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• RACE TEAM NEWS:
OFF-ROAD & CUSTOM PARTS:
CHASSIS PARTS:
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The factory steering rack and pinion on the Rhino is extremely weak as most of you serious off-roaders have probably found out.  (click image for close up)
!!! NEW !!! 
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F1 ENGINEERING has spent many hours designing a new rack housing system that is pretty much bullet proof, yet is a simple bolt in upgrade. Our rack housing is CNC machined from a single billet of 6061-T6 aircraft quality aluminum, high strength aluminum bronze bushings are pressed into each end to support the rack gear,where the factory unit just floats around. The rack gear itself is machined from a round bar of 300M alloy steel, a full 1.0" (25mm) diameter on the 10 tooth race rack. The gear is then heat treated to 200,000 psi tensile strength and then carbon nitride plasma coated to increase tooth strength and to give corrosion resistance. Some of our competitors use a square section rack gear as they are readily available commercially, this also makes the housing easier to machine by just milling a slot into the two or three housing half sections, this of course opens the possibility of movement or failure at the joints. We prefer to go the more difficult route and use the stronger round section rack gear and align boring the single piece housing to maintain the structural integrity of the whole unit, this also keeps the close tolerances that we require for minimum backlash in the gears. The helical pinion gear is CNC hobbed from H11 aerospace tool steel and through hardened.  (click image for close up)
This rack & pinion assembly can be used with the stock tie rods or with the (recommended) BilletKing Off-Road billet tie rod/clevis kit, available in stock length and for 4" or 6" over long travel suspension. 
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The rod end clevises are CNC machined from a block of chrome-molly steel and have locating lugs machined into the end, these lugs fit into the rack end of both the BilletKing rack and the stock Yamaha rack to prevent the clevis from turning and to keep them vertical to the wheels. The clevises are bolted to the rack end with (supplied) grade 12.9 metric allen head bolts and spring washers. These clevises can be used on the stock rack to convert to the stronger rod end track rod system. Use them to make your own track rods or purchase our complete kit. Other aftermarket rack manufacturers use bent sheet metal clevises that are going to fail as soon as any real load is put to them. F1 Engineering has been in the racing business too long to do that, these will not fail - Guaranteed! The tie rods are made from high strength 2024 aircraft structural aluminum. The kit comes with all grade 8 hardware, chrome molly high misalignment rod ends, chrome molly clevises and 17-4 stainless bump steer spacers. Can be used with the factory rack and uses the stock dust boots with a simple modification. Billet Trail Steering Rack, 9 tooth complete with all boots, stock tie rods and hardware. $399.99 |
