Rack and pinion conversion!!

[danieljames]

https://youtu.be/UCeN6G3JVNI

[dcains]

Beautiful work, but I couldn't hear the sound for much of the video. There's a similar thread on myE28.com about a conversion using different parts, ones that don't look quite so custom-made and expensiveness ve.

[FernandoBunster]

Is there a benefit to this conversion?

[dcains]

Sure - much better feel/feedback from the steering wheel, more precision (worm and sector boxes have slop, by design), and no more broken steering box mounts. Drive an E30 and see.

[FernandoBunster]

My e39 Sport has rack and pinion and I don't notice the difference. My six has the M-Wrench upgrade for the steering box mount and all suspension links and bushings in new condition and the steering is very positive with great turn-in. It's as good as the E39.

The E30 is a much lighter car so I think the comparison would not apply.

[dcains]

I'm not sure it's just the lighter mass of the E30. My Alfa Spider's have German (ZF) steering boxes, and they're pretty light cars. Same issues I mentioned about the slop and lack of precision. Try this. Turn the wheel maybe 120-degrees in one direction, and with the car not moving, see how many degrees you can rotate the wheel back and forth with no resistance. That's just in the design, and you don't necessarily feel it as much when the car is in motion and the system is loaded, and because of that slop, primarily, yu lose all the road feel of a rack and pinion system. If that much slop is there with the wheel centered, however, and adjustment is required.

That's not to say any rack is better than any box, as many are over-assisted or over-damped, and all the good stuff I might want to feel is taken away.

[XAlt]

Rack is incredibly overhyped.

What you're feeling is the E30 steering ratio which makes the 24 a school bus in comparison. It's the same deal with E39 boxes, the M5's box is much lighter than the 540's, good luck telling the difference between it and the I6.