hey guys, did a search, but im still not sure whether i should just remove the belt, or the whole assembly all together.

if i were to just remove the belt, what would become of the p/s fluid etc? if i remove it, and decide to later put it back on, is there anything i should be notified about earlier, like special p/s fluid?

i guess i'll just try driving with the belt off for a few days to see if i really wanna take the whole system off. thanks guys.

 

What are the good/bad things about doing this?

 

Pros :a slight gain in power less than 5whp i believe. Better feel on the track or better steering response.

Cons: It's a real PITA to parallel park


[Modified by Type Goch, 11:37 PM 9/16/2001]

 

try out removing the belt first , then decide if you want to remove it. I removed the power steering unit out of my civic and regret it.

 

eeek

 

Who has done this?

 

many people...for example...Chris(nor cal dude), EP, Andrew...but all those are race cars...im not sure about daily driver guys..

 

i just took out my power steering belt, the feel is pretty good. just a little more effort.

what i wanted to know was by removing the belt, and leaving the unit there, will there be any damage done? thanks!

 

hey ed, how is the feel above 30mph? looser or tighter (stiffer) than w/ power steering?

 

I think that if you just remove the belt, your still pushing fluid when you steer. If you like no power steering, do a manual rack swap.

 

petey

about 30+ the feel is pretty good. i can still move the wheel with ease, its just like 5mph and below it gets to be a little bit of a pain. i think the trade off is well worth it, now i just gotta debate whether to take off the whole ps unit or not.

anyone have any input on if it'll harm the system by just letting it sit there w/o the belt on? thanks.

 

dr pooface,
by pushing fluid when i steer, will i damage any components?

 

it won't damage anything, but it will make it harder to turn because you have to fight the fluid and the weight of the car. if there's no fluid in the rack it's alittle easierto turn. running the rack dry damages it in the long run. anyone know of a manual rack that will fit our cars??? eg rack or something???

 

I dont think so... but I haven't totally educated myself with this mod and do not want to give you bad advice. I have heard of resovoirs (sp?) being needed to keep the rack lubed up with its own fluid ( the realtime guys do this). I have heard that to see if you like it, disconnect the belt, and if you like that, do a manual steering rack swap. I hope that helps.

 

Nah you don't push fluid when the pump isn't turning. But, if you drive around a lot, especially in the city, you'll regret taking it off. It is a serious pain in the *** trying to park, especially in tight situations. I proclaim you won't notice the horsepower gain when you spend most of your time fighting the steering wheel.

 

alright thanks for the info guys, i guess i'll just make sure to keep the resivour up with fluid until i decide to completely remove the unit or put the belt back in.

thanks again.

 

jus put a rack in from a DX civic.

 

dont worry..one day u;ll get so used to it..it will become so easy that u'll think someone put the belt back on

 

I removed my entire P/S system and use a reservoir to keep the rack lubed. Effort is now a little less than with simply removing the belt. I much prefer the feel and the slight power increase/weight savings (about 16 lbs. or the equal to using a F.I. C/F hood, according to my scale). Personally one of my favorite mods so far and it cost me very little to do.

Spoon - "dont worry..one day u;ll get so used to it..it will become so easy that u'll think someone put the belt back on" - That's funny but it's actually true. Sometimes I'm surprised by how light the steering is and I try to imagine how light it would be with the P/S intact in the same situation.



[Modified by SpecR0123, 9:07 PM 9/17/2001]

 

i have a c/f hood as well

 

remove PS belt will give you ~ 6 wHPS, I have more than 1 post on this board about removing the belt (not the entire unit) and the both yeild more than 5whps. I personally do it only at the track (circuit, not drag). On a street, without AC, you will sweat when you parallel park.

 

yosh, you know of anyone who has done a manual rack swap?? i've been wanting to do it but not sure if it will bolt up. power steering needs to go.....

 

I don't know about the 6whp claim (I have heard of that but it was on a fairly modified car (~200whp)) so I'll dyno my GS-R (not too equal to your ITR people for those ITR people one here who are just waiting to bitch that it's not a good test..) after I redyno wth the header/cat.

I do agree in taking it off for lapping days tho, I like the heavier feel to the wheel with it removed at high speeds.

 

why would you want to put a manual rack on? then you lose the whole quick turning ratio of the type r...most manual racks, your gonna be doing the bus driver thing at the track..someone slap me if im wrong...im purty sure that the rack is allready sealed..the power steering fluid just assist the rack from side 2 side..i dont think it actually enters...i would think the gears would need alot thicker lube than p/s fluid..once again slap me if im wrong..

 

*slap*

J/K!! I did remove the belt recently, and IT SUCKS!! I put it back...I found I was wandering all over the road on sharp turns. It seemed dangerous to me. I know someone that has removed it and has it that way for a while..He said he is used to it now.

I am thinking to do an underdrive pully or something...but havent resdearched anything yet....

Its not worth the power gains to me right now..maybe when I am fighting 30 cars for 2/10ths