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How to improve truck turning radius

Sometimes it hurts, being the driver of the truck whose turning radius is huge. Turning radius is a technical term used for the full diameter of the smallest circle of a vehicle. While parking or at narrow alleys it causes disturbance.

How to Improve truck turning radius? You can improve the turning radius by removing the pair of rack limiters provided at the axle on both sides of the tires. You can also install wheel spacers for taking the extra edge of the radius or use the innovation by fixing the back wheels steering in a truck.

How to Improve Truck Turning Radius
How to Improve Truck Turning Radius?

How to improve truck turning radius?

Here are some methods through which you can improve/shorten your turning radius for a truck. Go through this article and follow these steps:

Removing rack limiters

The function of the rack limiter is to limit the turning of the tire by preventing it from too much sharp turn resulting in the rubbing of a tire with the sway bar. So, at that moment you have to check that weather is it ok to remove the full rack limiter or we can cut it into half or more.

Removing rack limiters can help to gain extra 10 degrees on each side of the turn. Rack limiters are ring-type materials mostly made up of tough rubber or PPVC pipes material.

All you have to do is to first balance your truck on the jack stand. After that shake, it enough to make sure that it is totally in control.

Then turn the tire outward of that side from which you want to remove the limiter. Now from the same side, you have to remove the vent tube installed to hold fluid at that end on the power steering rod. There you will see a rack limiter within the tire rod. You can remove it easily as it has some C-shape look, that’s why it’s quite easy to remove from the bar.

Now simply push the vent tube, right back on, and make sure you push it fully before clamping back.

You have to do the same thing on the other side. If any fluid occurs while removing the vent tube it means you need to change the sealings of the steering rod.

In the end, the most important thing is to check your tire’s turn by rotating it fully. If the tire gets in touch with the chuckle or control arm, you need to increase the thickness of the rack limiter.

In this way, you are going to get an idea that how much you need to remove the rack limiter.

Install wheel spacer/adapter to Improve truck turning radius

There is a misconception about these wheel spacers are, whether they work properly or not? The correct answer is if you install spacers of exact measurement and proper shape; they can work better than any other technique related to improving the turning radius.

A good quality high centric wheel adapter/spacer can give you a better angle. First of all, screw down the tire and then add wheel spacer to the hub previously where the tire was.

Use some seize tube for better commitment between hub and spacer. The next thing to do is to moisturize wheel studs by using some thread moisturizer.

Then tighten up the nuts and make sure that your tire has room for the original wheel studs to occupy their space. Turn up the nuts and you are going to realize that an angle of almost about 8 to 10 degrees has been added to both sides.

Using rear-wheel steering

This is a little modern method which manufacturers using very excessively in new trucks. It provides a very decent way to handle difficult situations and effective at places where a shorter turning radius is required.

In this type of steering, rear wheels are also turned to few degrees in the same or opposite direction to the front wheel depending upon the truck’s speed. At normal and fast speed while changing lanes, wheels turn in the same direction as of front. While at lower speeds taking sharp turns, they turned in the opposite direction while providing less turning radius.

It provides a way so that a truck can pass more easily through tight spaces and more comfortably at high speeds.

Vehicle handling through rear-wheel steering becomes supportive and these features help to handle trucks at numerous speeds.

Read also;

How Big of Tire Can I Put on My F150

How do I stop my tires from cracking?

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