Steering Rack swap?

[nando]

there's like a bazillion more 911's out there than ix's, and I'm guessing many of those guys have much deeper pockets than us. If you could really do it for $300, sure - but I doubt it would be that cheap when realistically you *might* sell 10 of them.

[Kershaw]

Me too. But good luck getting that going on r3v. We're definitely not rennlist.

[berlow94]

Steering Rack swap?

So, Quaife makes an aftermarket kit for Porsche 911's. It reduces the stock ratio of 3 turns lock to lock to 2.5 turns.

I wonder if we could get a group buy together to have them manufacture a run for the e30 IX rack?

The kit just includes the rack and pinion itself. You re-use your stock housing. (Gives you a chance to replace all bushings and seals while you're in there).
The 911 kit only costs ~$300.
I would happily pay that for a 2.5 turn rack in my car if it meant I didn't have to drill out strut housings and fabricate mounts.


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[nando]

Clearing out some shit in the garage - came across my notes one the racks:

E30 ix: 1.5"/rev, 5.5" total travel
E46 ix: 2"/rev, 7" total travel

[iXguido]

Thanks for clarifying everything. I'm hoping to try this soon

[stonea]

Thats what I was going to do. I'm eventually going to convert to coils and send it to John to get everything done, but I'm not willing to commit yet.

[nando]

BTW, I talked to John (ForcedFirebird) and he can modify the struts to make the E46 tie rods fit. So if you're doing coilovers, something to consider - but you'd want to get your ducks in a row regarding mounting it to the subframe (needs modifications). Garagetastic should be able to help with the steering linkage, you just need to give them the right measurements.

Basically, it's perfectly feasible - but nobody has done it yet. Also note that you want the later E46 330xi rack, not the early one. The early one had a slower ratio and poor feel.

[nando]

It's a mm or two - no, because the hole is tapered and it has to be sized precisely.

[Kershaw]

What's the difference in balljoint size? Could you ream it out yourself with a hand drill?

[nando]

not really - I'll probably do it after my engine build is done (which at this rate will take me 3 more years, lol).

I figured out that you could just use the E46 xi tie rods - they are the right length, but the ball joints are bigger. You would have to have the tapered holes in the struts reamed out to fit the bigger ball joints (it's not a huge difference, there should be plenty of material left).

The rack is actually a little longer - so there might be some bump steer, but I think the trade off will be worth it. I've measured the mm/revolution a couple times (although I always forget the numbers) it was like 2-3x faster than the ix rack. If you're used to driving a modern BMW you will appreciate the difference. The E30 always feels like a bus the first couple times I get back into it.

[iXguido]

Bumping this up. Anyone made any progress?
Just for clarity it sounds like there would not be any bump steer issues with the xi rack since the overall lengths are the same? The major hurdles are the mounts and tie rods?

[nando]

Are there no racks that are internally the same dimensions as e30 racks but quicker?

No.

[stonea]

I don't think so. I've been asking around but I've had no luck finding someone who would be willing to make a quick ratio rack for us.

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[Julien]

Are there no racks that are internally the same dimensions as e30 racks but quicker?

[nando]

yeah, if the outer portion is shorter than the E30 ix, then it could be the answer.

I think I can shorten it enough to make it fit, but then I don't think there will be any room left to adjust toe and that would be no good.