MORE POWER!? Ditch that Power Steering Pump! (FM Live 1-18-24)

Gain some horsepower and get a work out! Ditch that power steering pump!
This week on FM Live, Brandon gives us the ins and outs of our new Power Steering Pump Delete kit.
Keep your AC when you de-power your rack without finding expensive used parts. Our kit includes a CNC machined bracket and auto tensioner, so you’ll never have to adjust anything. Plus - More Power by ditching the power steering pump! This obviously isn't for everyone, but for anyone looking to get rid of their power steering will appreciate the benefits of this new easy to install kit.
Available now at Flyin' Miata!
flyinmiata.com...
Check out our FM "Knowledge Base" for more info about power steering deletes:
help.flyinmiat...
#power #performance #steering #depowered #steeringrack #parts #kit #qanda #new #announcement #tech #talk #miata #brandonfitch #miatalife #FM #live #FMLive #video #bolton #horsepower #racecar #flyinmiata
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[@Alex-de8kd]

Thanks for addressing my question/concern on whether the linkage between the rack and the steering wheel is different (rated for different torque). I also looked it up abd mazda specifies the same joints/linkage for the power and manual rack. All is good.

[@FlyinMiataVideo]

Glad to help!

[@nolahahnshouse3389]

I deleted my power steering pump, depower my rack and delete the a/c and I have the a/c duct delete kit being delivered in a few days. I love the feel of the car now so responsive now.

[@FlyinMiataVideo]

It's not a mod for everyone, but ....I get it.

[@rlhotka]

PLEASE make something like this for the NC platform.

[@FlyinMiataVideo]

We'll look into it, but no guarantees it'll become a thing.

[@karljensen2279]

I'll be the RHD Guinea pig! 😂 Ah I'd like to, but I simply don't have time right now. Maybe in a few months if nobody takes up that offer. But I agree. Owning a RHD car myself I can't see why it wouldn't fit. There's nothing extra in the way down there. If anything there's extra room due to the steering pinion being on the other side. So far USDM engine and accessory parts all fit my JDM Roadster. Only RHD specific thing I've had to purchase so far was a clutch master cylinder. Steering rack would obviously be different, but I can't see how that would affect this part.

[@FlyinMiataVideo]

Thank you for the offer - we'll keep you in mind!

[@mr1enrollment]

I wonder if the goal is simply 'feel' perhaps a bypass valve at the pump could be installed? This would not boost the power of course, or very little.

[@FlyinMiataVideo]

To get the best feel, in our opinion, gutting the rack will get you there. Here's our writeup about it help.flyinmiata.com/en_us/depowered-power-steering-rack-S1S6Gwni

[@error079]

You should have had a rack to better help explain. Welding the pinion is a must IMHO.

[@FlyinMiataVideo]

Sorry about that. The focus of this video was to promote the new Power Steering Pump Delete kit, we didn't want to get into an in-depth guide to how to depower the rack. Maybe we can do that in a future video!

[@deadeyeduncan5022]

Losing agility over 5hp does not seem really worth it to me. You don't delete this to feel the road, you delete it to fight the road. The custom kit you guys made seems really cool for those that want to though. I did find, and probably many have already for the person who wanted the ability to turn steering assist on and off, you can go the electric route and at least get an adjuster knob to dynamically change the strength of the assist. Might not be on/off but pretty close depending on how fast you crank it.

[@FlyinMiataVideo]

Thanks for watching!

[@BurnerJones]

When you say electric steering you guys tried was uh...faulty, were you talking about an electric assist, electric rack or an electric pump that moves hydraulic fluid similar to the belt driven pump?

[@FlyinMiataVideo]

It was an EPAS system that was mounted to the steering column. I'm a fan of them for certain builds but the one we tested wasn't working properly and the default was a hard right turn which got pretty scary. I'm running a homebrew Prius setup that doesn't require CAN but it only offers X amount of assist in the dumb mode.

[@twistiepillowzjr.9751]

Can you leave the power steering pump and the AC and still add a turbo

[@FlyinMiataVideo]

With a properly designed turbo kit like the Flyin' Miata ones, yes. They are 100% compatible with AC and PS. You may have other reasons for wanting to remove the PS, however.

[@davidelowdermilk4632]

Would removing the belt, and then draining the PS Fluid, give me a more accurate feel of what it would be like to do a PS delete? You said just deleting the belt would not be the same feel…it would be harder.

[@FlyinMiataVideo]

I suppose it technically would get you closer to a true power steering delete, but there's two things to note: 1. Power steering fluid acts as a lubricant for the metal bits in your power steering rack. If all of that's drained, you're causing metal to metal contact, which isn't great. When you depower your power steering rack, you'll want to slather all the teeth with grease to ensure everything plays nice with each other. 2. Even if you drained all the fluid, you still have the wiper seal in the center of the rack causing some amount of drag, so it's still not a 1:1 comparison. If you really want a 1:1 comparison, we'd recommend reaching out to your local Miata group to see if someone has done a similar modification and if they'd let you feel out the steering on your own.

[@kyleurscott3303]

iv got this kit. and it seems to give belt slip and it makes a lame, bad sound when under normal heavy load.

[@FlyinMiataVideo]

Sorry to hear about the issue. Could you send us an email to [e-mail] so that we can dig into the details more and get it sorted out for you? Thanks.

[@jeffreylyons1531]

I’d love to add an electric assist to my manual converted rack that run below 5mph and trails off to full unpowered at 15.

[@richtucker1029]

I’m thinking of getting a manual rack and would like to know more about your thoughts on it

[@FlyinMiataVideo]

I was pretty happy doing an EPAS on my car but for it's application, I just have it in "dumb" mode. Here's an article we did on it, help.flyinmiata.com/en_us/diy-electric-power-steering-B1mdEhjbo. Is see the EPAS as a huge benefit for the specific scenario that you've mentioned.

[@s0108787]

Is it correct that Mazda perfected the PAS on the NA8, compared to the original NA6 setup? If so, can the PAS setup from an NA8 be retrofitted into an NA6? I read somewhere that budget and time was diverted during the development of the original car and that an engineer installed what eventually became the NA8 setup on his personal NA6.

[@FlyinMiataVideo]

That's never anything we've heard. The manual NA rack was the one with the short development before launch, and the NA6 and NA8 use the same rack and pump. The significant changes to the PS system happened with the NB and retrofitting one of those requires changing the subframe, upper control arms, rack and knuckles.

[@s0108787]

I think it was supposedly related to the diversion of resources to develop the manual rack, late in the development of the car. Bob Hall apparently has recounted that on the late Mk1s, Mazda’s engineers managed to incorporate changes that made this system much closer to the original prototype racks, and best for feel.

[@hsonp_h]

Is there room to flip around the mixing manifold?

[@FlyinMiataVideo]

Nope, you'll have hard interference with our tensioner bracket.

[@muxy1312]

Interesting Video, i currently have a very leaky PS System on my NB and I'm thinking of just removing the belt off the Pump for now until I find a replacement for the leaky lines (which seems like it could take a while). For how long could I drive without the PS Pump pumping? Would there be a way of preventing any damage if the lubricant was running low? I would guess just filling up the reservoir would not do anything as it's not pumping. Edit: Also, if i were to remove the PS System, do you know if looping the lines on the rack would hold up for long, regarding lubrication of the steering rack?

[@FlyinMiataVideo]

If you've removed the P/S belt from the engine, you shouldn't have to worry about damaging the rack further until all of the fluid is out of the system via your leak. You can loop the P/S lines but we prefer to do it another way shown here. help.flyinmiata.com/depowered-power-steering-rack-S1S6Gwni

[@Leo-rt5dt]

Ok but where's the NC turbo kit im waitinggg

[@FlyinMiataVideo]

We're still on target for this year on our NC turbo kits. We're getting excited too.

[@chrismccarthy7539]

Just curious... did the electric PS kit you guys play around with come with a pump from a Japanese OEM? We ran one for an Exocet autocross vehicle and it seemed okay. Considering putting a thermocouple in there to make sure we're not overheating the fluid though.

[@FlyinMiataVideo]

The pump did not come from a Japanese OEM.

[@gush_chris]

can i just pull the belt off?

[@FlyinMiataVideo]

You can, but your steering effort is going to be higher because you'll be pushing a bunch of fluid around in the rack. The best way to delete power steering is to use a delete kit like this and remove the piston and fluid in the rack. Here's a link to your power steering delete knowledge base article for more in-depth info: help.flyinmiata.com/en_us/depowered-power-steering-rack-S1S6Gwni

[@erikanovember9485]

So of we do both ac and powersteering we just remove the belt and done? And depower ps.

[@FlyinMiataVideo]

Correct!