of all this
maybe i should have posted this question in the virtual racing part of the forum

regards Malks,

[GORDON STREETER]

I can't see that there can be a definitive answer.
Having driven all sorts of cars in the last 45 plus years and made all sorts of permutations of racks/steering boxes on various projects they have all worked once things like bump steer have been eradicated.
Taken to the extreme an F1 car has very little movement at the wheel compared to a 1910 veteran road car.
Before power steering was the norm a bigger steering wheel was all that could be done to reduce steering input when a higher ratio was fitted.

[malks]

ok thanks for your reply,
maybe i should have explained a little better also,hence i maybe should have posted this in virtual racers,when in simulation racing my wheel turns more than the virtual car steering wheel,kinda distracting i would say,i would like my wheel to be turning the same amount of degrees as the wheel in the simulation to judge steering better especially when it comes to corners and hairpins,can anybody throw some light on this or maybe even move this post to the virtual racers section
cheers Malks.

[cheapracer]

Originally Posted by GORDON STREETER

Before power steering was the norm a bigger steering wheel was all that could be done to reduce steering input when a higher ratio was fitted.

Scrub radius, caster, kpi and tyre pressures all play a major part in steering effort.

malks, there is no answer to your question, it is totally dependent on steering arm length and steering box/rack travel per 360 degrees among many other factors (car weight, use, tyre sizes...) but if you want something loose (very loose!) to work with then 3 turns (steering wheel) for 60 degrees (total wheel angle travel) on a road car, 2 turns for 60 degrees on a competition car (ie; 1 turn for 30 degrees on open wheelers).

[dtype38]

Originally Posted by malks

............... i maybe should have posted this in virtual racers,when in simulation racing my wheel turns more than the virtual car steering wheel,kinda distracting i would say,i would like my wheel to be turning the same amount of degrees as the wheel in the simulation to judge steering better .........

Having played a few simulators I understand your issue. Sometimes matching the visual to your wheel is a simple case of adjusting the steering sensitivity in the simulator setup, but this isn't always adjustable. You may well get better advice on that in the Virtual Racer forum.

Going back to a rule of thumb for the steering input angle. Might I suggest that regardless of the type of car, or lock-to-lock figure, you should set up to get round the tightest hairpin at a steering input of no nore than say +/- 150-180deg from centred (300-360 deg total). This means you never have to let go of the wheel. With that as a base, setting up for less input will reduce the amount of work you do, but will make the steering less sensitive to small inputs, the choice is yours.

If all else fails, you could always use a bonnet view position so that you can't see the wheel on screen!

[malks]

Thanks for the replies guys,all very appreciated,i know the bonnet view seems like the obvious solution,but for me anyway i prefer cockpit view,seems more immersive,sure youll know what i mean,with you doing sim racing yourself
anyway guys thanks again cheers for now

malks.

[dtype38]

Originally Posted by malks

......but for me anyway i prefer cockpit view,seems more immersive,sure youll know what i mean,with you doing sim racing yourself.......

I know exactly what you mean, but it's not as simple as that. When you are racing a closed car for real you don't really "see" the inside of the car at all. Your attention is so focused on the track ahead that you aren't actually aware of the the car except for your key instruments. These you either glance at regularly or just keep track of in your periferal vision. You certainly don't "see" your steering wheel or the A-pillars, you simply see past them. Personally I find the most realistic "simulation view" of what it's like actually to go racing is a bonnet view cam the the instruments as a "head up" display. Besides which, I defy anyone who uses an in-car view to do a simulator drive through the mountain section of Bathurst in a saloon and have any idea where the corners are!

[Notso Swift]

I agree, but then I defy anyone who hasn't been there to actually understand how any of that track works! (From Skyline on is nothing like you expect from TV.. actually from the Cutting all the way through to the elbow!!)
I don't care how fancy an F1 simulator is nothing can prepare you for the steepness and how it effects weight transfer of a vehicle
I am sure the Corkscrew at Lugna Seca or 100 other corners are the same