Manual Steering Rack
I have been giving this a lot of thought recently and I’m pretty sure I want to get rid of the power steering completely.
Pros:
1. Significant weight loss
2. Less drag on the belt
3. No more whine
4. Better steering response
5. Better road feel
6. More clearance in the engine bay
Cons:
1. Extra effort required to turn the wheel
2. (Speculation) May be difficult to stop the steering wheel when transitioning
3. (Speculation) May be hard to jerk the wheel to initiate drift
I have never driven a car with an actual manual rack. Maybe someone on here can chime in and let me know what it is like. I know what it is like to drive a car with power steering and the steering goes out. It’s damn near impossible to turn the wheel but that’s because it is designed to be assisted. (When its cold out it takes a good 3-5 minutes for my pump to become fully operational which has been every day for the past week). If Maximum Motorsports is using manual racks on the race cars it must be good. I just hate being the guinea pig here and trying it out first. I’m sure it’s not going to be anywhere as easy to turn the wheel but it will not be as hard as turning it when the power steering goes out.
Thoughts anyone?
Oh, BTW, what is the difference between the 15:1 and the 20:1 (http://www.LateModelRestoration.com) ? What does that ratio stand for? Obviously it’s a gear ratio but what does it mean?
the 15:1 and 20:1 is how many turns it takes
From lock to lock? I'm assuming the more turns the less effort required to turn it but the harder it is to make quick turns? Going from 3-5 turns lock to lock up to 15 or 20 is a big increase!
MUSTANG BLOG
thats y power is better cause for drifting u what it to be as quik as posible. right now im 1 1/2 lock to lock
I believe that the power rack is 12:1.
Ok, thanks Geoff. I found the answer to my question on Wikipedia
Steering ratio refers to the ratio between the turn of the steering wheel (in degrees) or handlebars and the turn of the wheels (in degrees). In motorcycles and bicycles, the steering ratio is always 1:1, while in most passenger cars, it is between 12 and 20:1. Example: If one complete turn of the steering wheel (360 degrees) causes the wheels to turn 24 degrees, then the ratio is 15:1 (360/24=15).
So, Geoff, any thoughts on manual steering for the Drift 5.0?
MUSTANG BLOG
The power steering system on the Fox Mustang leaves much to be desired, but I think that a manual rack is not really the way to go. I plan to keep the power system on my car, but make additional modifications. I have already slowed down the pump with a larger pulley, added urethane rack mounts, and plan to install a better steering shaft (the coupling portion). I also moved the pump mount into the old location of the air conditioning. I am experimenting with the idea of having a modified T-bar made to adjust the driver feedback that the rack produces, but this is a plan for the distant future still.
For a manual rack, I figure you save the weight of the pump and the drag on the engine, but now it takes significantly more effort to turn the wheels. I would guess that you save 10-15 lbs by moving over to a manual setup and probably get 5-10 HP by eliminating the pump. The Mustang is certainly a nose heavy car, but removing even 20 lbs from the engine is hardly going to make a dent in that reality. You could get the same weight savings with a k-member, and in my opinion, it has more positive benefits. I think my one exception would be for building a 4-cylinder coupe. If/when i end up doing a 4 cylinder car, I plan to focus as much as possible on getting the weight down and making things simple. I also plan to run the car with 16x7 wheels and a 225 tire.
Remember, when you are considering modifications you need to treat you car as a system. A nose heavy car with wide tires is not a good candidate for manual steering. A light car with smaller tires can be.
This thread is very informative for alot of road racing or drift fox users. This subject is torn through over and over but never discussed with enough detail. I am still torn between the pro's and con's of power and manual steering. GM's Cobalt is offered with manual steering which i think is amazing and really would like to get more information on how it is built and what else they plan on using it on. The manual steering has far more pro's but the only problem is lock to lock turns and oversteer control. I would love for a thread to open up with many different opinions from experienced auto enthusiasts. Im always open for discussion on this subject. Good luck guys
why not use a manual rack with a steering quickener?
with increased steering angle it is possible to achieve greater angle with the vehicle, also aiding in spin recovery. This is often done with spacers on the steering rack, custom steering racks, custom tie rod ends, or machining the spindles. In extreme cases increasing the steering angle may come to a point where the tire or wheel comes into contact with other suspension pieces or the inner/outer fenders; in which case additional modifications are required if such contacts are to be avoided.
Post new comment