M42club.com - Home of the BMW E30/E36 318i/iS

DISCUSSION => Suspension => Topic started by: rloewy on April 15, 2008, 06:55:16 PM

Title: Manual steering rack - where to get?
Post by: rloewy on April 15, 2008, 06:55:16 PM

I am thinking about removing the power steering rack from my car - I read some threads about options - but most of them end with "or just find a manual steering rack and install it instead".

Any pointers where to find these racks for sale?

Title: Manual steering rack - where to get?
Post by: Paul Strefling on April 15, 2008, 07:15:30 PM

Why are you looking to remove the power steering rack? One can simply plug the pressure and return ports and a power rack and achieve almost the same thing.

Title: Manual steering rack - where to get?
Post by: rloewy on April 15, 2008, 07:21:46 PM

I am guessing that there might be options to go to slightly quicker steering. I am not sure what the turn-to-turn is on my 318i - but the steering is a lot slower than my Miata - and I would not mind slightly quicker steering.

Just trying to figure out the options out there before I go out and decide what I want to do.

My BMW was mostly a drive around town car for me - but I am now ready to start adopting it to my tastes a little more - so I am trying to figure out all of my options...

Title: Manual steering rack - where to get?
Post by: Paul Strefling on April 15, 2008, 07:24:53 PM

I think a standard manual e30 rack might be slower than the power racks. Anyhow, e30 M3 and e36 M3 racks are faster.

Title: Manual steering rack - where to get?
Post by: tjts1 on April 15, 2008, 09:36:14 PM

Or the regular e36 at 3.2 turns is faster than e30 m3 (3.5) and with in a hair of the 95 m3 at 3.0 and z3 at 2.7. Either way all 3 e36 variants have the same ratio rack at 15:1. The only difference is where the stops are. Get the cheapest e36 rack you can find, cap the lines and you have manual steering. Why is everybody guessing about this? Its been discussed adnauseum. There are very detailed writeups on the subject. Search and you will be rewarded.

Title: Manual steering rack - where to get?
Post by: rloewy on April 15, 2008, 09:53:18 PM

Quote from: tjts1;47139

Or the regular e36 at 3.2 turns is faster than e30 m3 (3.5) and with in a hair of the 95 m3 at 3.0 and z3 at 2.7. Either way all 3 e36 variants have the same ratio rack at 15:1. The only difference is where the stops are. Get the cheapest e36 rack you can find, cap the lines and you have manual steering. Why is everybody guessing about this? Its been discussed adnauseum. There are very detailed writeups on the subject. Search and you will be rewarded.

Thanks - this is good information. I will look into an E36 rack, I guess. Probably fast enough for me.

Title: Manual steering rack - where to get?
Post by: tjts1 on April 15, 2008, 11:09:55 PM

This should get you started.
http://www.rmeuropean.com/Articles.asp?ID=136

http://www.griffiths.com/bmw/steering/racks/faq/index.html

http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=66247

I've had the car sitting on jack stands for 4 days now. I still haven't found time to finish the E36 rack swap.