Steering Rack swap?

[bradnic]

I’m in for the eventual group buy if it ever happens

[EyExR]

They have different prices for very clear reasons.

1. ECS is trash.
2. FCP is a reseller of parts, so they need to make a profit. $342+$150 core charge.
3. Rack Doctor strictly rebuilds racks, you're going right to the source. $250+$250 core.

Rack doctor has a higher core charge because they need racks back, they're a small business. Bosch is a huge company, they can afford a lower core charge. And who to trust? Well, both FCP and Rack Doctor have life time warranties, so really it's just whether or not you want to spend $90 extra dollars for FCP.

I guess ECS charges top dollar because they can get away with it??

Thanks for the input. I guess I'll give rack doctor a shot.

Sorry for going off topic! Back to your regular programming... :)

[Kershaw]

They have different prices for very clear reasons.

1. ECS is trash.
2. FCP is a reseller of parts, so they need to make a profit. $342+$150 core charge.
3. Rack Doctor strictly rebuilds racks, you're going right to the source. $250+$250 core.

Rack doctor has a higher core charge because they need racks back, they're a small business. Bosch is a huge company, they can afford a lower core charge. And who to trust? Well, both FCP and Rack Doctor have life time warranties, so really it's just whether or not you want to spend $90 extra dollars for FCP.

[EyExR]

My concern is quality. There has to be a difference between all these these broadly priced options. No?

Really wish they were still available new. I think that ended just a couple of years ago, unfortunately.

[fresh_TD]

I'm at the point now where I think I just need buy another rack. It's amazing to find places like rack doctor who charge around $250 and sites like ECS charge up to $1,200 for a re-manufactured rack. Why the drastic difference??? FCP has one for $342. Who do you trust?



I had purchased two manufactured racks from a somewhat unknown vendor and swear that both are bad. Steering wander that I've never been able to iron out by replacing EVERYTHING else. At my wits end.

At least with rack doctor you get the $250 core charge back, once you ship your old rack back to them. At the end, it only cost $250 for a reman rack from them.

Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk

[EyExR]

I'm at the point now where I think I just need to buy another rack. It's amazing to find places like rack doctor who charge around $250 and sites like ECS charge up to $1,200 for a re-manufactured rack. Why the drastic difference??? FCP has one for $342. Who do you trust?

I had purchased two manufactured racks from a somewhat unknown vendor and swear that both are bad. Steering wander that I've never been able to iron out by replacing EVERYTHING else. At my wits end.

[nando]

40 hours a week feels like part time. lol

but really, I'll dance as long as the music is playing.... I just hope this is an EP, and not a double album... ;)

[EyExR]

Wow. And here I am hating a 35 hour work week... Let me tell ya - THIS guy (me) is cut out for retirement!! :)

Ok, Chris! I'll keep my eyes peeled...

[nando]

I haven't had a Friday off in like 2 months, unfortunately - so I haven't done anything with this yet. Hopefully that ends soon, 60 hour weeks is good for money but I have zero free time.

[EyExR]

I'd be in, too. I'm willing to try anything out. I'm really disliking my steering right now.

[Kershaw]

If it was around $500, $250 for the quaife rack and $250 for the electric assist I would be in.

[nando]

It also seems the quickeners are not well suited to street use - they need regular inspection/maintenance. They also put extra strain on your PS pump which will have to work 50-100% harder.

And they present a safety issue since you replace part of the column, which is collapsible in case of an accident, with a fixed part.

[The Dark Side of Will]

A Quaife is a "bolt in" affair... the quickener requires all the fab work you noted AND takes up extra room in the engine bay. That's what I find so attractive about the electric PS... it's all inside the firewall and does not take up any room in the engine bay.

[nando]

To answer your question on feel - I am sure it makes a difference, because otherwise the ZHP 330i rack wouldn't feel different from the non-ZHP rack. They have the same ratios, travel, etc, the only difference is the torsion bar (which is thicker). The steering is noticeably heavier with more feedback.

Both electric *and* a quickener is not going to be less space. You gotta pack that somewhere.

I would be happy to remove the PS and all that complication though. Since I'm working on a swap, there's an extra cost associated with making all of that work too (I don't have a PS pump for this motor, and now I wouldn't have to buy one, fab hoses, buy a new reservoir, etc). I bet that all weighs easily 30lbs. Removing the reservoir would give me more space for a plenum too.

So perhaps the options of a manual rack and an electric booster would be enough to satisfy most people? I think I'd be perfectly fine with manual steering, personally, but I understand not everyone is (I think with how much weight I'm removing from the front, it will be fine). It's not like a steering quickener costs much less than a Quaife rack and pinion (you still need a bunch of couplers to make it work, fab a mount bracket, etc) - and the electric assist is already an investment on its own.

[The Dark Side of Will]

No, but it reduces how responsive the steering is.

The E30's steering in comparison is super light and mushy. I'm certain the design of the torsion bar on the E30 steering rack is the reason, and why it really doesn't work very well as a 'manual rack'.

Do you actually notice the torsion bar deflection *now*? or just poor force feedback?

Another part of the reason the iX steering feels mushy is that the suspension has essentially no caster. There's not good feedback from the front tires about when they start to slip. There are a lot of factors at play.

I did consider that too. A steering quickener would double the response (but also the effort). But honestly, I'm not interested much in electric steering. that sounds like a bunch of extra weight, complication, and taking up valuable space.

I'm pretty sure it takes up *LESS* space overall and weighs less overall, because if you're not running a hydroboost, you can ditch the power steering pump AND all the hoses associated with it.

The the effort change associated with the quickener depends on where it is relative to the spool valve or torque sensor. If the quickener is "downstream" of the spool valve or torque sensor, then there should be very little change in steering effort from adding one.

This is an advantage for the electric power steering, as divorcing the spool valve from the steering rack requires a lot of extra work.

With the Quaife rack, we wouldn't need steering quickeners either.