Anyone ever made braided PS lines in place of the metal hard lines to make extra room for hotside turbo piping? This stuff is made for P/S, rated at 2500psi and I know they have M14 banjo to -6an fittings. I'm not sure what the threads are on the rack side though... Seems like you could make 'em long and route them out of the way pretty easily/cheaply.

Russell PowerFlex Power Steering Stainless Steel Braided Hose | JEGS

 

 

End up getting rid of PS instead with the K swap?

 

I think I would just bend up some new hard lines. After putting a ton of SS braided lines underived my hood, I realize now that I have about 20 ft of hacksaw, threatening everything around them.

 

Unless you switched pump side fittings you'd have to attch the banjo fitting to however you made the hard line.

 

Here's a 2200psi -6an pressure lone that's rubber instead.

 

I made a PTFE braided hose on the LFX. It lasted about 3 seconds before it blew. It's really difficult to make correctly - you're probably better off buying a pre-made hydraulically crimped hose (which really isn't that much more expensive).

 

What type fittings did you use? Did it blow out from the fittings?

 

Yeap, blew the fitting. I can't recall exactly which brand - I think it was Russel, with the brass olive. Once you trim back the stainless braids, you need to trim the PTFE with a razorblade to square it up. Any nick or "fold" in the ptfe will cause a weakness, which split the PTFE down about an inch - which probably wouldn't be too bad at 50-ish PSI like you'd use for fuel, but power steering pressures.. get it pre-made.

 

I have a braided PTFE PS hose running from the trunk mounted PS pump to the rack. It's been in the car for 3 race seasons with no issues at all. You MUST use the same brand fittings as line and you MUST pay very close attention to detail as you build the lines, but they will last for years under significant pressure if they are built properly.

 

Of that I don't doubt. However - cost-wise - for a single hose - I looked through my email and found my receipt, Aeroquip 2x hose ends $7, 3ft hose $20 - so $34. The assembly I snagged was $30 and nicer than I could make - I was headed back to summit for another set of olives and decided to look for the easy button.

 

I am using that exact same hose and their PS fittings in my RX7. It's run off a GM power steering pump, which I believe even with my restrictor fitting puts out more pressure than the Miata pump. Has been on there a good few months of daily driving and I have had zero issues with leaks or bursts.

 

For my trunk mounted PS I just had a hydralic shop make me a hose, $36 for a 12' -6 hose with crimped on fittings rated for 3kpsi. Another miata I worked on has the factory PS pump and we did actually home make braided lines for that car since cars that turn at serious Gs break factory PS hardlines. Those have held together for years. IIRC we couldnt use a standard metric banjo to -6 fitting because the -6 hose end wouldnt clear the pump housing so we just CNC'd a custom one. But I'm sure you could buy one of those banjos that put the fitting up at an angle or have a little bit of hardline built onto the fitting.

 

What is the advantage to trunk mounted PS?

 

His is not a street car. He probably did it for space and to move some weight to the rear of the car. He is only running his heavily modified car in a highly competitive autocross class. Most people would have just removed the power steering entirely for the weight savings but he's running such wide sticky tires and turning so tightly back and forth quickly that he needs the assistance because he's got little bitty girly arms.

 

But in all seriousness, power steering (along with brake lines and other high-pressure hydraulic environments) is an arena that I leave to the professionals.

This sounds like an interesting experiment, and I encourage it. If it were me, I'd mock up the runs with plain-ole' rubber hose from the FLAPS, figure out the exact lengths and the exact connectors I need on the ends, and then take all this info to a shop which repairs construction equipment (or otherwise advertises itself as a manufacturer of hydraulic fittings) and have them build crimped hoses as Leafy did.

 

Weight distribution, engine bay real estate, volvo pump doesnt foam over like stock, having power steering for pushing it on the trailer when its blowed up.

 

That's not a bad idea at all right there.

 

Google "hydraulic hose shops near me".

 

Hey Leafy, after reading this I was able to find your old post here ( https://www.miataturbo.net/general-m...5/#post1112494 ) and on your SSM build thread to learn more about it. What I couldn't figure out was if you needed a higher voltage alternator to power that ( like GodlessCommie did ) or not ?

Also, if you had to do it again now, would you still take this approach or would you opt for something like the kmiata ps rack solution ( assuming no class limitation ) ?