FOLLOW: fox body , 79 93 mustang , sn95 , 94 04 mustang , steering
Many people do not know that when your steering wheel is straight there is no power assist and only your manual steering is at play. But when you decide to rotate the wheel is when it applies a load to the steering rack. This load will twist a small torsion bar that is located in the rack, which rotates a valve which turns on the power assist.
Starting in 1994 is when Ford made a huge adjustment to the steering rack which included making the torsion bar stiffer and added a two-stage transition to the valve which activates the assist. With these changes, they made for a smoother shift from no assist to power-assisted. Also please note that this resulted in a little more effort due to their being less total assist.
Also, be aware that not all SN95 steering racks are the same. From 1999-04 the racks were improved from the 1994-98 racks with the addition of reduced-friction internal bushings. The different effort ratings on the SN95 steering racks are as follows:
When looking for a cheaper alternative steering rack option be extremely careful when looking at large rebuilders. Most rebuilders work on steering racks in huge quantities and pay no attention to keeping the insides of the rack matching the housing. So attention to detail is often non-existent. There are some used or salvage options that we feel are of higher quality such as:
To wrap everything up, we believe that upgrading your Fox Body Mustang’s steering rack to a newer SN95 option is a great upgrade that can not only create a better driving experience, but also keep you safer. As always, for all things, Fox Body and SN95 Mustang keep it right here at LMR.com.