It was awesome and I joked “now all we need is a true manual rack”.
For sh*ts and giggles I googled it and ran across one from atomic-rex… and man is it nice. In case you don’t know who atomic rex is… they are pretty well known with rx7 guys.
Anyways the one that was built for the guy was 2.4 lock to lock and a true performance manual rack conversion which also happens to weigh about 20lbs less than the stock rack (not including the 20lbs~ power steering assembly/system). Our racks are very similar so I would reckon it should be around there in that department too.
Again I don’t think most know what a true performance manual rack feels like… it includes superior precision, smoothness, response, incomparable feedbac, truly a world of difference.
People take off the power steering pump and think that’s what it’s suppose to be like but don’t realize they are pushing with their bare hands all that fluid. Or they even ‘loop the lines’ which doesn’t do sh*t either.
The miata and rx7 guys did a ‘PROPER’ depower of faster power racks but again this is a WORLD of difference. Look at it this way, F40 comes with a true performance manual rack.
To make the story short, I got in touch with atomic rex and they are more than willing.
I need now interest. I am getting one made for myself no matter what but… this could be alot cheaper and plentyful for many more if there is actual interest.
I know a few road race guys in the states would be interested… but lets see who is up to it here.
That is all…
I tried to post this in group buy section but I can’t.
I now have about 250 miles on the car and will be able to dyno it next weekend. In putting on the miles, I have a few more observations on the rack. First, I still like it as much as at first. I keep saying how smooth and precise it is. Although it might seem like the change from 2.0 to 2.4 turns lock to lock might not make a lot of difference, it really does. It turns so fast that you cannot defocus from steering. If you glance over at something for a minute, you could end up off the road. It turns as fast as a Lotus Elise or Exige.
At speeds of 45-55 mph going straight, I have to concentrate a bit to keep it straight. Its not that it has any bump steer or follows the crown any more so than stock, but a slight movemebt of the wheel just takes it off the straight line. You or I anyway need to focus more. However, at 80-90 mph this is not an issue at all, though I can’t tell you why that is.
Also, while it is very tight and smooth turning – no slack anywhere ever – and very precise, there is not harshness at all. There is a lot of road feel and reading of the road surface, but the solid mounts seem to eliminate any quick jarring or jolting entirely. I think any bushing would actually interject that jolting or jarring into the feel.
That’s it for now. I may post an update in a few weeks, if I notice anything more. But, so far, I would strongly recommend this for anyone who likes the twisties or doesn’t like the loose and strangely assisted stock unit. For anyone who has switched to looped line or Maval and likes it, this will be a tremendous swap from there. You’ll go nuts.
Basically the guy has a 3 rotor rx7 which is much heavier than ours cars + 3 rotor setup… at least 70lbs more per rotor. And he runs 255/40/17s fyi.
It’s a go, I just need to send him mine. I already have 3 people interested besides myself. Post your interest people this is serious… I would post on zilvia but im banned there LOL and the fake account i created doesnt work in group buy section.
I am not 100% on price yet, ours will differ than the one he did for that one guy. but he needs to see serious interest. He will build one for me that’s not a problem… but if I get enough crazy people in on this it will be much much lower obviously.
I could save money for myself if there is enough interest as well…
So I posted this on two forums and I’d like to post elsewhere.
So please people discuss and all questions here and I can ask him all that needs to be asked.
I will be contributing my LHD hicas rack…
He just sent me the address and contact info. I won’t send it today but probably next week as it’s at my family’s home not my own.
as far as i know the dif btw s13 and s14 racks are the bushings…
It doesnt matter if its hicas or non-hicas. Hicas is just faster OEM, but thats it. You can swap non hicas or hicas in ur s chassis no prob… I run a re-manned hicas right now and have my old hicas which ill contribute for the project.
List yourself on the list no joke, i need numbers…
Please list yourself or add yourself to the list. I will get one no matter what but you’d be saving myself alot of money as well as saving yourself in the long run after I get it and tell you how awesome it is lol… think future.
I’ve posted on nicoclub and NRR and here so far. i’d get alot of interest on zilvia but im banned lol and my fake account cant post in group buy. I’m sure id get tons of ppl interested there as there was already past interest on a pooped manual rack project, but the guy organizing it and the company fell through. It was some no name generic steering rack company.
These guys are on the other hand high performance/race rex guys so go figure. When i do sh*t i do it seriously so its gona happen or not at all, and if im doing this as i am now it will happen at least for myself i dun care if others dont… bu really it’d be saving everyone money in the long run.
This is a performance true manual rack, not an oem manual rack (as there is none) and… not a poorly pseudo-depowered power rack. It’s from scratch.
To put it mildly the guy who I saw this made for has a 3 rotor rx7 with full interior and boom box in the back lol… so you can imagine alot heavier than our cars with 255s up front. He plans to go wider as well… so the quote i quoted was his own words… one of many positive things he said i just thought that quote summarizes his experience.
Smoother, more precise, more responsive, incredible feel and to sum it up 10x better than any other rack mod that has been done by them (depowering power rack ‘properly’, oem manual rack regeared, custom manual rack that was made by some other company, etc…).
I can get a price quote when i get a good handful of people interested. I will say this now it will most likely be 500-800… but look at it this way a remanned hicas rack will cost you about 500… I dont know if ill be able to get it cheaper this all depends on the amount of ppl. Remember this is not something every day and definetely not off the shelf…
The guy i saw it from paid 1000 shipped but it was a one off for him… understand that with many people s13/s14 (and later z32, r32), the price would be all the way down… its not alot considering this is a performance rack. LOL nissan still asks for 1200 for a brand new hicas rack (if its no longer discontinued anyway)… so you get the picture.
Considering people pay 1000~ for shitbox chinese/taiwanese coilovers this is a bargain…
oh and my bad its 2.25 lock to lock and 2.0 lock to lock, 2.4 is what the guy went from but this could be customizable based on personal demand… pretty f*cken hardcore 2.0 lock to lock… ROAAR
Add yourself to the list… i need numbers… the more people are sincerely serious about this shit the faster and cheaper itll happen thats all (its simple business and im trying to do us all a favour).
And for those that care the price was 600 british pounds roughly 1000 USD for the rx7 guy, however the price can go lower depending on how many people we get. That’s why a group buy kicks a**.
Considering most people dish out a 1000 bux on s***box china made/taiwan made coilovers this is a bargain for what you’re getting…a one off engineered performance true manual rack… and again ppl it doesnt compare to a looped or even ‘properely’ depowered rack or simply regeared rack.
Prior to his post-couple of weeks review this is what this gentleman said:
I’d like to thank Jon at AtomicRex for making this. First, Jon, the unit is beautifully made, and while I won’t be driving the car until Saturday, I have turned the steering wheel both without any load and with the motor in it and can tell you that the precision feel of the rack is phenomenal. Its so much smoother turning than any version of the steering rack that I have felt, both powered and manual conversions, whether looped or true manual conversions like Maval. Its a completely different feel. Sure there’s a little effort required, but its just so smooth and precise and virtually no play at all. And, because there’s 2.4 turns lock-to-lock, its a LOT faster turning.
I will report on the steering feel and effort more over the weekend. I am wondering whether the solid and beautifully machined mounts (third variation, Jon?) will transmit too much road feel for street use. We’ll have to see. But, I am sure that its the ultimate track set-up regardless. And, if there is too much feel for me, I’m certain some poly material could be inserted to dampen that anyway.
Summary is that so far this is one of the very best new things to come out that makes a real difference in our cars. The stock steering was one of the real weaknesses of the car that was reported in the press from day one and that we all have noticed. The stock assisted steering is a little dead and slow and has way less feel than you’d want in a car like this and that’s why so many people convert to some form of manual, whether looped line or Maval. I had the looped line on my old car and have tried to order Quaife’s “Quick Steer Gears”, but they never actually made them. This unit provides the best of all worlds with both an incredibly well-made pure manual unit where the precision of the billet aluminum machined parts, especially the rack and gears themselves, are like a Swiss watch and turn much smoother than any conversion of the stock set-up, AND its also got the quicker turn ratio.
Let me comment on price, which is about $1000 unless we organize another group buy. I hear some guys saying that’s a lot compared to a simple and free looped line conversion or even the Maval conversion at about $300-400. People readily spend $1500-4000+ for coilovers and $2500-6000 for big brake kits and $2000-4000 for wheels and tires and on and on. This is less money than any of those things and will give you a direct improvement you can feel and that will make way more of a difference to your driving experience than almost anything else you can do to your car. I’d invite anyone in my area over for a drive and will give drives at the Carlisi meet this August to as many people as I can. This is really a great change to the car. I can’t say enough.
The rack is designed and manufactured by a company here in the uk, they have also design the steering racks for all of the caterham and westfields, as well as Radicals, A1 GP cars, and also do work for F1 cars.
I am happy they have designed this well enough to cope with the loads necessary. Also I have one that has run a full race season, and is still as fresh as the day it was put in
I dont think you need worry about the quality of the parts.
Pomanferrari… When I was originally discussing this with Jon, he told me about Radical using racks similar to this built by the same guys. I don’t remember that Caterham used them as well. Dave Barninger at KD Rotary installed mine and he and I spent some time discussing it, looking at it, and playing with it. We concluded that it was a very well built rack and should have no issues. The redesigned mounting setup is especially heavy duty. I think I posted pictures of it. Instead of having a thin aluminum collar attaching the rack to the subframe there are very sturdy thick aluminum clamps that, unlike the collar, cannot move in any direction, because of the dovetailing of the two pieces together and onto the frame. The rack itself is CNC machined billet and therefore inherently much stronger than the stock unit. Its overkill from a stress perspective, buy the package ensures that the feel and precision is light years better than the stock or Maval units. As I said, I was particularly impressed with the smoothness of turning the wheel. There is no slack or play anywhere in the full rotation of the wheel lock to lock. Its very different.
I spent yesterday putting a few hundred miles on my car with the new rack and newly rebuilt 20b NA motor and new exhaust. The steering is phenomenal. There’s a lot more feel than any manual conversion. I keep being impressed by how smooth and precise it is. Absolutely nothing like the normal steering. And the 2.4 turns lock to lock make turning instantaneous. No pushback or kickback going over anything including traversing road crowns. Might be the best thousand dollars I’ve spent.
