Power steering VS Manual steering rack for Track cars


Would definitely make a car feel very racey. So if you had a 2:1 you could get full lock in just over 3/4 of a turn?
 
clockwoRk said:
the OEM one was well over 3kg
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IMAG0497.jpg



So in fact the N1 crank pulley is 1.5kg lighter than oem :)
 
@tysonzane

Quick one about the quickener issue read through a few posts about them having freeplay even when new, have you had an issue with this ?
 
Bloody hell, I am suprised. I remember mine being a real heavy lump - was off an UK ITR not an EK4 now I think about it though.
 
As good as the feel is without it, a driver needs some assistance, looking forward to getting my MR2 kit fitted soon. I experienced Abbeville circuit, for me a large gokart track, without PS and a new Kaaz, very hard work, not been on a UK track as tight though.
Didnt know about the quickner, will be looking into this.
 
Interesting reading Tysonzane, much along my own thoughtlines regarding driver fatigue and so on.

I read on HT that those quickeners are a PITA to install, also not convinced by reliability?

You got any details on the installation process?
 
clockwoRk said:
Would definitely make a car feel very racey. So if you had a 2:1 you could get full lock in just over 3/4 of a turn?
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So with the EK4/9 2.8 turn rack you'd get 1.4 turns lock to lock out of a 2:1 quickner which is getting pretty extreme. With a 1.5:1 quickner you'd get 1.87 which i think is spot on :) .
 
dhdavectr said:
@tysonzane

Quick one about the quickener issue read through a few posts about them having freeplay even when new, have you had an issue with this ?
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I haven't seen free play in mine or others setups. I think it comes down to the install job which i'll explain further down. Guess its one of those things, you get what you pay for.
 
haitch said:
As good as the feel is without it, a driver needs some assistance, looking forward to getting my MR2 kit fitted soon. I experienced Abbeville circuit, for me a large gokart track, without PS and a new Kaaz, very hard work, not been on a UK track as tight though.
Didnt know about the quickner, will be looking into this.
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Yeah the MR2 pump is a good upgrade. Pity they're quite expensive down here because people use them for speed way and derby cars and mount them under the dash.

I've got a Kaaz too, well a Spoon which is the same thing but had it rebuilt with maximum lock and any touch of the throttle gives the diff near full lock. Great at high speed but a prick around town. Its pretty hardcore when going around a tight hairpin on full lock and you have to physically pull the car back into a straight line.
 
Kozy said:
Interesting reading Tysonzane, much along my own thoughtlines regarding driver fatigue and so on.

I read on HT that those quickeners are a PITA to install, also not convinced by reliability?

You got any details on the installation process?
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Like i said I like to do things to help the driver. Sure on paper it might not make much difference but in real life it makes a huge difference. I'm all about the little things like proper driving position with a seat that feels nice and holds well, tall fastline shifter so you keep your hands on the wheel for longer periods of time and raising the floor up slightly for a better driving position and flat floor. When racing the driver is everything, you could have the most horse power but if the driver cant drive or finds it hard to drive then its all a waste of time.

Yes, quickeners are a pain to install. Its a pity no body does an off the shelf kit replacement steering coloumn because they'd sell like hot cakes especially to those on HT. Its all custom work, cut the coloumn in half and shorten it, weld the ends together and then put sleeves over the joins and weld them together then drill holes through each sleeve and shaft (4 in total) and tightly install couter pins (like the bitch pin on the shift linkage). There are a few different methods but thats one of the common ones i've seen. Some go for a spline setup too.

Things get difficult because you have to mount the unit is well to stop it from simply spinning. You can see with the above example that they bracketed off the coloumn itself which worked well for that setup. Its also a mission to retain the movement and adjustability of the steering coloumn.

Not a diy job unless you're quite experienced with fabrication. Certainly not something you want failing at speed on the track.

Reliable? Yup, i've never seen any problems with the actual quickner units but i can see how if someone doesn't do the install correctly that things can fail.

Its the same as anything though, the part is only as good as the person installing it :) .

These guys do their own steering rack with 2.2 turns lock to lock built in:

Honda Civic EK4 Race and Rally Parts from eg6ek4ep3.com

Its certainly an upgrade but 1.8 is even better :) .

I have done the calculations and i suspect these guys use a custom made pinion gear on a factory rack. The pinion gear i suspect has 1 extra tooth which suddenly reduces the turns to get from one end of the rack teeth to the other. I found the DC2 has a pinion gear with that 1 extra tooth but there was no way it would ever fit, its a lot bigger and the pitch of the teeth is wrong. Quaife do a similar kit for manual EG racks which does make a small difference but the turns lock to lock is still way too long.

The only other thing i considered was going to an S2000 electric rack which has a decent lock to lock ratio and you can screen hydraulic power steering all together. It looks slightly possible with alot of modifications to the rack but i haven't tried it nor have i seen what the steering angles are like etc etc etc.
 
stevenEK9 said:
If you remove it, remove it PROPER

I stripped the rack, removed the seal that seal the PS chamber as it would cause drag then reassembled the rack greased up with CV grease. Best way to do it, those people who loop the lines are still pushing fluid about which is just stupid

It's fantastic, roll centre adjusters worked a treat too as they seemed to have make the steering a touch easier?! But yeah i get on really well with it, you feel what the cars doing more, don't fit anything less than a 350mm steering wheel though otherwise imagine it would be hard work

Lack of power steering combined with a spoon plated diff, love it :D
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Hey Steve gonna go with your method, found a little guide on how to do it. Do you literally just use cv grease? No ps fluid whatsoever? Just wondering how long the grease would last. Thanks
 
lasts very well with CV grease!!

after 2 years like this my EK9 rack was still nice and smooth and that was with quite a few track days and 2 trips to the ring included. Just did the same with my DC2 rack at the weekend (required for the k swap) so hopeful it will be as good :)
 
stevenEK9 said:
lasts very well with CV grease!!

after 2 years like this my EK9 rack was still nice and smooth and that was with quite a few track days and 2 trips to the ring included. Just did the same with my DC2 rack at the weekend (required for the k swap) so hopeful it will be as good :)
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Awesome thanks mate, one more question :p shall i block the breather pipes in the boot? or just leave them?
 
i have still run the rubber hose between the 2 boots, although all 6 ports on the rack have been blanked (admitidly with duct tape until i find out what size of thread they are, haha)

just make sure you adjust the rack guide screw correctly........

-wind all the way in
-back off a 1/4 turn
-tighten 40mm locknut
 
Thanks for the info man the garage are taking ages to work on the rack keep saying they're busy even though they said bring it down :/ I was gonna weld the ports closed I found a few DIY threads on it. Not sure if I'll get rid of the hoses as guide says so. Found linked on some crx community forum it's pretty decent how to.
 
took me an hour to convert my rack on the driveway with basic tools, that included rebuilding it with new inner tie rods

sounds like they are just dragging their heels!!!
 
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