XLR8

iTrader: (52)

I wanted to add to this thread with a suggestion for those who have just the looped lines....

I have a 93 Civic hatch that originally had power steering. The thing weighs in at a wopping 2300lbs so as you can imagine,..not needed. Like most car enthusiasts, power steering delete is nothing new. I did a fair amount of research and found some interesting information.

The power rack sifts high pressure fluid from each side of the tube. Obviously this is what makes it power steering. When the fluid is removed and each tube output looped via a line, the fluid is replaced with air. If you were turning the wheel with the fluid still in the the rack, it would provide resistance without the help of the PS pump. Just as if you remove the fluid,...the air in the looped system still provides resistance.

What I did with my hatch was vent the system. I looped the lines, but put a "T" in it, with the 3rd end going to a small air filter. This depressurized the system, allowing the air to vent and move more quickly throughout the system. It did create a noticeable difference.

I do plan on doing this with the FD, and will post my results.

rash_rvg

iTrader: (1)

Ok, was 2 short of a question.

This is more like it.

What's the difference between the one you have and the Atomic Rex you are going to get. What's your motive?

Knowing why you changed racks, will help me/others know witch one to pick up later...

ProjectD

iTrader: (15)

Knowing the price and availability of the atomic rex rack will also help you decide. I'll try to find the link for you.

XLR8

iTrader: (52)

The atomic rx rack is very good quality from what I have seen. However, rolling in at over $1k, it would be hard for me to justify going that direction.

KingsBlade

can you delete the ps and keep the ac? while removing the ps unit?

Dudemaaanownsanrx7

iTrader: (23)

Yes this is what I plan to do. From what I've seen you have to run the belt on the other side of the idler pulley and use the adjuster the opposite way. The idler pulley has no grooves for the belt since it was originally designed to run on top, but no one has reported problems running like this. (as far as I know) You obviously need a shorter belt too.

KingsBlade

humm interesting, and the hole unit is removed... how long would one take to do this? not including the time to get the rack, just removal/install

Dudemaaanownsanrx7

iTrader: (23)

I think that depends mostly on your mechanical skills. From what I understand getting the rack out is quite a job. But I'm sure it's do-able in a few hrs or so. (if you know what your doing) I plan on pulling the PS pump first so it's up and out of the way. When it gets a bit warmer again i'll go ahead with this mod.

Trout2

iTrader: (5)

Using a lift, it took 3 to 4 hours working at a very casual pace to remove the stock power steering rack set-up and installed the Atomic Rex. I turned the idler backwards to keep the belt from walking off. The idler can only be turned backwards only if you have a thick enough spacer (I have two 94's and the factory spacers are different thickness.)

Jack

Dudemaaanownsanrx7

iTrader: (23)

Ahh, good information. Thanks for the pic too. I suppose a spare 5 rib pulley could be added as an alternative, provided it was set the correct distance away. I have my old alternator pulley... I wonder if it would work or if the smaller size makes any difference...

Is the spacer separate from the idler then?

Trout2

iTrader: (5)

If the alternator pulley fit on the idler shank, it should work as long as you can adjust to maintain some tension on the belt.

The spacer is a separate piece that's behind the idler.

Jack

TURSTY

Damian - The only question I have before doing this mod, is - whats it like when you get into trouble and have to chuck in a lot of oposite lock very quickly? have you come across this yet?

Also while Im at it.....whats the car like at high speeds when you hit bumps? does it simply twitch the steering wheel or does the whole car get a little twitchy as you try to keep the wheel straight? - do you drive with a fairly rigid grip or do you loosen up your arms so there wheel can move when it hits these bumps?

JHew84

iTrader: (9)

I'm sure Damien will chime in with his thoughts as well, but I have almost 1000 miles on my Maval rack now and a few races.

Anything over 10mph I really don't think there is much if any difference in how hard it is to carry out an evasive manuever that requires hitting lock on one side or the other. Since installing the rack I've had to quickly get out of a few peoples way (why don't people pay attention while driving?!?? ) and have not had a problem doing so yet.

Your second question is my only real gripe with the conversion. It isn't a one handed car anymore, if you hit bumps it will pull on the wheel and if it catches one just right it does have the potential to take the wheel right out of your hands if you aren't ready for it. I would say 98% of the time it just makes the wheel a little twitchy but it's really put me on my toes now. At the first autox I took it to I upset the rear a little bit and wasn't ready, the wheel ripped itself out of my hands and I basically just had to let the car settle before I could get them back on. After that I haven't had any issues, it was just an eye opener for me that I can't handle the wheel like I used to with PS.




With all of that said I would recommend this for almost any car, street or track. I daily drive my FD in the summer and it took me less than a week to get used to the heavier steering for parking lots, it's really not that bad. I know people complain about the heavier steering being bad for autox, and I can see their point of view but at the same time it does not make the car impossible to drive. On a REALLY tight course it takes some more muscle to get the car lined up correctly but on something a bit more open I don't even notice a difference personally. To my surprise I actually took fastest time of day at the last autox I attended, and it was one of the tightest courses I've ever been on. There was one section where you can really see the effort it took to get the wheels turned but if I thought about it ahead of time it was not an issue at all.

I have the Maval conversion, 255 hankook RS3's, and a 320mm (might even be 300mm) steering wheel, on top of being an average driver. If I can take FTD at an autox with all of those modifications it can't be THAT bad of a set up. The pros outweigh the cons in my opinion.