fressssssh

Which is better... Specifically for a car that is going to be a track car/daily driver? which one do you track guys run with, and which do you feel is honestly the best option for racing applications? Also anyone running one on their daily driven car? How much harder is it to do just the everyday things that usually go unnoticed with the PS rack? Thanks in advance for your opinions.

krystar

if u have to parallel park the car, i would go power. otherwise, manual all the way.

M758

For the track I like Manual for my NA.

For the street I like Power especially in my Turbo.


I have run also a depowered rack and was very hard to turn at slow speeds. Not very streetable in that a parking lot becomes a chore. With manual steering a parking lot is just an effort where as with power a parking lot is no big deal.

Dimi 944

Also, I've heard that the manual steering rack has lower steering ratio than the power steering rack.

V2Rocket

have run a de-powered PS rack for years without issue (aside from actually breaking a steering wheel from parallel parking ), not really that hard to drive but i guess im used to it. parking isnt bad at all.

F40LM

My first 944 was manual. When I got the '86 with power I missed the manual steering. Since it has been up on the jack stands anyway I wanted to swap it over to a manual set-up. After much looking I gave trying to find a manual rack under $350 and de-powered the power rack on the car. I have not driven it yet since the swap over. This also will be an almost daily driver, 2-3 trips per week 128 miles total each day. So not having to worry about power steering leaks was a plus for me. De-powering a rack is not that hard.

Of course, since the swap I located a '83 parts car with a manual rack, have not settled on a price with the owner just yet.

My .02 worth, either swap yours to de-powered or buy a spare leaking power rack from someone here for next to nothing and de-power it. Try it for yourself and your driving enviroment. Worst case is you still decide to buy a manual rack and will have the de-powered rack tucked away somewhere in case you need it down the road.

De-powering my rack cost me all of $10 and about 3 hours of time, broken up with a beer or two.

michael

sydneyman

i didn't mind my time with a depowered rack but i was biding my time until i could afford to fix my power steering. im finishing up the power steering today so hopefully all goes well... i feel like the 968 is way too heavy for manual steering so it may be a different experience in a lighter car...

for every day driving it wasn't too bad... for driving quickly it was unbearable... turning at high speeds is next to impossbile without great effort. also the "feedback" you get at high speed cornering is more unsettling than helpful... also, the fatigue you develop just from steering makes driving a chore when you should be focusing on line and the others around you on the track

as always, ymmv

choinga

i had my p/s belt off while i was working on my pump and drove the car around for a couple days (maybe 20 miles or so) and I didn't like it. I considered, prior to driving, just deleting it and going with manual, but for daily driving it was just to much work. I'd rather just deal with the messy p/s and not have to muscle my car around everywhere.

tifosiman

Once again people confuse a real manual rack with a de-powered rack.

Yes, the manual rack is a different ratio whereby there are slightly more turns to lock (to make it easier to turn with no assist).

It is slightly harder to turn than a functioning power rack but the road-feel and driving experience is great. I've had a manual rack in my car for years for both events and daily driving and there is no looking back for me. The car just feels "right" with it. Now I can't attest to what a much heavier 968 feels like with it.

I occasionally run 245's on the front with no issues in drivability. I can't speak to tires any wider than that with the manual rack.......

F40LM

Not meaning to offend, but driving around without the belt on a power steering system is not exactly the same as a true de-powered rack. The key is the removal of the piston on the shaft itself. See step #11.

http://www.brooksbabies.com/porsche/...ack-how-to.pdf

Yes the grease will be stiffer than the fluid but once it settles in you should a big difference between this set up and a power rack with no belt on it.

Just my .02 worth.

michael

F40LM

Ditto to the 'just feels right' part. However to each his own and it may come down to what type of 944 you drove first, with or without a manual rack.

michael

tifosiman

Well, my car had a power rack originally, but once I drove an early car with manual steering I knew that I had to convert mine. But you're right, to each his own.

arthropraxis

Alignment and offset should make a difference with a true manual rack. I would suspect in an early offset car the manual steering rack would be easier/lighter than in the late offset cars.

ritzblitz

Indeed, I noticed a difference when going from a 7" front wheel to a 8", the steering was much lighter. The extra inch of width was on the outside.

But power steering is probably the fastest. There's a good thread somewhere debating the two, in which TonyG makes a pretty good case for power steering.

Eturbo924

I have a manual rack in my 924... standard in 1982. I had a manual rack in my 1983 944 but it had a kink on center so the only rack I could find at the time was a power rack. I converted it to a non power and loved it.

I think the 924/944 is better manual... but that is just my 2 cents.

Eric