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Rack and pinion conversion

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Old 08-17-16, 12:39 AM
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Originally Posted by peejay
This is why Mazda made the FC front-steer, which also required moving the engine mounts further back. Even then, they had to shorten up the control arms considerably in order to make the rack wide enough to clear the engine, which is a good chunk of why FC handling isn't so hot, the roll center moves around a lot unless you stiffen the suspension so much it barely moves.
Semi off-topic, but is the FB front suspension / steering better than the FC front suspension / steering at anything? The general consensus around here is that the FB front suspension / steering is garbage, so curious when you said that.
Old 08-17-16, 12:36 PM
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Originally Posted by hcaulfield57
Semi off-topic, but is the FB front suspension / steering better than the FC front suspension / steering at anything? The general consensus around here is that the FB front suspension / steering is garbage, so curious when you said that.
It has a better roll center. The FC needs super stiff shocks and springs to work good in a racing situation.
Old 08-17-16, 01:02 PM
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Yes, much better geometry and also an inch or so more travel. More travel means the suspension can be softer, which means grip.

The steering is also faster than FC, especially the power versions of each.
Old 08-19-16, 12:08 AM
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Pete, thr powersteering FB and "3 hole" FC rack gave the same ratio
Old 08-20-16, 06:35 AM
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I'd forgotten about Arrans thread over there. A Corsa rack would be easy for me to obtain since I'm in the UK these days haha. Don't think I'm smart or skilled enough to do it myself though :P
Old 08-23-16, 08:38 AM
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These videos might be helpful. I used a RHD Miata rack (just bought it from Rock Auto, in stock item, arrived a few days later) to convert my Cosmo to rack and pinion. The subframe of the Cosmo is somewhat similar to the 1st gen, as is the oil pan and engine mounting. Might be worth looking into.


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