Thread: Rear End Steer
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Old 01-11-2012, 02:47 PM
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Location: Lions Bay, BC
Cobra Make, Engine: CAN-AM cobra, 460 SVO
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from a Car craft article: Rear Suspensions and Increased Traction- Car Craft Magazine

The Application of Power

When power is applied to the pinion gear and into the ring gear of the rear axle, the pinion tries to climb the ring gear. When viewed from the front of the car, the clockwise twist of the pinion attempts to lift the right (passenger-side) rear tire off the ground and plant the left (driver-side) tire. This is the natural reaction of all rear axles to torque input. This also explains why drag racers place a certain amount of preload on the right rear tire to counteract this force. An example of this is the use of an airbag over the right rear axle that preloads the chassis to counteract this torque reaction.

At the same time that the axle is attempting to lift the right rear tire, the body is twisting in the opposite direction, which normally results in the body squatting over the right rear. All of this is the reaction to torque input. The more torque you apply or the more gear ratio you use to multiply the torque, the more twisting effort is applied to the chassis. Drag racers and suspension engineers have collaborated to create very specific ways to explain how all this happens and have also come up with ways to manage the power in a systematic fashion.

My comment based on the bold type above would be, as the body squats over the right (passenger) rear, the short upper link on the right side pulls the axle FORWARDS towards the center of the car, which will result in the car steering to the RIGHT.
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