4-10
ST
EER
IN
G S
YS
TEM
Speci
fi
cations and prices subject to change without notice. Download latest update to this manual on-line.
ACKERMAN EFFECT:
Ackerman is the di
ff
erence in turn radius between the front tires. On oval-track cars, it can be desirable to create a situation
where the left front tire turns faster than the right front tire. The Ackerman e
ff
ect can help the car turn better through the
center of the turn. You can measure the amount of Ackerman you currently have by using a set of turn plates. Typically,
Ackerman is measured by turning the right front tire 10 degrees to the left. If you have Ackerman, the left front will travel
further than the right front. A typical amount would be three degrees in 10 degrees of steering. To simplify, moving the
right front from zero through 10 degrees of steering will cause the left front to move 13 degrees in this scenario.
Ackerman is created by your front end geometry. Tie rods that angle forward from the inner pivot point out to the spindle
will have more Ackerman.
You will note that J&J go-karts use this feature. When you turn the wheels all the way in either direction, the inside wheel
will “tuck” (turn) more than the outside wheel.
OVERVIEW- ACKERMAN EFFECT
Ackerman E
ff
ect
TOP VIEW