Explain with sketches effect of steering geometry on vehicle performance.
The performance of vehicle is affected by steering geometry as turning ability . maneuverability , stability etc.
The effects are due to change in the steering geomentry parameters like trail, cater angle or rack angle .
Effect of trail:
Increasing the trail to increase the restoring force and correcting torque on the wheels results diminishing turning ability.
Effects of rack angle or caster angle:
Increased rack angle with sufficient amount of trail tends to increase the straight line ability. Increased rack angle with small trail adversely affects the straight line ability. It reduces the caster effect by affecting trail. Tendency of dropping of steering head also increases with larger rack angles