baddad71
Junior Member
Hey all! Not new to the forum, but I am new to this group. I've had a 96 Ram 5.2 shorty since December of 2013. The 46RE failed a second time and I decided to replace my truck instead of rebuilding the transmission again this time. I got a 2012 Ram 1500 last Saturday. 
I love the truck! It is just what I wanted, a new version of my old truck: regular cab, short bed, V8, RWD, Automatic with a nice interior with carpet and cloth seats. I was picky about getting a Hemi and not a 4.7.
I don't love the steering... From what I have gathered so far, it has rack and pinion steering, which should be great, but it's 3+ turns lock to lock and there's a lot of turning of the steering wheel for not much steering angle change. The steering is tight, not loose. I don't think anything is broken or worn out. It doesn't feel sloppy, just lots of turning. Has anyone here swapped to a rack that has 2.2 to 2.5 turns lock to lock? What rack did you use? I had a 92 Chevy S10 that I changed to high performance steering box from a Buick Grand national (Z65 Sport steering box) and it was 2.2 turns lock to lock and was amazing to drive. It was a direct bolt-on with no mods needed and was same price as exact stock replacement I needed anyway. Any possibility a modern Challenger or Charger steering rack would bolt on? My 2011 Challenger was 4200 lbs and my new truck is only 4700, so there's not much weight difference:
I love the truck! It is just what I wanted, a new version of my old truck: regular cab, short bed, V8, RWD, Automatic with a nice interior with carpet and cloth seats. I was picky about getting a Hemi and not a 4.7. I don't love the steering... From what I have gathered so far, it has rack and pinion steering, which should be great, but it's 3+ turns lock to lock and there's a lot of turning of the steering wheel for not much steering angle change. The steering is tight, not loose. I don't think anything is broken or worn out. It doesn't feel sloppy, just lots of turning. Has anyone here swapped to a rack that has 2.2 to 2.5 turns lock to lock? What rack did you use? I had a 92 Chevy S10 that I changed to high performance steering box from a Buick Grand national (Z65 Sport steering box) and it was 2.2 turns lock to lock and was amazing to drive. It was a direct bolt-on with no mods needed and was same price as exact stock replacement I needed anyway. Any possibility a modern Challenger or Charger steering rack would bolt on? My 2011 Challenger was 4200 lbs and my new truck is only 4700, so there's not much weight difference:
