Why not say Panhard rod and Pitman arm?---That is the correct name for those components. As far as pulling or pushing side to side, that is why you endevour to keep the panhard rod parallel to the ground. If you consider that maximum overall front axle travel is limited to about 3 1/2" vertically, then from normal "at rest" condition, the axle travels only 1 3/4" up or down from "at rest" position. If you assume the length of the Panhard rod to be 30", then the resultant kick sideways will only be 0.051" (less than 1/16"). That amount of sidethrow will not cause bumpsteer.