Pelican Parts
Parts Catalog Accessories Catalog How To Articles Tech Forums
Call Pelican Parts at 888-280-7799
Shopping Cart Cart | Project List | Order Status | Help



Go Back   Pelican Parts Forums > Porsche Forums > Porsche 911 Technical Forum


Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Rate Thread
Author
Thread Post New Thread    Reply
Registered
 
tkosier's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Jupiter, Fl
Posts: 173
Convert to power steering

OK, I know I've seen it somewhere in this forum- have searched but can not find. Looking for a company that builds manual to power steering rack conversion with electric pump for pre '89 cars.
Thanks

__________________
1988 Carrera
Old 11-07-2008, 05:17 PM
  Pelican Parts Catalog | Tech Articles | Promos & Specials    Reply With Quote #1 (permalink)
Registered
 
fitchn's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Louisville, CO
Posts: 148
Are you crazy? Why have a pre-1989 911 with its wonderful steering feel and ruin it with power steering?
__________________
Noah
79 SC
minerva blue metallic
Eureka CA / Boulder CO

Physics is like sex, yes there are some practical applications, but that's not why we do it.
Old 11-07-2008, 05:18 PM
  Pelican Parts Catalog | Tech Articles | Promos & Specials    Reply With Quote #2 (permalink)
Registered
 
tkosier's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Jupiter, Fl
Posts: 173
Crazy? Maybe. The wonderful steering is pretty heavy at low speeds (Auto-X) and nine inch rims/tires on the front and, combined with a pretty severely ruptured disc in my lower back, it can wear me out. Anyway, as I recall it was pretty expensive to do. Mostly I just wanted to find the link again. Frustrates me when I search and search and can't find it. Maybe it was on Rennlist.
__________________
1988 Carrera
Old 11-08-2008, 03:37 AM
  Pelican Parts Catalog | Tech Articles | Promos & Specials    Reply With Quote #3 (permalink)
Registered
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Atlanta, GA
Posts: 1,392
Quote:
Originally Posted by fitchn View Post
Are you crazy? Why have a pre-1989 911 with its wonderful steering feel and ruin it with power steering?
Relax- sometimes people need to modify their vehicles in order to enjoy them despite physical set-backs. Rather than chastise, why not either point to the info the poster seeks, or inquire tactfully in order to gain a greater understanding?

Noob.
Old 11-08-2008, 06:03 AM
  Pelican Parts Catalog | Tech Articles | Promos & Specials    Reply With Quote #4 (permalink)
Metal Guru
 
911nut's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2001
Location: Beverly Hills, Michigan
Posts: 2,526
Garage
Quote:
Originally Posted by fitchn View Post
Are you crazy? Why have a pre-1989 911 with its wonderful steering feel and ruin it with power steering?
Fitch, it might have been more tactful to say "sacrilege" in a loud voice

Actually, Porsche did a good job engineering power steering for the 964. I think that most of us would who own or have owned the older, manual steering cars would enjoy the feel of it. It would be a major undertaking to adapt such a system to an earlier car, however.
__________________
Paul B.
'91 964 3.3 Turbo
Port matched, SC cams, K27/K29 turbo, Roush Performance custom headers w/Tial MV-S dual wastegates, Rarlyl8 muffler, LWFW, GT2 clutch & PP, BL wur, factory RS shifter, RS mounts, FVD timing mod, Big Reds, H&R Coilovers, ESB spring plates- 210 lb
Old 11-08-2008, 06:23 AM
  Pelican Parts Catalog | Tech Articles | Promos & Specials    Reply With Quote #5 (permalink)
Irrationally exuberant
 
ChrisBennet's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Nashua, NH USA
Posts: 8,164
Garage
Smart Racing sell and electric power steering rack I think.
-Chris
__________________
'80 911 Nogaro blue Phoenix!
'07 BMW 328i 245K miles!
http://members.rennlist.org/messinwith911s/
Old 11-08-2008, 06:34 AM
  Pelican Parts Catalog | Tech Articles | Promos & Specials    Reply With Quote #6 (permalink)
 
Registered
 
tkosier's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Jupiter, Fl
Posts: 173
Thanks Chris - I see Smart Racing has the unit I was trying to remember. At almost $4K, I doubt I'll do it - probably makes more sense to change to a 964. The "season" is just starting here in south Florida, Ill see how it goes.
__________________
1988 Carrera
Old 11-08-2008, 08:27 AM
  Pelican Parts Catalog | Tech Articles | Promos & Specials    Reply With Quote #7 (permalink)
Registered
 
Rob Channell's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Decatur/Madison, Alabama
Posts: 1,192
A couple of less expensive suggestions.

1. Too much caster can make the steering a little heavy. If you are up near 6-7 degrees, try backing off to 4.5 - 5deg or a little less. A local friend with a cab thought his steering was heavy just because the cab was heavier(than his coupe) until he changed the caster setting and found it to be a much easier driving car.
2. Since you are doing autocross you could try a little toe-out in front. It will make the turn entries take a "set" just a little quicker and ease the steering effort a little. The downside is it will tend to follow ruts in the road a little more and be a little more skittish at higher speeds.

My 0.02,
__________________
Rob Channell
One Way Motorsports
1979 911SC mostly stock
1972 911T Targa now with a good 2.7
1990 Miata (cheap 'n easy)
1993 C1500 Silverado (parts getter)
Old 11-08-2008, 08:02 PM
  Pelican Parts Catalog | Tech Articles | Promos & Specials    Reply With Quote #8 (permalink)
Registered
 
Bart_dood's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Martinez, CA
Posts: 356
Quote:
Originally Posted by fitchn View Post
are you crazy? Why have a pre-1989 911 with its wonderful steering feel and ruin it with power steering?
+1
__________________
1997 Boxster SOLD
1999 R1100S SOLD
1988 Carrera 3.2
Old 11-08-2008, 08:06 PM
  Pelican Parts Catalog | Tech Articles | Promos & Specials    Reply With Quote #9 (permalink)
Gary H 1978 911 SC
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Fort Worth Texas
Posts: 1,306
My wife swears our SC has power steering.
Old 11-08-2008, 08:24 PM
  Pelican Parts Catalog | Tech Articles | Promos & Specials    Reply With Quote #10 (permalink)
Registered
 
Join Date: Dec 1999
Location: Novato, CA
Posts: 4,740
Too much negative camber will make it feel heavy also.
Old 11-08-2008, 09:11 PM
  Pelican Parts Catalog | Tech Articles | Promos & Specials    Reply With Quote #11 (permalink)
Registered
 
Join Date: Oct 1999
Posts: 8,673
I applaud you trying to keep your 911 even with physical issues.

Try adjusting (decreasing) the caster, as Rob says. With a lot of caster, you are literally lifting the front end of the car when you turn. Less caster will be easier. You'll really notice it.

The downside is that it won't track quite as well on the highway, and won't return to center by itself after a turn quite as quickly.

I had a 69 bug that I increased the caster on - a lot - it was really a bear to parallel park, and stock they're really easy.

Try it before you do anything else. If you don't like it, it's fully reversible. And mere pennies compared to power steering or a new car.

Last edited by tcar; 11-09-2008 at 06:52 AM..
Old 11-09-2008, 06:44 AM
  Pelican Parts Catalog | Tech Articles | Promos & Specials    Reply With Quote #12 (permalink)
Registered
 
Chuck Moreland's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Santa Clara, CA
Posts: 5,668
A number of things affect the steering weight. Camber and caster as above, but there is much more.

You have 9 inch wheels. Is this a wide body car?

Wheel offset has a big impact on steering weight. This can be due to the offset built into the wheel and/or wheel spacers. Spacing the wheel centerline out increases the steering weight.

Tire pressure also has a big impact. If you're running low pressure now, try inflating your tires to the rated maximum. 5-10 lbs of pressure makes a big difference is steering weight, and it's a lot cheaper and quicker than putting in a power steering rack.

Do you have coil overs? Coils need seat bearings or the spring winds up when turning. This makes for very heavy steering. If you have seat bearings, check to see if they need replacement.

Monoball strut tops lighten steering feel too. They allow the strut to rotate at the bearing, instead of the shock wiper seals.

__________________
Chuck Moreland - elephantracing.com - vonnen.com
Old 11-09-2008, 07:42 AM
  Pelican Parts Catalog | Tech Articles | Promos & Specials    Reply With Quote #13 (permalink)
Reply


 


All times are GMT -8. The time now is 05:28 PM.


 
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2025, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Search Engine Optimization by vBSEO 3.6.0
Copyright 2025 Pelican Parts, LLC - Posts may be archived for display on the Pelican Parts Website -    DMCA Registered Agent Contact Page
 

DTO Garage Plus vBulletin Plugins by Drive Thru Online, Inc.