TURNING INTO THE FUTURE

Steering gear systems are making significant strides in technology that are hard to ignore anymore

- SHASHANK SINGH

The steering gear system is one of the most important systems onboard a four-wheeler. It’s not only responsible for our vehicle’s safety but also the vehicle’s dynamics. You cannot have fun behind the wheel even with a potent powertrain if your vehicle is terrible to drive courtesy of an inefficient steering system. Let’s dive into its journey so far and see what lies ahead. One of the first vehicle steering systems was a mechanical one. It consisted of a pinion, a small toothed gear wheel mounted on the end of the steering gear column and sat on a toothed steering rack. This arrangement converted the steering wheel’s circular motion into the linear motion of the steering rack, to turn the front wheels via control arms. This system required a lot of effort to turn the wheels primarily due to friction from mechanical linkages.