Steering ? Altereds and dragsters

Someone explain to me "center steer" vs "side steer" I think I understand but help me out anyway. I want to build a Bantam bodied altered and am doing the research to get going on the project.

Thanks

 

Side steer is the same as cowl steering, steering shaft perpendicular to vehicle centerline, sticks out side of body, pitman on shaft, drag link, from pitman to steering arm on spindle, runs along side the body, parallel to the centerline. The wheels are connected by a tie-rod that crosses the chassis.

Center steer is like most cars running a box, or sometimes a lawn tractor or go-cart. Steering shaft runs from helm to front of car, usually through one or more articulated joints, then hits a steering gear or transfer bar type of lever to convert the radial movement of the shaft to a linear motion, perpendicular to chassis centerline, through tie-rods, to the steering arms on both wheels.

 

scotty covered it

 

Actually in drag racing the term usually refers to the position of the driver in the car. Dragsters and most altereds are center steer with the driver in the middle of the chassis and street roadsters, gassers and most other door cars are side steer with the driver to the outside of the car.

Roo

 

If you observe most purpose built race cars that are open wheel, I believe you will see that they are all center steer. As Roo stated. As the cars got narrower and the maximum equality in weight distribution was trying to be achieved, that became the logical driver position. The street roadster class in drag racing still had lefthand steer last time I checked but it was mandated by the class rule.