gearheadE30
03-03-2017, 02:46 PM
I did a bunch of searching before I did this, and seems like either it hasn't been done often, or no one has written about it. I deleted the SLS on my E34 touring, and wanted to get rid of all the lines and such in the engine bay as well. Turns out, the E34 steering box pumps have the regulator set at 130 bar. E36 pumps for rack and pinion are set at 110 bar, but are otherwise identical. The E36 pump naturally bolts in as a direct replacement, though if you are also deleting SLS you will need the mounting brackets on the front and rear of the pump, new power steering lines, and the non-SLS pulley which has a different offset. The pump has to be from a 1992-1995 325I or a 1995 M3 - the M52/S52 cars use a different pump that is higher pressure, and the 4 cylinder pumps appear to be significantly different as well.
It doesn't do a whole heck of a lot for steering feel itself, but the overboosted steering that my car originally exhibited made it difficult to drive fast smoothly - it would never weight up, giving me zero idea of what the tires were doing. Now, the steering at least loads up like I would expect and feels pretty natural, even if it isn't as communicative as a good rack and pinion setup. It's a big improvement in feel, and is a cheap, easy upgrade if you're already in there.
It doesn't do a whole heck of a lot for steering feel itself, but the overboosted steering that my car originally exhibited made it difficult to drive fast smoothly - it would never weight up, giving me zero idea of what the tires were doing. Now, the steering at least loads up like I would expect and feels pretty natural, even if it isn't as communicative as a good rack and pinion setup. It's a big improvement in feel, and is a cheap, easy upgrade if you're already in there.