Steering gear help

[bgwolfpack]

Searched the OS so don’t start with me! hehe All you get over there are so hair brain ideas that then morph into how cool trucks look dragging on the ground.
Now this does have an off road application, possibly negative though.
The steering ratio in my TB is exceedingly slow compared to other Chevys I’ve owned not to mention the German cars I drive. Does anyone have thought into changing the steering ratio for a quicker response in the steering itself? On the OS there has been talk of switching the LS style box to SS gearing. Have I been lead astray, are they different ratios?
Would a quicker gearing place more stress on the already fragile steering pump? Would this lead to a hazard for the system in aggressive wheeling in rock garden bliss or rutty trailing?
The steering to me acts more like a hoopy or dump truck than a stylish suv.
Any thoughts?

[Zero]

I have also heard about people saying that you can use the ss steering system in a non ss truck. and that they have less turn from lock to opposite lock.

Id love to see what you come up with.

[The Roadie]

I struck out on compnine.com looking for part numbers. None of the variants are listing the rack assembly for some unknown reason.

[bgwolfpack]

I struck out on compnine.com looking for part numbers. None of the variants are listing the rack assembly for some unknown reason.

God that makes me feel better. I looked there too and thought it was maybe my own inadequacy that failed me. It's hard to believe that the ratios are truly different.
Will a Helm break down to ratio numbers between different models?

[The Roadie]

Helm probably has the detailed turn to turn specs, but in my year there was no SS.

All I found in a Google search was that stock steering ratio is 20.4-to-1, EXT is 18.5-to-1, and SS is 16.1-to-1, but you must already know that. Since the SS pump is more modified (rumor) than the EXT's simple pulley change, you might get the most bang for the buck mod by slapping in an EXT rack and pump pulley.

[Zero]

I have an EXT!!! Whoo hoo, so at least if those 3's are true, I have the second shortest lock to lock turning radius. Id still love to see the SS one make it on to a non SS truck. id love a little tighter turning radius for my big truck.

[The Roadie]

Steering ratio and lock-to-lock turns has nothing to do with turning radius. Can't improve on the EXT's current specs. Sorry.

[Zero]

Damn! Ok, so if he turning radius is not affected, then the number of turns from lock to lock on the steering wheel would be less....correct? So it would take less effort to make the same turn........ please correct me if I am wrong.

[The Roadie]

Steering wheel turns, lock-to-lock

TrailBlazer LS and LT: 3.82;
TrailBlazer SS: 3;
TrailerBlazer EXT: 3.48

The EXT will turn the steering knuckles to the stops in FEWER turns of the steering wheel (but the difference is less than 10%). If this is what you mean by "effort", you're right. The PS pump needs extra pressure to accomplish this, and that's why it has a smaller diameter pulley on the EXT, and the I6 serpentine belt is 1" shorter for the EXT vehicles. The PS pump runs at a higher RPM.

It might be possible to rebuild a steering rack assembly with the EXT or the SS pinion gear only, assuming the rack is the same. But I never did the research for this.

[Zero]

Sine there is a difference in pulley size and psi between your truck and mine, is that the reason I felt that your steering was "heavier" then mine when we were out on the trails this past weekend.

[The Roadie]

Ahhhh. Never thought of that. I'll try some more SWB trucks next time I'm at a meet or something. Yours was only the second EXT I've ever driven in 5 years.

[Zero]

HAHAHAHA hooray! I got the Roadie to think about something he may have over looked. hahahaha.

[The Roadie]

Yah, yah. Mostly while I was driving yours I was thinking: "Boy, this is waaayyyyy too clean! What's this button do? Geez, wiener dogs can't turn very tightly, can they? Say, how can I mess up his radio presets? Wonder if I sprinkle some dust in his dash vents what will it do when he turns the blower on high in a month? Where can I hide this booger so he won't notice it until long after he gets back to Canada? Hmmmm, you can sneak all sorts of cactus spines into a cloth seat that a passenger's butt will find in a few months. Wonder if he ever carries important VIP passengers around who would be upset with a spine in their butt? Wow, this is waaaayyyyy toooo clean!"

[bgwolfpack]

This is opposite of what I would expect you guys to say. I would think that the quicker ratio in Zs truck would have more resistance regardless of pump pressure compared to the standard ratio in the Roadie-mobile if something was mechanically wrong with either. I would have thought the GM guys would have balanced the two systems out to match.

[Trail X]

Where can I hide this booger so he won't notice it...

Oh god, a classic Roadie post...

[Zero]

Stop calling my truck a wiener dog!!!! hahahaha damn EXT At least i can sleep inside my truck comfortably if i have to

[cowboy63645]

Don't feel bad Zero, your not the only one with a weiner dog!!

[bgwolfpack]

Maybe the quicker steering in the EXTs is because they won't turn a decent corner. Wouldn't want to wear the drivers arms out, spinning the wheel so many times.