modification or more spinach??? thats the question

[nzlotusman]

I have recently got a nice Esprit SE but had forgotten that i need to each plenty of spinach if i ever wanted to drive it around at normal speeds or in town. I am led to believe that i could fit power stearing from another vehicle. has any one got ideas what donor parts i would need? i also presume it would need certification too?

[kylie]

Geday Nick, welcome in here and really nice to meet you again on the run out to Karaka I cant remember if I told you I had power steering fitted to my car by Ken at KW Historics in East Tamaki. The whole system is Isuzu. You can ask Ken as to the exact procedure involved. I think its a few grand to get someone else to do it.

Feel free to email me any time.

Cheers
Kylie

[Autocross7]

nzlotusman said:

I have recently got a nice Esprit SE but had forgotten that i need to each plenty of spinach if i ever wanted to drive it around at normal speeds or in town. I am led to believe that i could fit power stearing from another vehicle. has any one got ideas what donor parts i would need? i also presume it would need certification too?

Interesting. I do not find the steering to be all that difficult... a bit heavy, but lighter than my RX-7. Spend some time on a lawn tractor, then your Esprit will feel light! Hahaha...

Drive topless!!!
Cameron

[kylie]

Was funny I remember when I bought my car they advertised as part of the advert it had power steering. I really looked over that detail as I thought whats special about that surely all stevens cars have it weighing in over a ton!!!
After buying it and reading up more about the car I thought....hang on....thats a mod....good score!! Haven't ripped it out it still works well

I didnt have power steering in the MK1 MR2 , must admit my forearms got strong

A lawn tractor though! cripes that would hard going in the grass

[nzlotusman]

not sure about the lawn mower... that merans i have to have a bigger garden and that means less time driving the beast. maybe should take up arm wrestling instead.

[teigan]

on my car, it takes a firm grip just to keep the steering wheel steady. any road irregularities get transferred up the steering column, especially at low speeds or braking to a stop. guess the wide tyres have a lot to do with it too. my 'ceps have got noticably thicker since buying the car.

[lotusse89]

teigan said:

on my car, it takes a firm grip just to keep the steering wheel steady. any road irregularities get transferred up the steering column, especially at low speeds or braking to a stop. guess the wide tyres have a lot to do with it too. my 'ceps have got noticably thicker since buying the car.

At low speeds the wider grippier tires will make it difficult to steer properly. If you have problems keeping the car going straight, without a tight grip, then I would say you need to get the alignment checked. And if you prefeer an easier driving car, go with a neutral alignment setup with zero toe in the front, and less castor.

[teigan]

it isn't the alignment. it will roll straight on average, but half the time it is veering left and half the time it is veering right. i think that's normal for the way it was built. would be nice to drive straight on with the steering wheel free.

[lotusse89]

teigan said:

it isn't the alignment. it will roll straight on average, but half the time it is veering left and half the time it is veering right. i think that's normal for the way it was built. would be nice to drive straight on with the steering wheel free.

Then I would say you need to rebuild the steering rack. I had to rebuild mine due to excessive play in the bushings. The car could move half a lane before the steering wheel moved. Fixed the rack, problem solved.

Then I had an alignment doen to my own specs, removed understeer, and increased turn-in response at the expense of straight line stability in the ruts. I like it, though it does take extra effort on the highway.

[teigan]

half a lane is impressive. my touring sedans can't match that. i did check the bushings a while back on the esprit and they are perky, so there may be another fault. thanks for the suggestions.

[Autocross7]

I have found that on roads that have been laid down for some time, my Esprit tends to sort of hunt around for the straight line. It seems this is due in part to the Esprit having a wider track than the common cars putting around. I have noticed on a couple of particularly old pave jobs, the car does not sit in the furrows (however shallow on paved roads) - but rather on one or the other... So, do not just assume your car has an issue if it drives straight sometimes, then hunts and bobbs at other times. Could be the roads?


Drive topless!!!
Cameron