What Is Steering System?

Steering is a system of components,

linkages, etc. that allows a vehicle to follow
the desired course. An exception is the case
of rail transport, by which rail tracks
combined with railroad switches (also
known as ‘points’ in British English) provide
the steering function. The primary purpose
of the steering system is to allow the driver
to guide the vehicle.
The steering system converts the rotation
of the steering wheel into a swiveling
movement of the road wheels in such a way
that the steering wheel rim turns a long way
to move the road wheels a short way.
The system allows a driver to use only light
forces to steer a heavy car. The rim of a 15
in. (380 mm) diameter steering wheel
moving four turns from full left lock to full
right lock travels nearly 16 ft (5 m), while
the edge of a road wheel moves a distance
of only slightly more than 12 in. (300 mm).
If the driver swiveled the road wheel
directly, he or she would have to push
nearly 16 times as hard.
The steering effort passes to the wheels
through a system of pivoted joints. These
are designed to allow the wheels to move
up and down with the suspension without
changing the steering angle.
They also ensure that when cornering, the
inner front wheel – which has to travel
around a tighter curve than the outer one –
becomes more sharply angled.
The joints must be adjusted very precisely,
and even a little looseness in them makes
the steering dangerously sloppy and
inaccurate.

There are two steering systems in common

use – the rack and pinion and the steering
box.
On large cars, either system may be power-
assisted to reduce further the effort needed
to move it, especially when the car is
moving slowly.
Types Of A Steering System
There are two types of steering systems
available. They are:
Hydraulic
Electric/electronic
1. Hydraulic Steering System:
Hydraulic power steering systems work by
using a hydraulic system to multiply the
force applied to the steering wheel inputs
to the vehicle’s steered (usually front) road
wheels

The hydraulic pressure typically comes from

a generator or rotary vane pump driven by
the vehicle’s engine. This is known as the
Hydraulic Steering system.
Electric/Electronic Steering system is also
known as the power steering system. In
motor vehicles, a power steering system
helps drivers steer the vehicle by
augmenting the steering effort needed to
turn the steering wheel, making it easier for
the vehicle to turn or manoeuvre.

Electric power steering systems use electric

motors to provide assistance instead of
hydraulic systems. This is known as the
Electric/electronic steering system.
Parts Of The Steering System:
The parts of the Steering system that are
available are:

Ball Joints
Bushings
Sway Bar Links
Center Links
Idler Arms/Pitman Arms
Rack and Pinion Units
Tie Rod Ends/Sleeves
CV Joints/Boots
CV Axle Half Shafts
Shock Absorbers
Struts/Cartridges

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What Is Steering System?- Overview, And
Parts
September 12, 2021 by Jignesh Sabhadiya
What Is Steering System?
Steering is a system of components,
linkages, etc. that allows a vehicle to follow
the desired course. An exception is the case
of rail transport, by which rail tracks
combined with railroad switches (also
known as ‘points’ in British English) provide
the steering function. The primary purpose
of the steering system is to allow the driver
to guide the vehicle.
The steering system converts the rotation
of the steering wheel into a swiveling
movement of the road wheels in such a way
that the steering wheel rim turns a long way
to move the road wheels a short way.

The system allows a driver to use only light

forces to steer a heavy car. The rim of a 15
in. (380 mm) diameter steering wheel
moving four turns from full left lock to full
right lock travels nearly 16 ft (5 m), while
the edge of a road wheel moves a distance
of only slightly more than 12 in. (300 mm).
If the driver swiveled the road wheel
directly, he or she would have to push
nearly 16 times as hard.
The steering effort passes to the wheels
through a system of pivoted joints. These
are designed to allow the wheels to move
up and down with the suspension without
changing the steering angle.

They also ensure that when cornering, the

inner front wheel – which has to travel
around a tighter curve than the outer one –
becomes more sharply angled.

The joints must be adjusted very precisely,

and even a little looseness in them makes
the steering dangerously sloppy and
inaccurate.
There are two steering systems in common
use – the rack and pinion and the steering
box.

On large cars, either system may be power-

assisted to reduce further the effort needed
to move it, especially when the car is
moving slowly.

Types Of A Steering System

There are two types of steering systems
available. They are:
Hydraulic
Electric/electronic
1. Hydraulic Steering System:
Hydraulic power steering systems work by
using a hydraulic system to multiply the
force applied to the steering wheel inputs
to the vehicle’s steered (usually front) road
wheels.

The hydraulic pressure typically comes from

a generator or rotary vane pump driven by
the vehicle’s engine. This is known as the
Hydraulic Steering system.
2. Electric/Electronic Steering System:

Electric/Electronic Steering system is also

known as the power steering system. In
motor vehicles, a power steering system
helps drivers steer the vehicle by
augmenting the steering effort needed to
turn the steering wheel, making it easier for
the vehicle to turn or manoeuvre.

Electric power steering systems use electric

motors to provide assistance instead of
hydraulic systems. This is known as the
Electric/electronic steering system.
Parts Of The Steering System:
The parts of the Steering system that are
available are:

Ball Joints
Bushings
Sway Bar Links
Center Links
Idler Arms/Pitman Arms
Rack and Pinion Units
Tie Rod Ends/Sleeves
CV Joints/Boots
CV Axle Half Shafts
Shock Absorbers
Struts/Cartridges

These are the parts of the steering system.

Components Of A Steering System:

The components of a steering system are
listed below. They are:

Steering wheel
Steering column or shaft.
Steering gear
Drop arm or pitman arm
Ball joints
Drag link
Steering arm
Stub axle
Left spindle and kingpin
Left tie rod arm
1. Steering Wheel:
The steering wheel is the control wheel to
steer a vehicle by the driver. It contains a
traffic indicator switch, light switch, wiper
switch, etc. It is also called a driving wheel
or a hand wheel is a type of steering control
in vehicles.

Steering wheels are used in most modern

land vehicles, including all mass-production
automobiles, as well as buses, light, and
heavy trucks, and tractors.

2. Steering Column Or Shaft:

The Steering column also known as the
shaft is fitted inside the hollow steering
column. When the steering wheel is turned,
the steering shaft will also be rotated. Due
to this, the motion is transmitted to the
steering box.

The steering column is located at the top of

the steering system and attaches directly to
the steering wheel. The steering column
then attaches to the intermediate shaft and
universal joints.
3. Steering Gear:
The pitman’s arm is splined to the steering
gearbox rocker arm at one end and the
other end is connected to the drag link by a
ball joint.

The steering gearbox contains the gears

that transmit the driver’s steering inputs to
the steering linkage that turns the wheels,
and it multiplies the driver’s steering
changes so that the front wheels move
more than the steering wheel.

4. Drop Arm Or Pitman Arm:

When the steering wheel is turned right or
left the pitman transmits the motion it
receives from the steering gearbox to the
tie rod. A “drop pitman arm” is used to
correct the steering when a vehicle has a
suspension lift.

5. Ball Joints:
The ball joints are spherical bearings that
connect the control arms to the steering
knuckles. The bearing stud is tapered and
threaded and fits into a tapered hole in the
steering knuckle. A protective encasing
prevents dirt from getting into the joint
assembly.

6. Drag Link:
The drag link converts the sweeping arc of
the steering arm to linear motion in the
plane of the other steering links. “The drag
link connects the pitman arm to the
steering arm, or in some applications, it
connects to the tie rod assembly.

7. Steering Arm:
The steering arm is an arm for transmitting
the turning force from the steering gear to
the drag link, especially of an automotive
vehicle.

The basic function of the steering system is

to allow the driver to safely and precisely
steer the vehicle. Beyond this, the steering
system also provides a way to reduce driver
effort by making the act of steering the
vehicle easier.

8. Stub Axle:
When the steering wheel is rotated, the
motion is transmitted to the pitman’s arm
through the gearbox. This motion is
transmitted to the drag link. Drag link
transfers this movement to stub axle which
rotates about kingpin. This turns the right
wheel.

9. Left Spindle And King Arm:

In automotive suspension, a steering
knuckle is that part that contains the wheel
hub or spindle and attaches to the
suspension and steering components. It is
variously called a steering knuckle, spindle,
upright, or hub, as well.
The wheel and tire assembly attach to the
hub or spindle of the knuckle where the
tire/wheel rotates while being held in a
stable plane of motion by the
knuckle/suspension assembly.

10. Left Tie Rod Arm:

The right- and left-side tie rods are
connected to each other by a center link,
which is also mounted to the Pitman’s arm
on the steering gear and the idler arm on
the passenger side of the vehicle.
Rack and pinion steering are currently the
most predominant of the two steering
linkage systems.
FAQs.
What Is Steering System?
steering system, in automobiles, steering
wheel, gears, linkages, and other
components used to control the direction of
a vehicle’s motion. Because of friction
between the front tires and the road,
especially in parking, effort is required to
turn the steering wheel.

What is a car steering system?

The steering system converts the rotation
of the steering wheel into a swiveling
movement of the road wheels in such a way
that the steering-wheel rim turns a long
way to move the road wheels a short way.
The system allows a driver to use only light
forces to steer a heavy car

What are the 2 types of steering systems?

There are two types of power steering
systems: hydraulic and electric/electronic.

What are the 5 functions of a steering

system?
1. It provides wheels swinging to the left or
right.
2. It provides vehicle turning as per the will
of the driver.
3. It provides directional stability.
4. It helps to control the wear and tear of
tires.
5. It helps in achieving the self-rightening
effect.

What are parts of steering system?

A motor vehicle’s steering system contains
the following basic parts: Steering wheel,
Steering shaft and Column, Tie rods, rack,
idler arms, Pitman arm, and drag or center
link.
What are the different steering system
problems?
Common steering problems can include
Difficulty in turning the wheel, especially at
rest or lower speeds. This may be caused by
a problem with power steering, low power
steering fluid, a fluid leak, or worn parts.
Lack of response from the steering wheel or
looseness.