power steering removal

i've seen this idea thrown around alot on this site mainly as a means of weight reduction. i was just wondering who all had actually done this and what kind of changes they got as far as drivability, practicality for street use, and handling, etc. i was also wondering if this is something you can do yourself or if professional work must be done. thanks guys

i dont think it'd be a good idea with a vr4, being they have AWS.

if you remove the AWS and the power steering(belt driven) you may loose a/c and a few other lil creature comforts. unless you can get a manual steering rack conversion of some sort. i know it's strait foward with my 944, but my car is ancient in technology to a vr4. and the weight savings...just removal of power steering, not worth it. you'll only save a few pounds.

i dont think it'd be a good idea with a vr4, being they have AWS.

if you remove the AWS and the power steering(belt driven) you may loose a/c and a few other lil creature comforts. unless you can get a manual steering rack conversion of some sort. i know it's strait foward with my 944, but my car is ancient in technology to a vr4. and the weight savings...just removal of power steering, not worth it. you'll only save a few pounds.

agreed, not worth it, how ever if u are looking for a weight reduction u can remove the rear aws rack and pinion and parts to save close to 60lbs.

Have you ever driven a non power steering car? If not I suggest it before you'd even think about a mod like this.

^^:lol: I completely agree. I remember one of our work trucks lost it's PS completely and that thing was a serious PITA to drive.

yeah i actually have. i learned stick on my dad's 1980 ford fiesta which did not have PS. but that is a SERIOUSLY light car. would it be different since the vr4 is in the same weight class as a MINIVAN?

Unless youd complete a manual rack conversion it would be a totally differenct animal.

I used to drive a Chevy Monza. Weighs about the same as a Fox Body Mustang.

I didnt realize the power steering belt had popped off and went to make a slow turn and had to completely muscle the steering wheel to make the turn.

Power steering racks need power steering.

drove my friends eclipse without the powersteering pump working. it was hard to say the least. even my 944 at low speeds is difficult(have yet to figure out why).

if you wanna loose weight, just remove the rear setup. if you want an autocross car, get rid of all powersteering and a/c, along with everything else thats not needed for performance ie: extra weight.

The A/C and alternator belt go to the left, and the right belt works the power steering, if you are looking at the crank pulley. By losing the power steering, his A/C would be fine, as they work on seperate belts.

didn't think about that. it's been a while for me and my car.

if you remove the rear rack setup and do manual conversion to the front, u'll loose somewhere near 65-70lbs. still not worth it.

what year is it? the aws is on em to help with high speed stability, if you remove aws, it might be a lil unfit for 70mph+ in a turn. though if you have active aero, that should counter you're lose of thte aws.

its a 91 and it still has the aero on it. but according to everyone this still sounds like a bad idea

if you want to do a weight reduction, to really make it worth it on any car, you kinda gotta go the lotus elise route, and strip everything you can. 60-70lbs on a 3750lb car isn't much, it'd still weigh more than anything else in it's class at the time. if you converted to rwd, remove aws, and got lighter wheels, then you'll be talking near 600lbs off.

it's not worth it if it's the only thing removed. if it's a serious project then go for it.

another thing to remove, seats. my power seats gotta weigh over 50lbs each.

if you want to do a weight reduction, to really make it worth it on any car, you kinda gotta go the lotus elise route, and strip everything you can. 60-70lbs on a 3750lb car isn't much, it'd still weigh more than anything else in it's class at the time. if you converted to rwd, remove aws, and got lighter wheels, then you'll be talking near 600lbs off.

it's not worth it if it's the only thing removed. if it's a serious project then go for it.

another thing to remove, seats. my power seats gotta weigh over 50lbs each.

:lol: Guess agian. Not EVEN close to that.

nah, y don't u just tell me

Depends what drivetrain you were using but if I had to ballpark it I would say 200-250lbs tops...anyone else with input?

How do you suggest going RWD? The fact that all but one of the RWD 3s's that still have the 6G72 are still using the transfer case. In reality, they lost no weight to go RWD.

The only way to go RWD AND lose weight is to turn the engine the correct way, make a custom front subframe, get a trans to mate to it, etc etc etc.

Then you are still pretty heavy. You could possibly lose some weight if you went with a custom rear end but not a whole lot.

You can save weight and make MASSIVE power if you drop in VTEC..... ......

o dear god. even knowing it's a joke, it's just the best stupidity used on this section yet that i've seen.