The ball socket assembly includes a housing with an open interior which extends along an axis. A bearing is disposed in the open interior of the housing and has a curved primary contact surface which surrounds the axis and surrounds a stud ball opening. A stud ball is disposed in the opening and is in sliding contact with the primary contact surface for allowing rotation of the stud ball relative to the bearing. The stud ball has an equator and is in sliding contact with the bearing on both sides of the equator. A stud is operably connected with the stud ball. A shoe is further provided and has a pair of supplemental contact surfaces that are biased against the stud ball. The shoe provides the stud with a predetermined rotational torque and also adjusts for wear in the assembly to maintain the performance of the socket assembly.

A rolling element shaft assembly includes a solid shaft having a first end and a second end, a tubular shaft configured to receive the shaft first end, and a bearing sleeve coupled to the solid shaft. The bearing sleeve includes a first portion defining a first edge, a second edge, and at least one first bearing aperture, and a second portion defining a third edge, a fourth edge, and at least one second bearing aperture. The first portion is configured to couple to the second portion about the solid shaft. The bearing sleeve further includes at least one first bearing disposed within the at least one first bearing aperture and at least one second bearing disposed within the at least one second bearing aperture.

An intermediate shaft includes a first hollow shaft portion in which a plurality of grooves are formed in a longitudinal direction thereof, a second hollow shaft portion coupled at one end thereof to a first slip member, provided to be accommodated inside the first hollow shaft portion, and slipped into the first hollow shaft portion when a collision occurs, and a shaft portion to which a second slip member is coupled, provided to be accommodated inside the second hollow shaft portion, and slipped into the second hollow shaft portion when the collision occurs. A first press-in portion is formed on an inner circumference of the first hollow shaft portion to protrude therefrom, thereby pressing and supporting the first slip member.

A sleeve of a steering column includes (i) an outer tube and an inner tube that are movable relative to each other, and (ii) an adjustment system. The adjustment system includes a screw for adjusting the axial position along an adjustment axis constrained to move in translation with a first of the two elements by at least two guide bearings for rotationally guiding the adjusting screw about the adjustment axis. At least one of the bearings supporting the adjusting screw is a guide bearing with axial force take-up for blocking the translational movement of the adjusting screw.

An integrated magnetic shield and bearing holder useable with electric motors includes a shaft portion and a cover portion extending radially outward from the shaft portion. The shaft portion includes an inner wall defining a channel and a ledge extending radially inward from the inner wall. The cover portion includes a first layer, a second layer extending substantially parallel to the first layer, a magnetic shield extending between the first layer and the second layer, and an outer wall extending from the first layer and/or the second layer such that a space is defined between the outer wall and the shaft portion. The cover portion includes one or more retainers coupled to the magnetic shield to restrict movement of the magnetic shield relative to the first layer and/or the second layer.

A rod-end front suspension is provided for an off-road vehicle. The rod-end front suspension comprises a spindle assembly that is pivotally coupled with an upper suspension arm by way of a first rod-end joint and pivotally coupled with a lower suspension arm by way of a second rod-end joint. A steering rod-end joint coupled with the spindle assembly pivotally receives a steering rod. An axle assembly coupled with the spindle assembly conducts torque from a transaxle to a wheel coupled with the spindle assembly. Each of the first and second rod-end joints comprises a ball rotatably retained within a casing. The ball is fastened within a recess between parallel prongs extending from the spindle assembly. A threaded shank extending from the casing is threadably fixated with the suspension arm, such that the spindle assembly may be moved with respect to the casing and the suspension arm.

The ball socket assembly includes a housing with an inner bore, and a bearing is received in the inner bore. The bearing is made as a monolithic piece of a plastic material and has a curved bearing surface which surrounds a ball cavity. The ball socket assembly also includes a ball stud with a ball portion and a shank portion. The ball portion is received in the ball cavity of the bearing and has an equator. The curved bearing surface of the bearing is in slidable contact with the ball portion on opposite axial sides of the equator. The plastic material of the bearing comprises 8-12 mass percent polytetrafluoroethylene, 2-6 mass percent carbon fibers, and the remainder acetal.

To reduce the effect of a steering operation on feeling. A rack bush comprises: a bush body that is accommodated in a cylindrical housing, supports a load exerted on a rack bar while allowing the rack bar to move in the direction of an axial center O, and can be extended and retracted in a radial direction; and an elastic ring mounted on the bush body. The bush body has a mounting groove for mounting the elastic ring, the mounting groove being formed peripherally in an outer peripheral surface, and the mounting groove having a large-diameter part where the circumferential radius of a groove bottom is a first radius r1, and a small-diameter part where said radius is a second radius r2 that is less than the first radius r1. This configuration allows the formation of an elastic ring protruding part, in which the elastic ring protrudes greatly from the outer peripheral surface of the bush body, and an elastic ring embedded part, in which the elastic ring is embedded in the outer peripheral surface of the bush body.

A steer-by-wire steering system for a vehicle includes a rack moveable in an axial direction, the rack having a bushing engagement portion comprising an outer surface including a plurality of rack flat surfaces. The steering system also includes an anti-rotation bushing disposed proximate an outer surface of the rack at the bushing engagement portion of the rack, the anti-rotation bushing having a plurality of bushing flat surfaces, wherein the number of the plurality of rack flat surfaces and the number of the plurality of bushing flat surfaces is identical.

To provide a method of manufacturing a shaft for a steering device, the shaft including a spline shaft part to be coupled with an input shaft, a stopper part to be coupled with an output shaft, and an intermediate shaft part that couples the spline shaft part with the stopper part. The method includes: a step of forming a hole part recessed in an axial direction from one end of a pillar-shaped material by forging; and a step of pressing the material in which the hole part has been formed into a die to perform drawing in a radial direction on a portion of the material at which the spline shaft part and the intermediate shaft part are formed, and prolonging a length along the axial direction of the hole part at the same time by forging.