If you can say anything about VW affectionados, it's that we're willing to try just about anything to make our cars the very best that they can be. One area that can definately use improvment is the steering. Simply put, it just isn't strong enough to handle the abuse of hard core off-roading. When you lean on the stock box hard , (with big tires and performance driving) it's weakness quickly becomes apparent. The worm and roller design with its 15:1 (aprox. 2 3/4 turns lock to lock) ratio, will pound out indentations in the worm gear, leaving you with jerky, and unsafe steering. The stock Tie Rods fare even worse. Thier small diameter and "long-short" design will quickly bend when put under the loads generated by a 7.00x15 off-road, teaving you severly toed in or out.

The Porsche ZF steering box from the 356 series was tried and used successfully, but it's very expensive, and nearly impossible to find parts for today. GM Sagnaw boxes have been adapted as well, and are nearly bulletproof, but are a nightmare to set up, and give incredible amounts of "bump steer*" if you don't have the geometry right.

*Bump steer is the change of toe in / out as the suspension moves through its arc. If you hit a bump and the car darts left or right, thats bump steer.

Before throwing your arms up in frustration, there is perhaps the best option of all. Rack and Pinion steering. R&P has many advantages for the off-roader; ease of mounting, rugged durability, and simplicity of design, to name a few. For the racer or high performance driver, the use of equal length tie rods (far stronger than the stock 1 long-1short configuration), and a "center steer" placement, allows for maximum wheel travel, with minimal "bump steer".

"The Wright Place" in El Cajon CA., offers a wide variety of suspension components to the off-road racing community, including Trailing Arms and Racing Spindles, they are probably best known for the HD Rack & Pinion unit that has fit the bill for many racers and hard core off-roaders alike. The unit is in use on everything from street driven Baja bugs, to Class 5-1600's to Class 10's and is a favorite to many. It has withstood the tortures of Baja and other courses time and time again, and keeps coming back for more.

The Wright R&P is available in 3 ratios. 1.5 to 1, 1-1/8 to 1, and 1 to 1. Of the 3, Wright recommended the 1.5 to 1 ratio for our application. While the slowest of the 3, it is still consideribly quicker than stock, and is the best option (of the 3) when power assist is not going to be used.

The R&P is available sized for either 3/4 ton Ford, or 1 ton International tie rod ends, but for the ultimate in tie rod articulation, kits are available to convert the R&P and HD (aluminum or chromoly) tie rods to Hiem Joints. In either case, the "International" sized R&P makes for a beefier set up. For our application, we used the 1 ton International Rod ends, mated to Aircraft aluminum Tie rods. This set up is in wide use on SCORE / FUD ect. 5-1600 and 1/2-1600 cars, and has proven to be a tough combination.

With its T-356 aluminum housing, hardened rack and pinion gears, and steel thrust plate, the unit is constructed to exacting tolerances which give it it's legendary reliability. An easy access zirk fitting leaves you with no excuse to skimp on lubrication, and replaceable We added the Wright R&P to a beam that had already been set up for it's use, so our installation was easier than it would normally have been. The usual method involves positioning the mounting plate/R&P/tie rods, measuring "toe in", tack welding, cycling the suspension , re measuring and repeating the process, until "bump steer" is 1/8 in. or less. With the plate in the proper position, we had only to taper ream the spindles* to accept International 1 ton tie rod ends. (reinforcing the spindles is highly recommended, as the size of the hole considerably weakens the mount).

*Tapered reams are available from Wright, or any good tool supply house. They are expensive at $55-$75, but absolutly neccacary . You may be money ahead to have your spindles reamed by a machinist. Wright offers this service at minimal charge.

The Wright R&P mounts to the mounting plate with 4 hardened studs. nylon lock nuts are included, but additional thread locking compound is a good idea. For extreme useage, you may consider the use of safety wire. The Tie rods are then bolted into position as normal and keyed. At this point, the R&P itself is installed, but don't forget about your steering column ! The stock system uses a straight shaft, directly mounted to the box, and supported near the wheel ,by the chassis. Since you are now "center steer" you must do things a bit differently.

This is accomplished by a "stub" steering shaft (to which the steering wheel mounts), supported by 2 carrier bearings, and a "cross" shaft (which angles from the drivers seat position to the center mounter R&P unit) with universal joints and couplers. While we had all the proper parts on hand to make the conversion, "The Wright Place" has them all available, and you should order them along with the R&P to save yourself a LOT of headscratching misery. The mounting of the stub shaft is dependant upon your vehicle. For the ORC Rail's "Warrior" chassis, the bearing brackets were welded to a piece of 4x4x1/4 plate and the assembly positioned and affixed to a frame crossmember.

The Cross shaft must be carefully measured, taking coupler and u-joint length into consideration. for our shaft, we re-used the chrome "buggy" steering shaft, cut to proper size, adding a touch of flash. If you are making a shaft from scratch, be sure to use mild or chromoly steel, with .090 wall thickness, or higher. DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES USE Sched.#40 (Black) PIPE ! it will break under shock loading, leaving you without steering.

With the steering wheel bolted up, and couplers fastened,
congratulate yourself on a job well done !

Conclusion

What a difference ! The 1.5 to 1 ratio of the R&P makes things happen "Right now", and to be honest, it takes a bit of getting used to. Once you do however, you will wonder how you ever drove without it. Control of the car has gone up in leaps and bounds, on and off the road. We found that negotiating tight trails became a much easier experience, since the faster rate
box took a lot less input to handle the terrain. Feedback is positive, and you feel every iregularity in the road or on the trail. This is a well known trait of R&P systems, and you should use steering stabilizers (a good idea on any off-road vehicle) to minimize the chance of broken thumbs in rough terrain. We are using a single Rancho RS 5000 with excellent results (although a pair of KYB or Bilstein stabilizers is a more common set-up). Another thing that became immediately evident, was that the addition of the beefy aluminum tie rods and International ends, had put an end to wheel chatter in the corners.

So there you have it. Positive steering, minimal bump steer, stronger components, reliability, ease of maintainance, and a company with a reputation of quality, all in one package. The Wright R&P retails in the neigborhood of $320, but the additional parts for the swap (new rods, ends, and steering components) bring the total conversion into the $600 range. To us, it's more than worth it. The cost to benefits ratio is stacked heavily in favor of the benefits.

If you are in the market to upgrade your steering system,
the Wright HD R&P is money well spent.

The Wright Place
9420 Flinn Springs Lane
El Cajon CA. 92021
Phone: 619-561-4810
Catalog available

It should be noted for clarification, that Wright also builds "Giant" R&P units in both traditional and A-arm models. Additionaly, they build a lightweight sandrail R&P and "Dwarf Car" unit. The R&P reviewed in this article is the original model.