azurTC

I'm not sure if the timing belt runs the P/S, I'm pretty sure that the serpentine belt or one of the others does this. My car is in the body shop so I can't run out and look at it right now. With a lightweight pulley and the P/S stuff removed with the lines looped at the rack, you will feel a difference. To determine the new belt size with the P/S removed, install the parts you want and take off the ones that you don't. Then loop some string through the pulleys like the new belt will go. Then make a mark on the string and remove it. This will give you an idea of how long it should be to take too the parts store and sort through their belts until you find one close.


Joe

kronicillusionz

I think he wants to get us riled up =P

BlackSandPtC

i think hes asking for sizes you guys? haha.

farberio

Another thing to worry about is those dam computers...the PS pump may have a sensor that goes off when it stops working which causes an error to flag in another module that throws a CEL.

Its hard to do anything nowadays without worring about the car ECU's.

OMAC

What 'experience' are you trying to get? Power steering is negligible at highway speeds. It's main purpose is to assist in turning the wheel at low speeds, like in a parking lot.

io333

I drove for years a british car without power steering. Done correctly, a car designed without it is far superior to one with. The Lotuses are manual steering. That's why WOMEN never will buy a lotus, why the Lotus is purely a mans car, and why all cars have power steering today except the lotus: because the manufacturers do not want to exclude 50% of the car buyers.

Jan06xB

WHen I was changing hte PS fluid I had the return line removed into a bottle and I didn't notice any real difference in ease of turning the wheel. The PS Pump is powered by a separate belt than the Alternator and Water pump on an xB. BTW this is my first power steering car out of the three prior that I have owned. A lot of the steering effort can be affected by the tire tread - on my 80Rabbit I would get friction burns on my hands when the wheel straightened with the factory tires then when I got a second set it was like power steering. My 94Geo I could palm while backing up but then it had 4 inch wide tires on it.

Soupy_TC

my other car is a '75 Cosworth Vega and it doesn't have power steering and to think about it not much bells and whistles anywhere else exceot for the engine.. soo much fun to drive and i agree manual steering is the best when you are at speed but around 10 mph it can be a pain.. just don't let your girlfriend drive it and you'll be fine..

pandaslayer

cars like that also have rack and pinion steering, which makes it easier to drive. tC's don't have rack and pinion.

Jan06xB

My friend has a 72Vega talk about a cheep car - cost was something like $2700 NEW! Ahhh those were the days . . . $0.15 hamburgers at McDonalds . . . BIG candy bars for a nickel.

Budsmoke

It’s going to make parallel parking a pain....

I had an ’88 Dodge pickup (don’t remember the model but it was a smaller truck) and a ’95 Neon that didn’t have power steering. It took 2 hands to turn the wheel while stopped or at low speeds, but it wasn’t that bad while driving.

I was driving my friend’s car one time when the power steering went out. Even though I was used to not having power steering, it was extremely difficult since the car wasn’t designed to drive without it.

If you’re curious, give your tC mod a shot. I’m just guessing you’ll regret it almost instantly.

CuRiOuSfIsH

yuup! anything below 15MPH will require a lot of strength. Parallel parking into a spot will be just as tough too. But it seems like you have experience with that. good luck.

Arsenic0

I wouldnt wish city driving without power steering on my worst enemy.

Maybe if you live in the country and have a mile long straight stretch to your driveway and your arms are the size of 2x4's...

Good luck getting any type of insurance claim, let alone insurance(unless you dont tell them) if you do get in a wreck after taking off power steering.

I think the darwin award's has afew openings left

tCb00b

iTrader: (1)

I believe the P/s is run off the accesory belt. I'm still sticking to my guns by saying the gains aren't worth the loss/ potential outcome. I'm just glad you're not on my side of the country.

io333

Huh? Rack and pinion is cheap and every car uses it today. If the tC doesn't have R&P I'd be stunned.

Old non-PS cars had worm&ball steering -- race/performance cars would use worm/ball that was adjustable so that as the unit wore, you could crank the ball deeper into the screw and tighten it up to brand new again. Those units were precision machined, and very expensive. The great move to R&P, when it happened, was touted as a "feature" but really, like FWD, just a cost-cutting measure trumpeted by marketing slicksters.

pryde

Actually after beening stationed in germany and having an 89 3 series i prefer non power steering... espeacially at highway speeds... you can feel the car better. Yea its a &#&# when ure trying to parallel park but when ure moving its not much an issue.

Syldrin

iTrader: (1)

i'd suggest not doing this like most others here are suggesting aswell. for 1 the annoance just isn't worth it for 1-2 hp. i've driven a 67 mustand and a 67 fairlane w/o power steering and it's just plain annoying. if this is your every day driver just don't do it. if you're it's just for 1/4 mile have at it. granted the TC doesn't weigh as much as thoes but still it's a 3klbs car and still will not be fun to turn on your own. just take in to concideration we're suggesting you don't some ppl have experianced this learn from it.

Btw if you take off your power steering you're just going to have to put it back together when you've become fed up with not having it. :p

Jan06xB

There is an electrical connection on the pump which may control the variable assist that you may be able to tap into and disable the assist at highway speeds when you want a a better feel for the road and then turn it back on for city driving. Not sure how or if it regulates the assist or is just a sensor for the ECU.

TongMan

Removing Power Steering is just absurd!

unsungfate

ok ok... im back with results!

first i had a friend take the belt off and put in a new belt while i drove his civic around for a day... his offer!

anyways, as everyone stated, manuvering the steering wheel at low speeds or a dead stop was a pain, but i could live with it because i liked how the car wouldnt jerk as much into turns at higher speeds. with the power steering, wheel seemed really jerky and sensitive at high speeds, but now its more precise. i loved it a lot, it doesnt jerk around on the highway either!

i dunno if its a placebo affect or if the car really is different (esp at low speeds), but its there to me and i like it. also, the engine seems to run smoother without having to run the P.S. pump