Question

Technician A says passive systems use compliant rubber bushings that allow a limited amount of rear wheel steering during cornering. Technician B says active systems use four electric steering units, one at each corner of the vehicle.

Who is correct?

a. Technician A
b. Technician B
c. Both Technician A and Technician B
d. Neither Technician A nor Technician B

Answer 1

I’d say both technicians are correct. The answer is C.

When cornering, the rear wheels on most vehicles tend to steer slightly towards the outside of a turn. This can cause instability. The passive steering system uses rubber bushings to either reduce or correct this rear wheel steering by steering the wheels slightly to the inside of the corner, thus, causing an understeer effect rather than an oversteer. Technician B is also correct because an active four-wheel steering system turns all four wheels at the same time when the driver steers.