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Last night I yanked the PS/AC belt off, just for shits and grins. I know there have been several members interested in how the car drove without PS, so here's my review:

The belt is very easy to get off, takes about 5 mins, maybe a few more if it wants to be difficult. Getting it back on isnt quite as simple, so think it through before trying this. Prepare to spend 30 mins to an hour putting it back on, especially if you dont have some handy tools to help you (i.e. vice grips).

Without PS the steering felt very heavy. Response was the same, of course, so the only change was the amount of effort it took to turn the wheel. Parking was difficult. U-turns nearly impossible.

Though the car did feel a hair more lively, the PS is a standard option on all 2gn's for good reason, and I would suggest keeping it. The parasitic loss is minimal, and I would expect maybe a maximum of a 1hp/tq gain from taking the ac and ps pulleys out of the loop (not worth it in that respect). Those of us with AC are even more inclined to keep PS, as they share the same belt.

Hope that helps those of you who were thinking of doing this!

The only time I wouldnt have power steering is if I was into drag racing which I hate

my buddy's old vw's didn't have power steering.....in low speeds yea it's horrible....but it's nice when taking some corners...the wheel is nice and firm you feel like you have more control...or at least that's what i gathered

I only felt like it benefitted my driving when cornering at very high speeds, and of course in a straight line. Definatly not for the faint of heart.

Got to also remember, manual steering and power steering with no belt are two entirely different things. When you pull the belt off of a car equipped with PS, you're pushing all that viscous fluid around when you turn the wheel.

J-Villa wrote:my buddy's old vw's didn't have power steering.....in low speeds yea it's horrible....but it's nice when taking some corners...the wheel is nice and firm you feel like you have more control...or at least that's what i gathered

Yep. I tool my power steering of my '91 Jetta, and it drove so much better! The pump and everything were starting to fail anyways, so I took it all out and it felt so good to drive. Very precise, very good feedback!!

Ifixyawata wrote:Got to also remember, manual steering and power steering with no belt are two entirely different things. When you pull the belt off of a car equipped with PS, you're pushing all that viscous fluid around when you turn the wheel.

very good point, I realized this this afternoon talking with a friend. Dont know how I missed this detail! Is there a manual rack available for the 2gn neons or are we stuck with the PS? I wonder how a manual rack would feel. mm

i *think* you can put a rack from a shadow in.