Devilsadvocate,
Not having a go at you as I think you raise some good stuff. But I think you are dwelling on this - I reckon they are for isolation to the driver from road shocks & vibrations.
If you want to get right down to the umpteenth level, then okay there would potentially be an increased force in your rack, tie rods and tie rod ends in worst case scenario i.e. if you had someone glued to the steering wheel and hit the gutter but I don't know how much more - I'd have to scratch my head and draw some pics to calc exactly. Some things can be analysed to the nth degree but the ultimate test is if it works and although I would not suggest using your steering system as guinea pig, these are pretty well proven as far as I can see.
Changing from rubber to alloy steering rack bushes as per LX to UC would have had about 10 times the effect of increasing the force in the steering components -useing your analogy as those bushes take the force directly, not through a gear reduction.
You are probably correct toranamat69, I just ask the questions as a possiblity to consider - and to find out if anyone really knows for sure?
Im not sure whether the alloy bushes are going to increase the forces on the subframe by factor 10!
Unfortunately I have been guinea pigged in my car!, which I forget to mention my experience of the damage here.
Dec 2004 I was ran into by a 'woman' who advanced out of a side street on my left into the left front corner of my car as I was travelling along the major thoroughfare. The majority of the impact was taken on the forward half of the left wheel, in an attempt not to be forced over to the other side of the road into oncoming traffic I gripped onto the wheel like a vice(I should have just let go at impact according to the towie - as I injured my wrist) Well my wrist was okay in a couple of days, the steering components, that took months for the repairers to get right!
Amongst major damage to the left hand suspension support, the left hand tie rod was bent, steering coupling torn and cotter pin under top unijoint stretched open, so perhaps the presence of the coupling reduced the damage to myself and the other components that didnt look damaged . Wish I had let go, but perhaps I could have been forced over the other side of the road if I did. There is perhaps damage to the other components that only sophisticated scanning would reveal, but they werent going to do that!
Edited by devilsadvocate, 26 January 2006 - 12:20 AM.