Going fully manual?

[SouthernGorilla]

My brain never stops thinking of ways to make my commute more fun/dangerous/interesting. One of the recurring thoughts is ditching the power assist on the brakes and steering. Manual brakes are fairly trivial. So long as you correct the pedal ratio and master cylinder size you shouldn't really need any extra effort. But I'm less sure about the manual steering. I've had cars with manual steering before, most notably a MKI MR2. But that was a light, mid-engine car with hardly any weight up front. My GT is my daily, not a gutted racer. So I'm not entirely convinced manual steering would be tolerable in typical daily driver scenarios like parking. Especially once I get around to adding wider tires. There's also the question of whether or not my wife could even handle it. It's too much fun watching her drive it to take that away.

Anybody running a manual rack on the street?

 

[lwarrior1016]

I have been running manual brakes and steering since 2016 or so. It was a daily driver for many of those years. It wasn't until just recently I decided to swap back to power steering. I used the maximum motorsports manual brake pedal and will be keeping that indefinitely.

 

[SouthernGorilla]

I have been running manual brakes and steering since 2016 or so. It was a daily driver for many of those years. It wasn't until just recently I decided to swap back to power steering. I used the maximum motorsports manual brake pedal and will be keeping that indefinitely.

Seeing the MM kit while browsing today was exactly what inspired this thread.

Did you use the 20:1 rack for manual steering? I can't decide whether that would be the better option compared to the 15:1 or not. On the one hand, 20:1 would make for lower effort in parking lots. On the other hand, it could feel as sluggish as a bus. It's not a cheap conversion by the time you get the rack, the steering shaft, and all the bits. So I'm not keen on "just try it and see".

 

[lwarrior1016]

Seeing the MM kit while browsing today was exactly what inspired this thread.

Did you use the 20:1 rack for manual steering? I can't decide whether that would be the better option compared to the 15:1 or not. On the one hand, 20:1 would make for lower effort in parking lots. On the other hand, it could feel as sluggish as a bus. It's not a cheap conversion by the time you get the rack, the steering shaft, and all the bits. So I'm not keen on "just try it and see".

I've got the standard ratio flaming river rack. It's 15:1. Where are you located? I might be able to hook you up with a rack and bumpsteer kit.

 

[SouthernGorilla]

I've got the standard ratio flaming river rack. It's 15:1. Where are you located? I might be able to hook you up with a rack and bumpsteer kit.

I'm near Ft. Worth, TX.

 

[lwarrior1016]

I'm near Ft. Worth, TX.

That's not terrible. I guess when I get my new power rack I could box this manual rack up and send it to you. Just pay for shipping. The dust boots are torn but everything is still tight. It's got a steeda bumpsteer kit on it.

All I ask is that if you don't like it, pass it on to someone else.

 

[SouthernGorilla]

That's not terrible. I guess when I get my new power rack I could box this manual rack up and send it to you. Just pay for shipping. The dust boots are torn but everything is still tight. It's got a steeda bumpsteer kit on it.

All I ask is that if you don't like it, pass it on to someone else.

That's beyond generous of you. I can get the MM steering shaft to go with it easily enough. I'll absolutely pass it on if I don't like it. I'll shoot you a message with my info.

 

[Mustang5L5]

I did it on my fox. I personally wasn't a fan, moreso of manual brakes. Manual steering is ok as long as you aren't trying to 3-point turn or back into a parking space at the local supermarket, which is probably not likely unless the car is a DD.

I eventually swapped to hydroboost on the Fox along with a 99-04 steering rack. I preferred that MUCH better and that car is far from a DD. Just better feel overall and I prefer the feeling of assisted brakes.

 

[lwarrior1016]

I did it on my fox. I personally wasn't a fan, moreso of manual brakes. Manual steering is ok as long as you aren't trying to 3-point turn or back into a parking space at the local supermarket, which is probably not likely unless the car is a DD.

I eventually swapped to hydroboost on the Fox along with a 99-04 steering rack. I preferred that MUCH better and that car is far from a DD. Just better feel overall and I prefer the feeling of assisted brakes.

That depends highly on your master cylinder and proportioning valve setup. Making sure brake bias is correct through caliper size, and making sure you have the correct master to get the feel you want. A smaller bore master is easier to push but you have more pedal travel. Personally, I prefer manual brakes because the car stops when I tell it to.