ALFAGTV6.COM

x-rad · Post by **x-rad** » Sat Apr 15, 2006 6:25 am

Anyone have a source for steering dampers? Alfa or one that fits?

x-rad · Post by **x-rad** » Thu Apr 27, 2006 10:59 am

What was I thinking, I just found a a source for the steering damper...I'll take the old one off my old rack and bolt it to the new rack.....

Plenty of monster truck and motorcycle dampers on the net....

Mats · Post by **Mats** » Thu Apr 27, 2006 12:25 pm

What the hell is a steering damper and why in the world would you want one?

Reale · Post by **Reale** » Fri Apr 28, 2006 4:56 am

I removed mine a while ago, and never noticed it.

x-rad · Post by **x-rad** » Sun Apr 30, 2006 5:27 pm

Supposed to absorb some of the torque from the Detroit tree stump-sized road holes.... Guess I won't really miss it...

pancho · Post by **pancho** » Wed Dec 13, 2006 3:16 am

its probably been discussed before but the damper probably fails due to heat, the selas etc wouldnt last long in that area. I thnk that o a rough road it would make a difference - if its indeed functioning. Reason most people notice no diffrence is prob due to it being shot anyway.

MD · Post by MD » Wed Dec 13, 2006 1:46 pm

A steering damper on an Alfa? Sacrilidge. These things are installed on four wheel drive vehicles to prevent your wrists from breaking off when one of the wheels hits something so hard that it causes a rapaid and unexpected turning of your steering wheel. This can result in broken wrists, thumbs and the like.

Alfa steering is intended to provide lots of feedback. It's what distinguishes this make from other cars that have very carefully tuned out most of the vibrations to provide a "civilised" car. eg Mercedes limos and Jap copy cats. These cars point but give no feedback. It's what knowledgable motoring writers attack first when testing a sports car.

If you are TRUELY interested in front end sensitivity (and you should be) you will also dump the power steering rack for a manual one. Power racks are a misnomer because they actually waste power and desensitise the feed back which in a sports car is what you don't want. The size and weight of the transaxle car does not warrant a power rack. It's fashion and marketing thing. To power the rack you also waste valuable engine power and for nothing of material PERFORMANCE gain . If all you do is do a million parking manuvres and never give your Alfa an Italian tune up, well, I feel sorry for you and by all means keep the power rack. If you drive front wheel drive Alfas I also feel sorry for you but you definitely must keep your power rack.

I know a lot of guys out there have grown up with power steer and think otherwise but when real common sense prevails then there is only one answer.

pancho · Post by **pancho** » Wed Dec 13, 2006 9:34 pm

no need to feel sorry.

The steering damper is a stock part on any gtv6. And there is no power steering on the gtv6 as you know - I don't recall mentioning I had one. But yes I will be putting the damper on. Alfa engineers would not have put it on there for show.

MD · Post by MD » Thu Dec 14, 2006 1:32 am

Pancho,

Mats said it all when he said "What the hell is a steering damper and why in the world would you want one? " but you didn't get it.

I expanded on what he said but you didn't get it.

I will say no more.

jol · Post by **jol** » Thu Dec 14, 2006 3:11 am

MD wrote:Pancho,

Mats said it all when he said "What the hell is a steering damper and why in the world would you want one? " but you didn't get it.

I expanded on what he said but you didn't get it.

I will say no more.

I like parking my car without having to wrestle the wheel every time, and I dont want every vibration from the shitty roads delivered to my hands.
You use stripped interior and rollcage when driving from and to work aswell?

pancho · Post by **pancho** » Thu Dec 14, 2006 4:21 am

MD - I dont really like the tone of your post/s here. You are coming off as a wanker to say the least. I didnt see www.MDgtv6.com when I punched in the URL in my browser.

From your post it seems that because you don't want to use one - you have to force your opinion onto all others - and should they not follow your lead they are to be ridiculed - and you feel sorry for them !? HA! Good one.

This is a forum where people are free to express ideas and not be flamed or ridiculed for them.

On a race track yes - no damper - what for, the road is smooth - but on Sydney roads a damper is a good idea in my books anyway the potholes we have here are a joke.[/quote]

Alfettish · Post by **Alfettish** » Thu Dec 14, 2006 4:43 am

Yeah Sydney roads are a fuckin joke.
Canberra and her roundabout GP is where it's at.

MD · Post by MD » Thu Dec 14, 2006 12:43 pm

Pancho

Feel free to express a contrary opinion to mine of any degree you choose. If you can back the opinion up with fact all the better but please don't make personal attacks on me when I express mine.

Also feel free to look through my posts and see that I have never made a personal attack on anyone except in the context of a joke but I have made plenty of personal points of view, forceful or otherwise consistent with my knowledge and character. When one expresses strong viewpoints on what ever issue in a public forum, chances are there are going to be opposing ones. Readers can chose their own position between them.

I commend you for sticking to what you believe in and I am happy to continue to engage you in a further debate about this issue with the proviso that you revoke your personal attack and edit your last post accordingly.

Next time you want to get it off you chest, send me a PM and save the readers the boredom of a public bun fight.

zambon · Post by **zambon** » Thu Dec 14, 2006 1:23 pm

Although this is off of the damper topic, i would like to state my experience with manual steering.
When I first drove my Milano without PS, I felt like I was wrestling it. Now, after a few months of getting used to it, it doesnt bother me at all. I can honestly say that I dont want the pump back. I drive on Mexican roads, which might be worse than Oz roads. The wheel does jump when I hit potholes an so forth, I guess my steering damper might be ornamental at this point. That said, my steering is fine (except for the problem described in the other thread).
If your power steering system starts to fail, consider saving some money by simply converting to manual steering, I doubt you will miss the boost.

pancho · Post by **pancho** » Thu Dec 14, 2006 2:13 pm

Not knowing f I am expecting too much here, but if I take the damper to a suspension specialist - can they rebuild the internals of the damper by seing what the seals size, setup ect are like ? Or am I asking too much. From all accounts it appears that these units are NLA from alfa or suppliers so how would anyone know what rate these units work at? - Are the specs in any Alfa released literature ?

I dont know how the Power steering issue came up, I have got a gtv6 without PS & I dont want PS, I prefer the "connected" feeling, but at the moment its pulled apart so I wouldnt mind sorting it out now rather than later when the engine is in, or at least have a technical data to make an informed decsion about it.

As a side note a friend of mine has a Ohlins damper on his motorbike, he said that at high speeds its made a big difference on shitty roads by absorbing the initial sideways "jolt / hit" and allowing him to regain control easily (as sydney siders may know our freeways are not even that good).