hi-steer?

[alefcourt25]

Something for discussion/info...
I may have missed the post but has anyone considered a Hi-steer kit for the quadravan conversions? If so, reports on pros/cons? If not, i am considering this one to be an option:

http://eastcoastgearsupply.com/i-135368-full-dana-44-hi-steer-kit.html

 

[dsw4x4]

I am not sure whose kit they are using but crane High Clearance makes a nice set up i use on one of my broncos the steer arms are keyed to mate with the knuckle rather than just using studs to hold the arm in place. Make sure you have the room for the tie rod to clear that high up before ordering. I looked at doing a high steer on my van but I need to lift it first.
Derek

 

[ujoint]

I doubt a true high steer (like the link) would fit a Quadravan. Even if it did, there's still the trac bar to deal with. Also, I don't think a van actually "needs" high steer for clearance. Crossover yes, if it's tall enough.

 

[Stumpalump]

You ussually need quite a bit of lift for a high steer conversion. The other thing is if you have a Dana 44 then that kind of coin would be better spent towards a Dana 60. Whats wrong with what you have or what are you wanting to fix?

 

[alefcourt25]

I had just been under the impression that a high steer setup would eliminate bump steer, something these vans seem prone to. However, I am not sure mine needs anything at the moment, but I thought it would be good to get some input from those that know a bit more than I do in that area. Why would a Dana 60 be a better improvement over a new steering setup? Or is it that the 60 is a good upgrade and it will also improve the steering?

 

[Stumpalump]

If you are high enough to worry about bump steer then you may have tires large enough to break a Dana 44 axle. Spending time and money on expensive upgrades to a 44 would just be money well spent toward a 60 but without knowing about your rig or how you intend on using it's tuff. A van has so much weight up front that when you use it off road a 44 is weak. If you have a bad bump steer problem that you just want fixed then you are on track but as said the crossover steering may do what you need. Whats the vehicle, tire size, lift,ect. Why do you think you have bad bump steer? Could you have other worn parts or other problems or are you sure your geometry is so bad that high steer arms is the cure? Anyway it's just the internet so it's hard to say whats best for anybody. The 44 is still a great axle and since it's what you have it may be best for you to just fix whats wrong. Throw us details or picts.

 

[ntsqd]

I suspect that the weight up front of a van is more visual perception than actuality. I would expect a van to be slightly heavier on the front axle, but not significantly heavier than a 3/4t or 1t pick-up. Mostly because the windshield glass and the seats are closer to the axle. The power train is very nearly in the same place as with a pick-up.

Some of the pictures that I've seen of older 4WD converted vans really makes me wonder how the owners can stand to drive them at all. Some pictures of what you have would be good. Bump-steer is a simple concept, but not always a simple fix.

 

[alefcourt25]

I don't actually have a bump steer problem as of yet. I was under the impression that the steering setup in the pathfinder converted vans was not desirable and I was weighing the options available for upgrade. Coming from jeeps and small offroad vehicles, the hi-steer setup was always viewed as an improvement over stock, so I thought it would probably be an improvement for the van also.

 

[dansvan]

Do you have a coil spring or a leaf spring front end? On the leaf spring front ends I've seen they do use a less than desirable linkage. removing the draglink that runs form the pitman arm to the tierod and attatching it on a level plane on top of the pass. side kuckle will improve bumpsteer and road feel. It can be done with a knuckle like this http://www.bjsoffroad.com/CartGenie/prod-883.htm or finding a flattop knuckle and machining it for the highsteer arm. On the coilspring front ends the draglink needs to be on the same plane as the trackbar. If the trackbar is flat then the steering needs to be flat, or if at an angle the angles need to match. Size of tires has nothing to do with bumpsteer.

 

[ntsqd]

Do you have a coil spring or a leaf spring front end? On the leaf spring front ends I've seen they do use a less than desirable linkage. removing the draglink that runs form the pitman arm to the tierod and attatching it on a level plane on top of the pass. side kuckle will improve bumpsteer and road feel. It can be done with a knuckle like this http://www.bjsoffroad.com/CartGenie/prod-883.htm or finding a flattop knuckle and machining it for the highsteer arm. On the coilspring front ends the draglink needs to be on the same plane as the trackbar. If the trackbar is flat then the steering needs to be flat, or if at an angle the angles need to match. Size of tires has nothing to do with bumpsteer.

I recently converted a leaf sprung front over to "cross-over steering" from a push-pull system and I gained some bump steer in the process. Part of that is due to other compromises, part of that is due to the length of the drag-link. If the push-pull is set-up right and is working with agreeable springs it can have less bump-steer than cross-over.

Unfortunately 'on the same plane as the trac-bar' is just the beginning of trying to eliminate bump-steer. Ideally both the trac-bar and the drag-link would be the same length as well. All too frequently they can not be the same length. Then you have to do your best to make curves of two different radii track each other as near possible as you can. Focus on the first 2 inches of bump travel and the first 1 inch of droop travel. If you can nail that travel range you're good for the pavement. Then see what can be done about further in either direction.

 

[dansvan]

What is a push pull system?