more responsive steering?

[bigbird]

hey guys, im gettin tired of the slushy steering my camry offers. anyone know if somthing can be done about this? any aftermarket kits or factory swaps to get a tighter steering ratio?

[renmike]

Originally Posted by bigbird

hey guys, im gettin tired of the slushy steering my camry offers. anyone know if somthing can be done about this? any aftermarket kits or factory swaps to get a tighter steering ratio?

Does the se have the same ratio steering box as the rest of the models?

I wondered with my 95 how much trouble it would be to put a celica steering rack in there.

[bigbird]

the only differeances in the SE were trim, sway bar and spring rate as far as i know.

[tevolo]

I've been getting really annoyed about this too lately. Hopefully someone can offer some advice.

[PhillyDRFT]

Originally Posted by renmike

Does the se have the same ratio steering box as the rest of the models?

I wondered with my 95 how much trouble it would be to put a celica steering rack in there.

The celia isn't much better. I's pretty wide in terms of turning circle.

[Venom_5]

i think the camry's turning circle is GREAT compared to my Subie

you would think they would make it small with the AWD and whatnot, but nope

[Life2]

Originally Posted by PhillyDRFT

The celia isn't much better. I's pretty wide in terms of turning circle.

whaaaaaaaa? Which celica are you talking about? The 7th gen celica isn't wide at all. Probably one of the best of any car i've driven. You hardly have to turn that wheel to get the car turning.

[Venom_5]

if i had to guess, i would say that he's talking about a 1991 Celica, since thats what PhillyDRFT drives ...

the 7th gen would be completely irrelevant since we're comparing it to a Camry made between 1992 and 1996

[marc780]

Maybe the fix is, replace worn parts? you dont say how many miles on your car but i'll make a guess and say its well over 100,000. try changing your ball joints, tie rods, and other front end parts, and maybe change the steering rack too if you are the patient type and can afford to do it now. do all that and i bet you will notice a lot better steering response. Personally i wouldnt want to play amateur automotive engineer and stick in parts that weren't made for the car...but im the cautious type...

[Aussie_Camry]

Yeah maybe replace worn parts... I have a 93 V6 Camry with only 160,000kms (couldnt be bothered converting to miles) and I think the steering is prity decent!!! Lowering it helps abit but yeah compared to my friends cars they feel floaty... my cars steering is reasonably firm and gives good feedback from the road, I like it.

[RodMillenFan]

Originally Posted by bigbird

the only differeances in the SE were trim, sway bar and spring rate as far as i know.

I've always been under the impression that the SE steering ratio was tighter than the other trim levels-- I thought it shared this with the Lexus ES. This is based on what I've read as well as driving my SE versus rental Camrys back in the day. This is supported, also, by looking for replacement racks at Toyota part sites.

Check this one... and you'll see the second and third items are different... one for SE, the other for base, LE, XLE, DLX or whatever. Who knows if it's a rato difference though.

I've never been unhappy with the steering in my SE... but then, I'm not autocrossing or anything where I'd push it right to the edge. It is responsive, though, not mushy, not overassisted or anything like that.

[bigbird]

hmm...no one ever mentioned better steering when i askd about the differenaces so yall might be right. but it still feels slushy to me. the car is at 150k but the steering box jsut has a small leak but every thing works fine. im just lookin for a tighter steering ratio, not a tighter turning radius.

[Life2]

Big bird I think what you wanna do is just get rid of the "play" in your steering. that'd probably be the better way to phrase it. Marc's suggestion is about as good as it gets while still keeping your steering stock. A 7th gen celi wheel would be dope though.

[bigbird]

it dont need to be stock, ill swap in anything that would fit. i had the same thought about a later model celica steering box but i figured this question would be a long shot, wheres Adam when u need him, hes alwyas got somthing up his sleeve. removing teh play would be usefull, though there isnt much to be had.

[renmike]

After driving my se for the past week after having my 4 cyl dx, I can notice a pretty decent difference in the steering, this car feels 'tighter' I guess is the best way to describe it.