Power Steering assistance

Donovan · Post by **Donovan** » Wed Jul 04, 2012 10:22 pm

Is there anyway to decrease the amount of assistance the power steer gives you, make the steering heavier? Can't remove completely because of the LS1, but it is way too light at the moment.

Mad Kiwi · Post by **Mad Kiwi** » Wed Jul 04, 2012 10:35 pm

Are you sure the LS1 is so much heavier that it affects the steering?

The miata roadster forum should have info about all of this...?

Apart from the odd time I love the manual steering in both our mx5's....

http://www.v8miata.net/

I guess you probably know this site inside out by now though....

brownie · Post by **brownie** » Wed Jul 04, 2012 10:48 pm

Get a wheel alignment done first,Could be completely out of wack.

Reminds me of with our family Capella wagon i've got,Put a set lowered springs and shock in the front,looked fine and drove fine ,until i drove it 4 weeks after changing them(Wifes car),Steering was as light as fu*k,Got my good friend to check the alignment ...Front camber was out 15 degrees !!,Rooted the near new front tyres in 4 weeks,Got the alignment and put some more tyres on the front and drove mint and has ever since.
Asked the wife...Didn't it feel funny??......"ahh,a little bit,i just drive it" AHHHHHH

Donovan · Post by **Donovan** » Thu Jul 05, 2012 7:53 am

It's not the weight of the engine on the front that it got converted to power steer, but apparently it was too much of a hassle to get the LS1 running without the power steer pump, don't know how true it was, but it was all converted over before I had any say in it.

It's getting a wheel alignment done this arvo, but either way, the assistance is still too much in these. My brother's NA8C is light on the steering as well, but mine actually feels more so.

See how it is after the alignment then.

MX4000 · Post by **MX4000** » Thu Jul 05, 2012 6:13 pm

The pump probably puts out the same pressure as the Mazda one - they are all much the same. Mine has a bug with the powersteer - variable assistance when turning one way. Probably the control unit where the column meets the rack. When it annoys me enough I'll see if the torsion spring set up in the rack can be tweaked to reduce the assistance. Talking to powersteer guys they say they have increased assistance at times but haven't reduced assistance before. In the meantime I put on the 225's and the steering got heavier anyway!

Angreal · Post by **Angreal** » Thu Jul 05, 2012 7:11 pm

Nothing to do with the post but MX4000 I very much like your car

SLYDIT · Post by **SLYDIT** » Thu Jul 05, 2012 7:55 pm

you could try putting thick washers under the pipe fittings that screw into the rack. the smaller the hole in the middle the less oil flow there will be therefore less assistance.
throttling it down to a 5 or 6 mm hole may do the trick.

Donovan · Post by **Donovan** » Thu Jul 05, 2012 9:35 pm

Have had the wheel alignment done today, and it is a bit better, but it is still pretty light. I haven't noticed it being variable with the speed, seems light all the time, but then again, I haven't really had a chance to put it to the real test, the driving so far has just been pottering around to places getting things sorted.

Will look into the washer thing further, as that was my thinking, if I could reduce the hydraulic flow it must therefore reduce the assistance, so looks like my thinking wasn't too wrong, just never thought of using washers.

r3spct · Post by **r3spct** » Thu Jul 05, 2012 11:14 pm

Have a read of this

http://www.motoiq.com/magazine_articles ... ering.aspx

you could prob make something to do similar, but remember the pressure on that side of things is pretty high, so would take some good quality fittings.

SLYDIT · Post by **SLYDIT** » Sun Jul 08, 2012 6:55 pm

i have never pulled apart the factory PS pump but i guess simply modding the PS pumps releif spring would sort it?

dynofiend · Post by **dynofiend** » Mon Jul 16, 2012 10:12 pm

Get as much caster on the front suspension as possible if you havnt already.

MX4000 · Post by **MX4000** » Tue Jul 17, 2012 8:57 pm

Washers will give you the opposite effect to what you want. At low flow they provide little or no flow restriction = small steering movements at speed when you want some more weight.

When there is high flow they will restrict and reduce pressure = slow speed, large steering movement when you want the assistance.

na6*dori · Post by **na6*dori** » Thu Aug 16, 2012 9:06 pm

yes you can modify the pressure releif valve to make the pump less effective, and yes i can modify it for you

Snapfrozen · Post by **Snapfrozen** » Thu Aug 16, 2012 9:17 pm

Convert to an electric power steering system (Maybe from an MR2?) and use resistors to limit it?

Power Steering assistance

Power Steering assistance

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