Anyone autocross an RX-7 without powersteeing?
 

Title says it all.

My GFH Project has had the PS removed and a manual rack installed. Project no done yet. No feedback yet

Anybody who autocrosses a '79-83 by default is doing it without P/S. On 1st-gens, P/S was only available as an option, on the GSL and GSL-SE, in '84 and '85.

I prefer the manual steering. MUCH better feedback and feel. It's a slower ratio, but it's better than the alternative.

My T2 has no P/S. its not that hard to turn the wheel. i havent raced it yet though. my old car that i did race also didnt have P/S, it did fine on the track.

Yep, all the time. A FC with p/s but no belt (fighting the dead pump), 225 wide Advan A-032R's, and a 320mm Momo steering wheel. It was very easy to steer once I got used to it. Those that say otherwise are wimps. I'm am average sized dude that is not strong by any stretch of the imagination, but if some Pointdexter has trouble without p/s, then they're just pathetic. Today I just got AVS Int (225 wide still) up front. They are easier to turn at less than 5mph than the sticky meats before. Soon the pump will be gone so it'll be even easier.

If you can't steer fast enough with your hands, then use the throttle to steer as well. Sheesh folks, use that RWD layout. ;)

I just have the belt removed on mine and its fine. I have 225 avs intermediates also, and autocrossing is more than fast enough for the wheels to move easily.

My 85 is my daily driver, and auto-x car. I have 205/50/15 Bfgoodrich G/Force KD tires (really sticky). at first it was really difficult to throw around. but got used to it. I wouldent ask for better feeling steering feedback

Well, if you get a decent handling package together, you'll find that in tight slolems (sp?) you can't turn the wheel as fast as the car will go, due to the lame ratio.

At a couple races I ended up getting one hell of a workout. It's not that its hard to turn, it's that you have to turn the wheel 3/4 of a turn one way, and then 3/4 of a turn back to center and one more 3/4 turn the other way all in about 1 second, and all you did was go around two cones :D .

Again, this is only for tight turns. I haven't had a problem anywhere else. I tend to be a little more reckless with PS. Too easy to crank the wheel lock to lock.

Heres a little example:
Zach without power steering:
http://www.zaxjax.com/images/729RX71.jpg

Bad driver with power steering:
http://www.zaxjax.com/images/ConeKiller.jpg

if you can find a decent way to change the castor, the turn-in is much easier- more castor rake to the rear doesn't change your camber, or Akerman effect much, but it lets the wheels kinda track over easier. and besides power steering should be the power in your arms!!

I'll be running without my P/S to start with on my FP car but when I upgrade to the 16" x 10" rims with racing slicks I'll be adding the P/S back. That size tire is a handful without P/S and since I'm only going to autocross this car P/S is very handy.

Changing caster does affect your bumpsteer, though, since when you move the top of the strut back and forth you are also moving the end of the steering arm up and down.

I ran my black car at the autoX without powersteering for about a year. Removed the belt, and off I went. I actually *really* liked it.

Much more feel than with it, but parking is a biatch.

Well I guess that just says anyone else's opinion is stupid?

The way I read your post: "I'm not really a good auto-xer but I act like it on the Forum" Results for almost every club are usually posted on the web, show us some results:). Show us how you steer your car with the throttle through a salom and I'll show you a slow driver.

My opinion, Don't do it!!! We pulled off the PS on our 87 TII $2002 Grassroots Motorsports Challenge, it sucked for auto-x. I couldn't get the car to turn fast enough with the power rack without the power. We did the full conversion, no pump and the proper lines connected at the rack.

The car weighed 2500lbs (weighed on scales) for auto-x and 2450lbs for drag racing. We turned 13.4's @ 105.5 mph. The car was fast, hustling it through a salom was hard. It had 225/50/16 Kuhmo auto-x tires on it.

Pics can be seen here:
http://community.webshots.com/album/29829335dZcQQoISEZ

Driving on the street without PS was fine.

Jeff

Wow Jeff, your like, famous. Pretty cool stuff. :bigthumb:

I autocrossed a couple events in my FD with a seized pump, with the belt cut off.

it sucked. It's much better to have the PS there.

Driving it on the street sucked even more. You ever drive your car when the engine isn't running? Like say you are being push started, or something like that? yeah, that's how hard it is to drive at low speeds without PS. Parallel parking is a BITCH. I was trying to park one time, and when I was done, I was actually sweating. It can be quite a workout.

I autox my '84 GS, and it doesn't have power steering. The only adverse effects of my manual steering is not being able to parallel park the damn car!

shit I could prolly do it but I wouldn't enjoy it as much, I like to use one hand when street driving, hard to do with out p/s, also you can't slap the car into a 180 very well, I like to drift and be shifting at the same time, hard to do with out p/s.

Jeez you people need to work out or something :)

I can't remember ever needing more than a thumb and two fingertips on the steering wheel.

Whether or not you need power steering really depends on how much weight you have hovering over the front wheels of the car. If there's a lot of weight then you NEED p/s, if not then you will do much better without it. That's the only reason for p/s, so let that be your guide if you've done lots of weight reduction up front then try it w/out (at least disconnect the belt and try it, you can always put it back). If you like it, then get rid of the pump and it'll be that much better because you have even less weight over the front wheels...hope that helps.

in other words if you're too fat dont take off the p/s, or replace ur front panels with somethin lighter and whatever else you can to make up for ur wide hips

Re: Anyone autocross an RX-7 without powersteeing?
 

Better get used to it! :)

Re: Re: Anyone autocross an RX-7 without powersteeing?
 

Yup. I test drove somones here localy that had like 40k miles it wasn't that bad once you got out of the parking lot.

That's also true, if you have fiberglass or carbon fiber fenders then you could also have increased weight removed from the front end of the car (over the wheels) and increase reasons for getting rid of the powersteering (if you run p/s and have lighter fenders...take the p/s off and use the pump to pump your arms up!).

nm

it's not bad at all. just don't go and get some 45 lb chrome rims and it shouldn't be that hard to turn.