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!!!!! 2G Custom Ratio steering rack and Pinion! Survey only!!!!!

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doing the depower 100% correctly vs looping the lines is 2 VERY different results! people complain about the manual rack when half assing it but once done correctly the people who do it right say its not an issue,

but the wide tires does still pose the main issue but not everyone goes super wide, I might try it to just see how bad it really is then I can give accurate feedback, (this side of summer I hope)

My street tires are 245/40ZR-17's which aren't too wide but would be interested in seeing if its an issue! If you do get some feedback, I have a feeling it would help these manual versions sell!
 
My street tires are 245/40ZR-17's which aren't too wide but would be interested in seeing if its an issue! If you do get some feedback, I have a feeling it would help these manual versions sell!
i know some folks already using this wide tires already and of course parking lots will be hard as its not moving but wider like 285 will be a pita that is what i need to test! i will try it once i am able to keep ahold of my manual rack as i have to send it away first for companys to quote me prices first
 
I'll do both.
I have the de-powered rack now and I hate it, it feels like I am turning a tank, and I just finished wiring the MR2 setup as far as pump location and ECU stuff only thing needs is to reinstall the power rack and the make custom power steering lines.
 
I'll do both.
I have the de-powered rack now and I hate it, it feels like I am turning a tank, and I just finished wiring the MR2 setup as far as pump location and ECU stuff only thing needs is to reinstall the power rack and the make custom power steering lines.
De powered done right or looped? I know its per car situation on weight and tires etc, but from what i know speaking to a few properly depowered its not that bad until you get to a parking spot LOL,
 
De powered done right or looped? I know its per car situation on weight and tires etc, but from what i know speaking to a few properly depowered its not that bad until you get to a parking spot LOL,
I did the flying Miata with help from here "dsmtuners" and did use synthetic grease and packed the living hell out of it, with new inner and outer tie rods.
I look like a 110 year old grandma who just came back from church trying to parallel park a convertible four cylinder ugly thing
 
After a delay i have my rack now with Quaife, They said about 6 to 12 weeks for there details/report on what they would advise on a new ratio and price,

I believe I have options on line boring the rack aswel for weight saving but I need to read up on this and ask them in details how this fairs over a period and if its a good thing to do long term also if it has to be done to all of them or can be a small few.

along with this I have asked them to give me a quote on a new alloy housing so shed some weight which i think will be great depending on the cost of it! I know the initial tooling is the most amount on casting parts but it also means it might also work for stock systems with power steering guys (again I will need to confirm details on such things) it also means it safe guards steering rack housings for the future so might aswel protect such vital things now and have things made if we can.


another thing I have been looking at and talking to MANY companys about is power steering, while some like to keep it from the few places I have spoken to that will produce racks just do plain manual versions with no previsions for seals for fluid etc. HOWEVER!!! mostly all of them said just go the route of electro servo units on the column this way it can be retrofitted per needs and some kits are even tuneable via a steering ecu and zero loading on the engine via a pulley! so if the ones wanting power steering maybe this is the way to go, I could talk to a company here that is also in the US to get some bulk prices on such stuff but i know its going to be around the $1000+ range for the basic tuneable versions or use something from another car thats a few hundred from a scrapyard.

so thats my update for now. once I hear back from Quaife for anything I shall update here aswell
 
Column mounted electric steering was my plan here with a manual rack. However after pulling a 2G column and looking at the powered steering column components I'm not sure how or where we could fit it on a 2G without sacrificing the collapsible part of the column. I keep poking at it, but if it can work mechanically I'm sure I can get it to work by introducing a CAN bus speed based signal to vary the assist level.
 
No can do on the electric steering as I need to keep the same basic setup for the class I run in.
Sorry man, maybe 1 day you can adjust it to suit your needs
 
Column mounted electric steering was my plan here with a manual rack. However after pulling a 2G column and looking at the powered steering column components I'm not sure how or where we could fit it on a 2G without sacrificing the collapsible part of the column. I keep poking at it, but if it can work mechanically I'm sure I can get it to work by introducing a CAN bus speed based signal to vary the assist level.
We do have a tight space but some of the units are not alot bigger then the oem ones with a small box inline, some are even down by the rack itself,

Its certainly something that has to be modified to make work and fit but its possible for sure somehow
 
They are already getting it disassembled and insoecing it for their data records and to then advise me on a good / better ratio, then can give me quotes. They said upto 12 weeks ish, so many more to wait till that time lapses
 
I'm in. Don't mind manual rack as long as its a true manual conversion. Those are easy to drive. If not, power version for me
I second this and was just looking at rebuilding my rack. I too would test dummy a manual for a review but I haven't had a manual rack since my old 80's honda prelude and from what I remember only parking was an issue. Hell I don't ever park the DSM anywhere I can just pull straight in anyhow but wouldn't want low speeds at autox to be a problem either. I also run a 245 autox street tire so nothing too crazy here.
 
I'm in the process of doing an electric power steering setup for my 1g. Once I get time to put it in and test it, i can post results. It would have a manual controller to start, but I'm looking into speed sensitive setups, iust need to crack the codes and see what the rack needs to see.
Currently I have a depowered rack via the flyin miata model and its livable, but kinda a pain.
 
I'd be interested in a manual rack.

Just a comment though. Based on your description in the initial post, sounds like the ratio would be worse for a manual rack (less turning for more steering angle --> less turns lock-to-lock --> less mechanical advantage -->harder to turn)

Surely you meant the opposite for a manual rack no?
 
I'd be interested in a manual rack.

Just a comment though. Based on your description in the initial post, sounds like the ratio would be worse for a manual rack (less turning for more steering angle --> less turns lock-to-lock --> less mechanical advantage -->harder to turn)

Surely you meant the opposite for a manual rack no?
It will be what they call a quick rack so the pinion will be bigger, they said it wont make it harder to turn i guess its like a bigger steeling wheel, less effort overall
 
It will be what they call a quick rack so the pinion will be bigger, they said it wont make it harder to turn i guess its like a bigger steeling wheel, less effort overall

Ok, then what you originally wrote is correct, but...they may have said it won't be harder to turn, and it may in fact not be immensely harder to turn, but it will be somewhat, that's just not how physics works.

A larger pinion gear means more linear motion of the rod ends per degree of rotation of the wheel, which means you are doing more work and will have more effort per degree of wheel turning.

If you think of the steering wheel to pinion gear as like a part of a transmission (which it is in this case), making the pinion larger has the same effect as making the steering wheel smaller.

Bottom line, less turns lock to lock means "quicker" steering, but more effort. There's just no way around that. For a power rack that's ok to get that quicker response, but for a manual rack, at least for me, that's a no go. It's hard enough as is to turn these battleships with a manual rack.
 
I think what Bobby was trying to get at when he says easier to steer is that a true manual rack would be easier to steer than a comparable de-powered rack would be, which is generally true. Having driven several different Miatas with varying setups I can attest to the difference being quite noticeable on those cars, and they are a hell of a lot lighter than any DSM and generally run much skinnier tires than a prepped 2G would for track use.
 
I think you need to drive a few cars out of the 60's and 70's with manual steering before you go referring to our cars as battleships. The big cars back then took some serious grunt to get turned that's where the "boats" term came from. They originally marketed power steering to women so that they could turn the big cars with a single finger.

Either way our cars are nothing compared to that. And most people here that ditch power steering are building cars for racing or spirited driving. Those applications warrant gaining quicker turning response at the expense of a little more arm effort. Which is the whole reason Bobby is looking at having these made in the first place.

If you are concerned at all about the steering effort you need to stick with a power rack which is why so many in this thread (myself included) have said they would only be in on this if there is a power option.
 
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