i am wondering the pros and cons of manual steering compared to power sterring.. and if i were to convert my '92 si what steering rack would i use? would i use a manual one from a cx?

 

good thing about power steering is you can turn easily unlike manual.. u gotta use two hands to turn... -_-..... especially U TURN...
but, if you have manual steering u got more room in da hood .. so u can put h22a engine easily. if you have power steering ,you have to take out pwr steering if you want to swap h22a engine cuz it doesn't have enuf room on civic


[Modified by VTEC_KICKER, 8:47 PM 2/4/2002]

 

the civic and 'teg racks have different ratios for p/s vs manual. The manual racks are typically slower.

 

um i always thought that you could have manual steering simply by removing your p/s pump and fluid resivor.. am i wrong???

 

i have heard that doing that can lead to problems, but i am not 100%certian on that

 

i like power steering and all because of auto cross but when you are messing around on the streets late at nigh taking high speed corners, the manual rack will help you understand you corner taking limitations easer and will help YOU not overotate the wheel into the corner and go outa control.

just my opinion..............

 

so it would be better to have power steering for auto crossing?

 

NO!

 

why is that?

 

You will need to get a manual rack and cross member out of a DX, CX, or VX civic to do this the right way. I have heard of people capping off the p/s lines but this will not move any of the p/s fluid in the rack and will eventually lock up.

 

Sorry mistabone, I'm gonna have to say YES. Please don't hate me!

IMO, it is definitely worth it to leave the PS installed for autocross. The amount of parasitic loss involved is hardly worth consideration. With a PS rack, my steering inputs are faster and more precise. Especially when the car is beyond the "limits" of normal handling. (which is most of the time in autox)

If you happen to be running a limited slip, then PS is even more important. Things like dislocated shoulders and sprained wrists start to become a factor...

 

which trim level Eg HB came with power steering as an option?

 

no hating, just the PS felt numb.

A tad quicker ratio, yes.

Yes, being "beyond the limits" always netted my best times when running BFG R1 215/50/13's

 

If you want to convert to a manual rack, you can buy a manual rack out of something like a CX or convert your own.

Remove the PS pump and run a line between the inlet and outlet on the steering rack. Keep the fluid in the rack. The fluid keeps things lubricated. The line in-between lets the fluid flow if it needs to without binding. Never run the rack dry or it'll fail. Simply capping the inlet and outlet could cause binding.

A CX manual rack will be easier to turn than a converted rack, but will take more motion to accomplish the same thing. It's a personal preference what you want.

 

Power Steering is stupid in EG's in my opinion, it's very not necessary (hence many EGs don't have it. As for converting it, the only reason to get a non-ps rack is to save weight. To just get rid of p/s. remove the pump and hoses, and drain the fluid from the rack. Most people tell you not to do this, but I know 3 people who have run their Si hatches w/o any fluid for way over 3 years more than 100k miles with no binding, freezing, locking, or anything else happening. If you leave the fluid in there it's just more weight. So what you can do is drain it, and go around like that. And then if it ever DOES bind you can swap in the CX, VX, DX, non p/s rack. BTW: I don't think power steering helps at autocross. I think it's quite the opposite. You get more feedback on the wheel, you tend to be more precise, and you never over turn the wheel. And sprained shoulders and wrists with an LSD and no p/s. That's absurd, I've never heard of that happening to anyone, and I know a few people with ITR swaps with no p/s and their wrists are fine as well as their shoulders....that's the biggest load of horsenuggets I've ever hear.

Whether it be the parasitic drag, extra weight, or worse handling ... p/s sucks. Go manual

 

so what m/s rack would be best ? cx, dx or vx? is there one out of a del sol?

 

all of those are the same, and i dont think the del sol had a m/s rack but maybe the s series.

 

I was just about to say that...

I used to have a 92 hatch with a B18C5... Along with the rack from an Integra, its a p/s rack and i ran a line like Jeff said... I had no problems with my car... Nothing happen to my shoulders or anything... Just those nights i hate when i get out of the gym and i was hurting... I liked having no powersteering, it's so hard for ppl to drive my car therefor i dont worry about ppl crashing my car when i let them drive... Dislocating shoulders???? I think ur just a weak biotch ...

 

what the...? man what kinda turning are you doing? driving a car with manual steering can be something of a workout, yes ('specially after you did chest and shoulders @ the gym) but definitely not something that'll be ripping your arms outta your sockets hahaha