Abstract: An automotive power steering gear includes a stub shaft, a pinion head, a torsion bar between the stub shaft and pinion head, and a detent reaction arrangement for varying the threshold manual effort required to initiate power assist and/or for varying the relationship between manual effort and power assist. The detent reaction arrangement includes an annular flange and tubular sleeve on the pinion head, a plurality of radial sockets in the tubular sleeve, a plurality of detent elements in the sockets, a stem on the stub shaft extending into the tubular sleeve, detent grooves on the stem engaged by the detent elements, and an annular collar on the sleeve with a frustoconical wedge engaging the detent elements.