Quick rack

[FactBV]

I have a pre-cat with manual steering and as standard the number turns lock to lock is around 2.7. On the power steering models it is around 2.2 I seem to remember. Obviously with the lack of power assistance the change in ratio helps a little. However, I would like it to be a little more responsive so was wondering whether there is someone who can convert the standard TVR manual rack to make it a little quicker, similar to the ratio of the power steering rack.

[450Nick]

I'm not sure if there are a problem with manual racks, but I know that TVR power steering racks aren't great and people seem to never be able to get them fixed. If it were me doing it, I'd look seriously at Tilton; they make brand new ones to spec, and I seem to remember someone pricing one up some time ago and they really weren't that expensive. You could send them your rack for dimensions and they could send you a new one to fit, with any ratio you like..

[FactBV]

450Nick said:

I'm not sure if there are a problem with manual racks, but I know that TVR power steering racks aren't great and people seem to never be able to get them fixed. If it were me doing it, I'd look seriously at Tilton; they make brand new ones to spec, and I seem to remember someone pricing one up some time ago and they really weren't that expensive. You could send them your rack for dimensions and they could send you a new one to fit, with any ratio you like..

Really helpful, I will do just that, thanks. Peter

[haircutmike]

I'll look into that as well.

Fed up with my P/S rack with play in it and being unrepairable at the moment I am sticking the manual rack back in!!!!!!!!!!!!!Feck it.

[450Nick]

Saying that, I can't find anything about it on the Tilton website, so maybe it wasn't Tilton. It was Graham on here who did the research for his race car, I'll ask him where they were from..

Edit: Ah ha, it was Titan.. I was close!

http://www.titan.uk.net/steering.php

Edited by 450Nick on Saturday 7th July 12:24

[5.0ltr]

In case it helps, Kiley-Clinton in Birmingham are always recommended for steering racks. http://www.steering-racks.co.uk/

[haircutmike]

5.0ltr said:

In case it helps, Kiley-Clinton in Birmingham are always recommended for steering racks. http://www.steering-racks.co.uk/

Yes but they couldn't fix mine.

Spent the day going back to my manual rack.

How can I say this,............. IT'S AWFULL!!!

[Russell Mc]

Electric power steering swap on the cards

[FactBV]

Russell Mc said:

Electric power steering swap on the cards

Power steering is designed to help ladies park, for real men manual steering is no problem at all, on a proper car that is. If the manual steering is too heavy, for a real man, the car is obviously too heavy. Therefore get a lighter, proper car and my initial point is valid.................I'll get my coat.

Russ, anyway you've got a proper car with proper steering, you're fine.

[haircutmike]

Having had both, I can't believe why anyone would want non assisted, it is rubbish.

It's not the parking, I don't mind that but quick low speed manouvering is impossible and on the track changing direction rapidly doesn't happen!

On the move at speed there is little in it surprisingly.

[Russell Mc]

With power steering it'll easier to catch the huge drifts I do leaving McDonalds carparks. Really impresses the girls.

[haircutmike]

That's true, with manual steering you end up facing the wrong way and have to tell people you've come back for a Mcflurry!

[SSPPGG]

Ive been looking at this some. a scooby classic rack will pretty much bolt into a griff. ive one in the garage,

the rack (ball centre to ball centre) itself is about 3mm longer than the tvr rack (you could shorten it, but easy to do that after installed and initial impressions sorted

you need to shorten and rethread the TCA
the scooby TRE will fit the ford steering arms
you need to respline the scooby input shaft, pretty easy with a straight knurl
use a vectra ephs pump to drive it, this pump "detects" pressure, so you get assist at parking, but none at speed.

It is a bit faster than the std tvr manual rack, but if you want a faster one, you can get a scooby quick rack, but i will be fitting a std wrx one this winter, but more than happy to share what i know if it helps anyone.

i used this setup for both my cobra replicas, works very well with similair weight and style of cars.

[Hedgehopper]

Sounds like an interesting alternative to the Corsa electric column conversion. On the Subaru rack are the mounting points compatible or easly adapted? Would be intereted to hear more.

[SSPPGG]

the mount points are fine, with one end of the rack fitted with a a slip clamp, so on my car, there is no need to touch the chassis mounts to fit the rack, though you might need to "scallop" one of the triangular plates near the pinion, to permit clearance for the pipe fittings. I think that will be dependant on the car though, one chassis i looked at needed 3mm removed, one needed nothing.

you need to rotate the input part on the rack to clear the chassis, just undo a couple allen bolts, and remake or bend the old hard pipes (got mine redone for £10).

I think the rack will sit approx 5mm off centre when using the tvr mount points but you will need some rack stops to prevent the wheels touching the inner arch anyway, so ive made those unequal length, so whilst the body of the rack is slightly offset, the rack movement is not. you just put the stops on the rack before you attach the TCA

you could make a plate for the tvr mounts, and bolt the scooby rack to that, but I think it will just need some spacing (5mm or so) to get the rack height correct to measure out any bump steer. This will need measuring, ive done it with my cobs before, and while a PITA, spending time getting the rack height spot on pays dividends, and is to some extent dependant on other settings in the car, (ride height etc).

Ive got to change a steering UJ on mine in the next couple days, so i might get a photo or two...

one advantage is that the steering forces are all contained in the chassis and rack, not back to the bulkhead, so no need to do any strengthening etc...

[jfjfjf2]

I'm very interested in both the Titan and the Subaru option. My track control arms have gone walkabout during a body off refurb and replacements for my type are unobtainable. Do you know what the lock to lock is on the Subaru quick rack and which models they come from? Photos would be a big help.
Zoe from Titan is away today, has anyone had any feedback from them yet?

Thanks,

Julian

[FactBV]

jfjfjf2 said:

I'm very interested in both the Titan and the Subaru option. My track control arms have gone walkabout during a body off refurb and replacements for my type are unobtainable. Do you know what the lock to lock is on the Subaru quick rack and which models they come from? Photos would be a big help.
Zoe from Titan is away today, has anyone had any feedback from them yet?

Thanks,

Julian

Zoe from Titan has sent me three pdf documents with the specs, I will see if I can upload them tonight for people to see.

[SSPPGG]

whats the cost of the titan option?

[FactBV]

SSPPGG said:

whats the cost of the titan option?

I can never seem to upload pdf documents, I don't know why. The pricing depends on how off the shelf it is, the price list runs to a couple of pages so best to get the docs from Zoe when she comes back. I did notice that they offer what seems to be a completely integrated electric power steering assembly, that only draws 8 amps and you can adjust the level of assistance with a switch on the dash.

[SSPPGG]

Ive finally got around to trial fitting the impeza rack to the griff. really is pretty straightforward.
Ive posted a pic in my winter refurb thread,



itll work out great, no real chasssis mods, the rack bolts into original tack mount points. and alignment of the rack is within 1mm or the original rack.

you need to cut a new spline on the pinion (unless you want to cut and weld a spline, but i dont), change some pipes around etc, but really pretty easy stuff.

ive got to mount the electrc pupm, but ive used this type pump before, so its just a case of making an appropriate bracket for it.