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Steering column with breakable section
ElvisDrivesAnMK - 29/5/12 at 11:16 AM

My MK Indy has a solid steering column which someone pointed out that in the event of a heavy front end shunt the steering wheel would end up removing your chest as there is no breakable section in the section below the UJ in the engine bay. Any ideas as to where I could buy one with a plastic section?

Thanks in advance.

Elvis.

Bluemoon - 29/5/12 at 11:43 AM

Should be if the correct part was used. The column will be triangular with a telescoping section..

iank - 29/5/12 at 11:55 AM

As said it's not breakable but the column collapses in on itself, below any UJ's it should be solid but that's not going to cause any problems as it's the column that protects you. You really DON'T want anything breakable in the steering as if it broke in normal use you're in a 99% guaranteed nasty accident.

But to be honest if you've past IVA (or SVA) then a harness will do a better job of preventing injury.

Slimy38 - 29/5/12 at 12:07 PM

I thought one of the ideas behind having a pair of UJ's between the rack and the wheel is that any front force would be deflected at an angle, rather than transmitting it straight into the driver? Obviously it still leaves a length of bar from the wheel to the first joint, but anything after that should be pushed sideways?

Or have I misunderstood?

ElvisDrivesAnMK - 29/5/12 at 01:30 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Slimy38
I thought one of the ideas behind having a pair of UJ's between the rack and the wheel is that any front force would be deflected at an angle, rather than transmitting it straight into the driver? Obviously it still leaves a length of bar from the wheel to the first joint, but anything after that should be pushed sideways?

Or have I misunderstood?


That seems to make sense. It's probably me that's misunderstood someone's uninformed comment about the steering column.

renetom - 29/5/12 at 03:59 PM

Hi
We built an Indy using the Sierra column which we modified for the flappy paddles.
See picts on our archive
If you had a bad front ender the lower section has enough deflection that it would shift to the side 17.5% on our Indy
The upper section has a crushable section should you hit the steering wheel it collapses & the triangular lower section
Pushes up into the upper triangular section, ( its only a pressed fit)
For the IVA we also had to have a crushable steering wheel boss.
Believe me it works, been there, done it.
good luck.