power steering or manual

power steering or manual

  • Power steering I like not going in the ditch after a couple cookies

    Votes: 32 32.3%

  • manual steering =10hp count me in!!! I work out

    Votes: 60 60.6%

  • YOU SPENT MONEY TO LOOSE HP? WHAT KIND OF MOPAR GUY ARE YOU??

    Votes: 7 7.1%
  • Total voters
    99
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stroked 340 said:
My car came with p.s. but i changed it to manual took 31 pounds off the frontend doing so and much more control when racing...
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My 68 had PS when I got it. Added fluid in CA before the drive back to Ohio and it all leaked out within a few miles. Drove it without the belt for about 4 years before I completely rebuilt the front end (went with the 73-76 K) including Moog offset bushings. Put in a low mileage factory 16:1 manual box and ditched that slimy heavy cast iron lump and pump. If anyone wants to test how a manual 16:1 box feels, just remove the PS belt. It actually felt the same.

Anytime I can save weight, simplify and reduce chances of leaks, I'm there. Effort is OK if the 215-60x15 tires are rolling. A 108 lb female friend drove it without a problem and I couldn't wipe the smile off her face.

Drives great though if you are in a hurry (slaloms?) PS would be better. If it was a drag car, the 24:1 or 20:1 would be better. I'm pretty sure Mopar developed the 20:1 chuck for Nascar. Running manual disc brakes too because the old T-shirt said "Real Men Drive Mopars"
 
The '73 Dart came from the factory with manual steering. When I had my 75 Dart Sport (340 4 speed, 3:55 gears) it had power steering.........Much easier to control. Exact same cars with equal HP.
When you get on the throttle of my '73 it can get a little scary/dangerous (trust me I have enough grey hair at my age), the four speed and 4:10 gears are a contributing factor.
The motor is coming out this spring for a new 340 stroker short block. I currently have a new firm feel stage 3 power steering chuck sitting in the box I was going to install at the same time as the motor upgrade.
I have been reading quite a bit about the new Borgenson power chuck now available. The firm feel chuck is now for sale.
I will sacrifice a few lost HP's for control. After getting a very low appraisal done on the '73 I know I would be sick to my stomach if I cracked it up!
Power Steering for me! My 2 Cents.
:burnout:
 
Wife can't drive it without power steering..............Thats fine with me !!
 
Although the HP. you loose is minimal. I still prefer manual steering. I just find that the handling is much tighter and a lot less sway. Power steering is certainly a bonus when you are parallel parking.
 
I've had both, my Barracuda ia power steering and I like it. I had a 74 Dodge sport with manual steering and it was a great car too. I had 195/70 14's on the Dart and 215/60/15's on the Barracuda. I want to get the Cuda box rebuilt by Steer & Gear to their firmer specs. The Dodge was my daily driver, it felt the same at speed as the Barracuda.
 
I have power steering...wanted to change to manual .never got around to it.did get rid of the power brake booster though.diddnt think my engine pulled enough vac to be safe...
 
10hp isn't right

The one test I read about said it took 3hp to run it in full detent.

And 1 hp to run it not in detent just driving

I can spare 1hp
 
I have power steering...it's very light and imprecise feeling compared to modern cars. I always wished for the simplicity of manual (though I have yet to drive a manual box a-body) but in all honesty, I think the constant stream of fluid from a perpetually leaking pump is the reason that my car remained almost totally rust free for all these years. :D

I just bought a fresh pump, putting it onto the new motor...only because it's less hassle than finding a manual box and new steering column...sounds like some of you guys prefer the power box anyway so it's probably a wash.

Triple J said:
Wife can't drive it without power steering..............Thats fine with me !!
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LOL... nice.
 
rbdart said:
Never noticed the date ,and didnt go searching,was on the 1st page as new post section....strange...??????
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I think the software "bumps" it when someone votes in the poll.

Personally, I would pay a premium to NOT have power steering! I wish my Dakota had manual steering.
 
i've had many both manual and p s in everything from A to B to E cars, slants on up, i vote manual on road for road feel, perhaps p s for city driving especially big block cars , depends on how much you drice it in city. me. i'll alwayts take MANUAL period!!
 
Well seeing how this thread is alive again after all these years I retired the Dart about 06 and bought my lil sisters old 95 Neon highline coupe she bought new. Has power everything but also has great feedback and isn't over assisted. We also had a slant 6 69 Dart for a while that had the standard 24 to 1 manual steering on it and I kinda hated it. Was so easy to turn when all the tires were aired up that I could one finger it, BUT it took so many turns to do anything I almost wrecked it when I test drove it and cranked it the amount I needed in my Fast ratio Dart to make the same turn, I'd never driven a normal manual Dart before, only my fast ratio one.
I got used to my Dart, could one arm it when moving and parking, and was very good about feedback and road feel, though for someone not accustomed to the extra effort and general stiffness of the system I can see how it could cause problems, even if my tiny mom managed to drive it at 4:11 and 100 or so pounds at the time:D
A well designed modern PS setup is pretty sweet but I think for a older A body I'd still prefer manual, but only the fast ratio, which is very hard to find and in a limited number of years.
Anyone thinking about it or upgrading to it probably should drive one that has it first so they know what they are getting into though.
 
I'm going with power for my personal preference of combination street and strip driving. Last A body I drove with manual steering was a little hard to keep control of on the street. When the tires started spinning, the rear swung out quickly and you really had to be after that steering wheel to get it turned into the slide.
 
Just ordered the Hemi Denny front end, going with a power rack and pinion unit. Might be my age showing, back in the day power wasn't even a consideration, to day not haveing power is not a consideration. My how times change us.

Bobby
 
i love my my firm feel stage 2 (p.s.)wish i would have got the stage 3
 
I had power steering all of the years I first owned the Cuda and was OK, but I was a kid back then and loved zipping around faster than the ole girl wanted to. :-D
But went manual during the restoration for the road feel and to "simplify" the looks and make room for any future under hood modifications. 8) I got to drive it about 100 miles last September during a big car show and showing it off and really didn't mind the little added effort while in a parking lot.....highway was GREAT!
Just make sure the alignment is within specs or it will be like pushing a WalMart shopping cart full of groceries that wants to constantly turn left or right!

:cheers:
 
Vote for manual steering. Challenger had pwr steering. At highway speeds it was way too touchy, the slightest steering wheel movement would have you changing lanes. I didn't like it, nor did my wife. So manual is in there now...just be rolling a little and it is easy to steer / turn.
 
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