power steering delete!?

[ti3]

Soo... I have searched for about an hour/ hour and a half without much result in finding an answer to any of these questions.
1. Has anyone done a PS delete?
2. How worth it would it be for the weight savings in the front of the car?
3. How hard is it to do? I mean I could simply remove all the power fluid, the pump and the reservoir(I think) but will the internals make it just bind up or anything?
4. Do I need a whole new system that just has the gearing without the other stuff?
5. Does anyone make a kit or alternative system to reduce weight when it comes to the PS system?

BTW I already did cf hood, a/c delete, battery relocate with the s50b30USA swap, but I am still a little heavy in the front, like 53.5% or something, and I would like to get a little closer to the stock 51.5% or whatever it is... you can see the weight distribution thread I started a little while back to see the real numbers, but all said and done I would like to lighten up the front just a little more, especially with the m3 brakes going on sometime within the next couple weeks, which will add some unsuspended weight to the front, and I really want to counter balance that somehow. Anyone have any advice on this or know of a thread that I just completely missed by accident that explains it all? I really tried searching for a long time, between this forum and google, and didn't come up with much of anything for the ti, except how to clean/flush/troubleshoot the PS system. Any help would be GREATLY appreciated.

Other lightening options will be entertained too if you have some better ideas (preferably that aren't going to cost anything... or nearly anything) too much money has been spent recently so I can't afford or justify spending a lot at the moment, especially when my other car which is supposed to be my daily driver is out of commission. Also, keep in mind this is still a street car, so I am not going to gut every single little thing, I still want it to be presentable, I.E. I am not going to take out the carpeting, or the headliner, or the pillar liners or the interior lights, etc.

I DO however plan on doing a coil-over suspension system a little later on when I get the cash, and would like to have it pretty well set on weight, and weight distribution, so I know which coil-overs to go with, whether I would go with a system designed specifically for the ti, because my weights are low enough that the few extra pounds will not make any difference, or something a little beefier that would go on an m3, because the extra motor weight is too much for a ti suspension system to handle properly.

I also realize this post is really long and thank those of you who bothered to read the whole thing, and help me out. THANKS!

[tiFreak]

I believe that power steering racks need power steering fluid to lubricate them and keep them from binding up, what I've seen people do is fill the rack with fluid and then use a hose going from the input and output things for the fluid so that the racks stays lubricated

as for weight reduction you could remove the spare, toolkit etc. from the trunk but that might make the weight more front biased again, which I don't think you want

does your car have a sunroof? that's a pretty heavy piece that's right at the top of the car, if you removed it and added a cf sunroof delete panel it could get weight down, the panels are somewhat expensive though so you might just want to use the original panel and just bolt it into place

[ti3]

I already removed spare/tools but that's not the issue, its in the front. I might look more into your suggestion about the input/output hose though, and remove the other PS stuff, the reservoir and pump and any extraneous tubing, but I gotta see if it will be worth it first. I honestly don't know what or where any of that is because I just haven't bothered looking in my hood yet, so I am not even sure it weighs enough to be worth removing.

I think my first thing will be to remove the washer fluid reservoir, and hoses, because I never use it anyway, and that's a couple good pounds when its full. Also, I don't have a sunroof, so that is out of the question, and I already did the cf hood/battery relocate like I mentioned. What my main goal is, is to get more traction and overall balance without having to ADD weight to the back. I would rather decrease the overall car weight from the front while maintaining a good weight ratio front to back.

I forgot to mention I plan on (when I have the money and wherewithal) to get some lightweight race seats, or similar, because the vaders I put in there are SO HEAVY! I think in the 65-70 lb range, whereas nice race seats are only like 10-20

I even took out the passenger seat altogether for a while, but my g/f got mad at me and made me put it back... She didn't like sitting in the back seat while I drove.

any other suggestions, or comments? especially about the PS system would be appreciated THANKS!

[Jean H.318TI]

or u can do the conversion to electric power steering but thats more for power saving and not weight saving so idk how much lighter or heavier would it be, but i think thats the other available option and u get more HP so that would be good too

[hatchgrafix]

I have a m50 swap, and I am running no power steering.

I took out the pump and reservoir, connected the two remaining lines together with some residual fluid in them. I then went to Orielly auto with the stock belt and told them I needed a shorter belt and gave them the measurements. Got the shorter belt, then installed it and it's been good to go!

Parking is a little bit harder, but you get used to it rather quickly. Not to mention it feels very responsive in the twisties.

Good Luck!!

[ti3]

Originally Posted by hatchgrafix

I have a m50 swap, and I am running no power steering.

I took out the pump and reservoir, connected the two remaining lines together with some residual fluid in them. I then went to Orielly auto with the stock belt and told them I needed a shorter belt and gave them the measurements. Got the shorter belt, then installed it and it's been good to go!

Parking is a little bit harder, but you get used to it rather quickly. Not to mention it feels very responsive in the twisties.

Good Luck!!

Now THATS what I wanted to hear... I think if I do it I will flush the system first, and make sure the fluid in there is good to go for a while, so I don't have any problems with that. A couple questions though, how is the actual weight savings? Do you think its worth it? ( I realize in the long run, every little bit helps, so even if its a few lbs it can make a difference) especially in combination with removing some of the other stuff I talked about like the Washer fluid stuff. I assume its not very hard to do as long as I can get the right belt to replace it.

Parking I can figure out, I drove a beast of a truck with a messed up power steering unit, and I managed... so this should be no problem. It also might cure the steering noise that its making on some cooler mornings going around turns. Before its warmed up...

Thanks for the info, I'm glad there is someone else that thought to do this, and went through with it... like I said I never found a thread about it after a long time searching, so its good to hear, and exciting to have another project on my hands, in combination with the M3 brakes I will be installing probably this weekend. :-D