decided to de-PAS the mk2 mx5. WTF does it need it for?! Got arms haven't I?! That and the pipework is a bit rough, due to leak at any time and after having 2 s14's i'm not happy unless something lands in the bin during my refurb'. Any advice? How should I go about this?
To do it properly you need to pull the rack apart and weeks up the quill inside it. Otherwise you'll end up with a halfway house that doesn't give you the proper feel of a manual rack, and is less safe.
Loads of guides online.
Don't just loop the lines, as you then have to work it even harder than you should.
As above, I gave the same advice to a guy I know in Bedford. I thought he was just going to remove the pipework and pump but it's not that simple, you end up with the rack geared wrongly.
He used this guide to completely remove the system to give a true manual rack
https://www.flyinmiata.com/tech/depower.php?x=11
I've done this, and loved it. I think it's a bit marmite though, as the difference is quite significant, and for a daily it would quickly become an inconvenience. On track though, the feedback is great. piman's link is the guide that I used, and it's spot on.
Where ever you go, never take an idiot with you. You can be sure you'll find one when you get there.
Originally Posted by TomK
Advice noted. ...but "weeks up the quill"?? Sound a tad victorian, my good fellow.
more than i was hoping for! many thanks!
you do this on an mx5? they dont weigh a lot and i remember the, ahem, golden days of my youth driving fiesta's and escorts etc with no pas. dont remember it being difficult. wasnt yesterday though.... or even the week before...
Lol! Stupid phone. 'Weld up the quill' :#
A standard non-PAS rack (e.g. old 'scorts and fiestas) has different gearing to a PAS rack. PAS rack has fewer turns to lock than the corresponding non-PAS version of the car.you do this on an mx5? they dont weigh a lot and i remember the, ahem, golden days of my youth driving fiesta's and escorts etc with no pas. dont remember it being difficult. wasnt yesterday though.... or even the week before...
If you want no PAS with easy turning, then fit a rack from a non-PAS mx5. If you want the quicker PAS rack without the numbness of a PAS system, then de-powering it is excellent, but the car suffers at very low speeds (i.e. car park manoeuvres). Over a few laps on a circuit, you start to feel it in your arms as well
Where ever you go, never take an idiot with you. You can be sure you'll find one when you get there.
hmmm.. i'm not so sure about this now! I dont doubt I could cope with it but this will be the gf's daily. She's not the 'drive in heels-always worried she chips her nail varnish' type and doesnt shy away from a bit of manual labour but does it need a proper heave of the wheel to stick it into a space at asda?
Not having any luck finding a manual rack on the web and theres quite a debate over manual/pas racks. mx5parts has one though... for £420...does look new like a new part though, i'll give them that.
As its a daily, you will ruin you mx5.
I have 2 mx5, road legal track bitches I share with a mate. One with PAS and one without.
I used to hate the non PAS but grown to like it on track but prefer the quickness of the PAS.
The non PAS is a disaster at low speeds and streets but tbh, ours feels unnaturally heavy.
Last edited by immy21; 31-05-2015 at 08:26.
Is your non-PAS the standard non-PAS then, or a depowered PAS rack? A depowered PAS rack is even heavier than the standard non-PAS. Mine is alomst unmoveable when stationary (it's got a bit more weight over the nose and 245 tyres, which also doesn't help), but even on 195s and a stock engine it was pretty hard work.
Where ever you go, never take an idiot with you. You can be sure you'll find one when you get there.
What's your reasoning for wanting a non-PAS rack? And is it definitely a depowered PAS rack that you want, or just a standard non-PAS rack?hmmm.. i'm not so sure about this now! I dont doubt I could cope with it but this will be the gf's daily. She's not the 'drive in heels-always worried she chips her nail varnish' type and doesnt shy away from a bit of manual labour but does it need a proper heave of the wheel to stick it into a space at asda?
Not having any luck finding a manual rack on the web and theres quite a debate over manual/pas racks. mx5parts has one though... for £420...
If you're ever near SE London / kent, you're welcome to try mine
Where ever you go, never take an idiot with you. You can be sure you'll find one when you get there.
Had an mx5 mk1 with no pas and a mk2 with pas. Much prefer the pas rack, didn't notice much more feel from the non pas unit other than it being alot slower lock to lock.
non-PAS is different to a depowered PAS rack though. Depowering gives the same turns to lock as PAS, but with spades of feedback by comparison.
Where ever you go, never take an idiot with you. You can be sure you'll find one when you get there.
To be perfectly honest i'm only considering it as the existing pipework has seen better days... many... many..many.. days ago. Parts of it are heavily corroded and as i'm rebuilding/restoring it, it seemed like an option. i'd glanced past mentions of it before, remembered i had, and thought it might be a solution that had added benefits like, as you say, better feedback. I'd cope with it, whilst laughing continuously at my insanity, not sure the gf will though. Had a browse on ebay and a second hand rack is about £50-£70ish, so maybe worth doing as an experiment. From what i can tell on the flyin' miata link, de-pas is completely irriversible.What's your reasoning for wanting a non-PAS rack? And is it definitely a depowered PAS rack that you want, or just a standard non-PAS rack?
If you're ever near SE London / kent, you're welcome to try mine
Oh, and Google maps says im 448.9mls from kent. hello from scotland!so no need to put the kettle on or pop out for milk.
edit: we've pretty much hammered home the fact it will be heavier so thinking about it from a different perpective, how is it to control? does the steering want to self centre or is my lass gonna have a fight on her hands stopping it from aiming for hedges when it rains? if any of my questions sound stupid.. its cos im an electrician, not a mechanic. if we were talking about electricity, i'd come across as a genuis!
Last edited by fritzkrackers; 31-05-2015 at 14:50.
Yeah, centres well. I run a shed load of castor though!
Where ever you go, never take an idiot with you. You can be sure you'll find one when you get there.
Standard Non pas (mk 1), I couldn't see any trace of old pipes coming off it and it's definitely 'slower' rack than the pas mk 2
Had them both out on the drift track today. The pas car was the much nicer car to drive because of it in my opinion.
Yeah, rack speed is the main reason to depower a PAS rather than switch to a standard non-PAS. I love mine - quick rack with no numbness, but like I say, it's very marmite. Some people hate it.
Where ever you go, never take an idiot with you. You can be sure you'll find one when you get there.
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