How to decrease the Turning radius(Any Possible Mods)??

greatDrive · 2nd July 2007, 14:29

Hi technical Gurus.
I have a Petra and have always felt bad about the Turning radius of this car w.r.t. its size. For the people who dont know its TR, Its 5.4 mtr and makes some easy U turns difficult ones.

Is there a way to make a after market modification to decrease TR without compromising on the stability of the car. If yes, where can that be done in Bangalore and how much will it cost.

Not sure if this is a valid section to post this thread. Request Mods to put in the relevant section.

Thanks in advance.
GD

greatmana2000 · 2nd July 2007, 19:06

Well, It would be a costly affair . You will have to change the steering box , drive shaft , plus the ball joints incase you want to try

manikjeet · 2nd July 2007, 19:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by greatmana2000

Well, It would be a costly affair . You will have to change the steering box , drive shaft , plus the ball joints incase you want to try

as far as i know i think its not possible to alter the turning radius of a car

rishibravo · 2nd July 2007, 19:50

In my opinion its not possible to change the turning radius of a car. Even if some modifications are done to achieve it, it wont be worth the money

Mpower · 2nd July 2007, 21:23

Most cars have a steering stopper. Remove that and see how much more it will turn. Now if the tire is hitting the body, then you need put a smaller wheel and tire, re-position the steering stop and viola you have more wheel cut. But you also need to ensure you have enough rack travel.

Sudipto-S-Team · 2nd July 2007, 21:26

For God's sake don't tinker with an Italian design if you love your car.

Rudra Sen · 2nd July 2007, 21:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mpower

But you also need to ensure you have enough rack travel.

Taking it from here..how about cutting extra teeth on the rack? Not going overboard but say around three more? From driving position, one tooth on right and two teeth on left?

Tech-heads can throw lights and tell my thought is all rubbish. It will be a learning anyway.

Mpower · 2nd July 2007, 22:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rudra Sen

Taking it from here..how about cutting extra teeth on the rack? Not going overboard but say around three more? From driving position, one tooth on right and two teeth on left?

Tech-heads can throw lights and tell my thought is all rubbish. It will be a learning anyway.

Now that's getting real complicated. First there has to be enough metal between the end of the rack and the inner tie rod. Now, tf its a power steering you have to make sure the hydraulic piston can also travel more. Not a project for an amateur for sure!

bottle · 2nd July 2007, 22:50

fiat petra has a turn radius of 5.2 right ? just a bit more than palios 5.1 and i dont really have problems with that ..

greatDrive · 3rd July 2007, 09:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by bottle

fiat petra has a turn radius of 5.2 right ? just a bit more than palios 5.1 and i dont really have problems with that ..

May be its 5.2, but It is definetly more than other cars in the segment

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mpower

Now that's getting real complicated. First there has to be enough metal between the end of the rack and the inner tie rod. Now, tf its a power steering you have to make sure the hydraulic piston can also travel more. Not a project for an amateur for sure!

Looks to be a complicated & costly affair, Its better I live with the existing Turning Radius of the car

theMAG · 3rd July 2007, 10:04

Would a larger dia steering wheel help ?

moralfibre · 3rd July 2007, 10:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by greatDrive

Looks to be a complicated & costly affair, Its better I live with the existing Turning Radius of the car

Yes greatDrive, it is a complicated affair and costly. I love the longer turning radius

. It adds to creating traffic!

swathyd · 3rd July 2007, 10:30

Are you serious moral? I seldom take my adventure to city, owing to longer TR. It is the only drawback of fiat cars.

deepakhon · 3rd July 2007, 10:54

Larger turning radius seems to be a drawback with all Fiat cars, including ones from Alfa stable. I remember having read reviews about Alfa 147 and people complaining about this. Yes, making a U-turn in a Palio is a real chore. Most of my U-turns end up being 3 pointers, more so when you compare Bangalore's narrow roads.

In my opinion, it is better to live with this problem than trying to rectify it. It definitely is not worth the money and effort to make any modifications.

ajitkommini · 3rd July 2007, 12:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by theMAG

Would a larger dia steering wheel help ?

it would probably reduce the turning effort at the expense of driving comfort

2nd July 2007, 14:29	#1
greatDrive BHPian Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Bangalore Posts: 547 Thanked: 7 Times	How to decrease the Turning radius(Any Possible Mods)?? Hi technical Gurus. I have a Petra and have always felt bad about the Turning radius of this car w.r.t. its size. For the people who dont know its TR, Its 5.4 mtr and makes some easy U turns difficult ones. Is there a way to make a after market modification to decrease TR without compromising on the stability of the car. If yes, where can that be done in Bangalore and how much will it cost. Not sure if this is a valid section to post this thread. Request Mods to put in the relevant section. Thanks in advance. GD
	() Thanks

2nd July 2007, 19:06	#2
greatmana2000 BANNED Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: chennai Posts: 703 Thanked: 58 Times	Well, It would be a costly affair . You will have to change the steering box , drive shaft , plus the ball joints incase you want to try
	() Thanks

2nd July 2007, 19:50	#4
rishibravo BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: New Delhi Posts: 579 Thanked: 11 Times View My Garage	In my opinion its not possible to change the turning radius of a car. Even if some modifications are done to achieve it, it wont be worth the money
	() Thanks

2nd July 2007, 21:23	#5
Mpower Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Bangalore Posts: 10,409 Thanked: 1,732 Times View My Garage	Most cars have a steering stopper. Remove that and see how much more it will turn. Now if the tire is hitting the body, then you need put a smaller wheel and tire, re-position the steering stop and viola you have more wheel cut. But you also need to ensure you have enough rack travel.
	() Thanks

2nd July 2007, 21:26	#6
Sudipto-S-Team Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Kolkata Posts: 1,320 Thanked: 291 Times View My Garage	For God's sake don't tinker with an Italian design if you love your car.
	() Thanks

2nd July 2007, 22:50	#9
bottle Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Chennai Posts: 1,637 Thanked: 277 Times View My Garage	fiat petra has a turn radius of 5.2 right ? just a bit more than palios 5.1 and i dont really have problems with that ..
	() Thanks

3rd July 2007, 10:04	#11
theMAG Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: May 2006 Location: Avon, CT Posts: 7,217 Thanked: 1,811 Times View My Garage	Would a larger dia steering wheel help ?
	() Thanks

3rd July 2007, 10:30	#13
swathyd BHPian Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: thiruvananthapuram Posts: 774 Thanked: 26 Times	Are you serious moral? I seldom take my adventure to city, owing to longer TR. It is the only drawback of fiat cars.
	() Thanks

3rd July 2007, 10:54	#14
deepakhon Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,441 Thanked: 65 Times	Larger turning radius seems to be a drawback with all Fiat cars, including ones from Alfa stable. I remember having read reviews about Alfa 147 and people complaining about this. Yes, making a U-turn in a Palio is a real chore. Most of my U-turns end up being 3 pointers, more so when you compare Bangalore's narrow roads. In my opinion, it is better to live with this problem than trying to rectify it. It definitely is not worth the money and effort to make any modifications.
	() Thanks