Shogun Steering: Ackermann plate - toe out and camber

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Opua

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Hi, are any of you trying to adjust the Ackermann plate by moving the tie rod balls and re-threading them into the last available hole at the bottom to get better steering? I've written in the past about my Shogun turning very wide. Horatio, whom I thank, has always recommended installing the Lee spring, but unfortunately I haven't been able to find one (I live in Italy and haven't found anyone to share the purchase with). So, by asking the AI, among the various solutions, he also recommended adjusting the Ackermann plate. He also recommended setting the toe out to 1° or 2° and the camber to -1° or -2°.
 
I have the same problems with my Asugas.
I had to put a Lee spring in the first Asuga, the second one is fine with the spring it came with. I still have massive understeer under power. Oddly enough the Asugas are my only cars with this problem.
Any tips are welcome.
 
SirCrashALot said:
I have the same problems with my Asugas.
I had to put a Lee spring in the first Asuga, the second one is fine with the spring it came with. I still have massive understeer under power. Oddly enough the Asugas are my only cars with this problem.
Any tips are welcome.
Click to expand...
try to set ackermann plate in the right way

Screenshot_20260809_144551_com_whatsapp_MediaViewActivity.webp
 
Opua said:
Hi, are any of you trying to adjust the Ackermann plate by moving the tie rod balls and re-threading them into the last available hole at the bottom to get better steering? I've written in the past about my Shogun turning very wide. Horatio, whom I thank, has always recommended installing the Lee spring, but unfortunately I haven't been able to find one (I live in Italy and haven't found anyone to share the purchase with). So, by asking the AI, among the various solutions, he also recommended adjusting the Ackermann plate. He also recommended setting the toe out to 1° or 2° and the camber to -1° or -2°.
Click to expand...
There are ways of adjusting Ackerman which may help with steering response. Sadly, Ackerman angle adjustment is null if the reason for your lack of mechanical steering angle is induced by a weak servo saver spring.

Both Leespring and the Ali spring detailed by Nelson work brilliantly. Fireblade sells the Leespring on eBay, along with his custom made Kadex parts. Ali offer volumes of similar springs for a fraction of the price and both are superior to the stock spring.

If your steering servo's power cannot reach the wheels to turn them, adjusting the geometry of the steering simply cannot afford any benefit.

However, if we assume that your steering is working as it should:

Ackerman is merely the term used for a system which turns the inside wheel at a greater angle than the outside wheel.

The greater the difference in angle = more Ackerman angle.

The more parallel = less Ackerman.

Closely related geometry = bump steer. This is where the steering angle changes as the wheel moves through suspension travel. Essentially, you want your track rods to be as close to level at ride height as you can. This is why it's crucial to mount the ball studs on the steering knuckle in the correct place. Don't ask me how I know. 🤣

To adjust Ackerman:

Move the inner track rod end forward = less Ackerman

Move the inner track rod end rearwards = more Ackerman

Washers underneath the ball studs on the inner ball stud adjusts the vertical height of the track rod.

Higher = less Ackerman.
Lower = more Ackerman

4WD cars can suffer from understeer, but even more so if the weight distribution is sub par. You might be wondering 'weight distribution? How am I able to change this?'.

2 ways:

Battery location. Generally, further forwards assists with more responsive steering.

Ride height: adjust the height as a baseline so that front and rear ride heights are the same.

Higher at the rear than the front (rake) = induces more aggressive steering - oversteer.

Higher at the front than the rear = less aggressive steering and induces understeer.

Caster can be adjusted with the spacers on the top arms of Corally rigs. Moving the top arm rearwards increases caster. Moving the top arm forwards decreases caster.

Less caster = more aggressive steering response and turn-in, but reduces mid-corner and exit steering.

More caster = less aggressive steering response and turn-in, but increases mid-corner and exit steering. More caster also increases the steering's ability to return to centre.

👆 All of the above are ways of dialling more/less steering.

But: before any of this - Tyres. 90% of any car setup is in the tyre choice - especially for off road running. Geometry adjustments cannot mitigate poor tyre choice/condition.
 
SirCrashALot said:
I have the same problems with my Asugas.
I had to put a Lee spring in the first Asuga, the second one is fine with the spring it came with. I still have massive understeer under power. Oddly enough the Asugas are my only cars with this problem.
Any tips are welcome.
Click to expand...
To improve on power steering, you want to decrease rear weight transfer.

Assuming you are running decent tyres, here's how you can dial in some more on power steering.

  • Increase caster
  • Decrease Ackerman
  • Increase front diff oil thickness
  • Increase rear anti squat
  • Increase rear spring rate
  • Increase rear anti roll bar thickness
  • Reduce front droop
Obviously, a sloppy servo saver won't help, so the above assumes that your servo saver is functioning correctly before you start making any changes.

Good luck! 🤞👍
 
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