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While several papers dealing with the kinematic of mechanisms that approximate the well known Ackermann steering are available, apparently there are no contributions related to the effect of Ackermann steering on vehicle performance. The current work focuses on the effect of Ackermann steering and parallel steering on the performance of a racing car, after a discussion on the different definitions of Ackermann steering ratio available in the literature. Three scenarios are considered: steady turning, slalom and a circuit lap. Nonlinear optimal control techniques are employed to assess the maximum performance. A Formula SAE car model is used and validated against experimental data in acceleration, steady turning and slalom. Then the same model is employed to investigate the effect of different steering layouts.

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