Hydro Steering Assist

danco3636

danco3636

New member
Running 37" with King coilovers, lockers and 4.88 gears.
Out on the Rubicon this weekend and at some points had tough steering with or without front lockers on some rocks and turns.

What everyone's thoughts on running a PSC Hydro Steering Assist?
What is the road manners when not on the rocks, will it still ride smooth on the road and highway?

Also how much of a difference does it make and worth the cost?
 
QuicksilverJK

QuicksilverJK

Caught the Bug
Road manners will be great with the hydro assist. Offroad will be a huge almost immeasurable difference. IMHO up to 35" I would say a good idea but optional. 37"+ I wouldn't think twice about going with it.
 
Ddays

Ddays

Hooked
Absolutely this is worth it. This is a game changing mod IMHO. On road manners improve actually. One finger steering at 75 mph. Only 'issues' I've noted is a little slowness with the wheel returning to center when making turns and also when trying to make a quick turn at low speeds, like when you try to whip into a parking space. I've overshot one or two :D. But thse are really reaching in trying to find something to nitpick with this system. Go for it - you will not be disappointed.
 
metalic

metalic

Member
Once you go Hydro Assist you'll debate if it's the best money you've spent on your jeep and wonder how you lived without it
 
Ddays

Ddays

Hooked
One other thing - install a cooler when you do the rest of the system & save yourself some aggravation of doing it later. Mine was protesting slightly in the 105* heat in Moab this Summer.
 
danco3636

danco3636

New member
Great. Well I think I am sold then... Ddays, cooler? Not for the hydro right? I put in a tranny cooler, Mishimoto radiator and run a cooler thermostat. Also getting vented fender liners and hood.
But let me know it is something else.
Thanks everyone.
 
metalic

metalic

Member
Cooler in the return for the steering. Extra capacity and fluid breaks down at temperature and doesn't work as good.
 
Ddays

Ddays

Hooked
danco3636 said:
Great. Well I think I am sold then... Ddays, cooler? Not for the hydro right? I put in a tranny cooler, Mishimoto radiator and run a cooler thermostat. Also getting vented fender liners and hood.
But let me know it is something else.
Thanks everyone.
Click to expand...

No, cooler for the PSC system. They run pretty hot. There are two styles that I've seen. The extruded aluminum version and one that is basically a tranny cooler. I bought the extruded aluminum one (got it from Highoctane a couple weeks ago) because my issue was at low speeds and I thought it would work better because there really isnt much air flow going slow. Hell, I could be wrong which one is more effective but better to at least have one.

cooler 1.jpg

cooler 2.jpg
 
danco3636

danco3636

New member
Ddays said:
No, cooler for the PSC system. They run pretty hot. There are two styles that I've seen. The extruded aluminum version and one that is basically a tranny cooler. I bought the extruded aluminum one (got it from Highoctane a couple weeks ago) because my issue was at low speeds and I thought it would work better because there really isnt much air flow going slow. Hell, I could be wrong which one is more effective but better to at least have one.

View attachment 221438

View attachment 221439
Click to expand...

Cool, thanks. I'll check into it for an add-on.
The extruded one may be a better fit for what I have.
 
NevadaZielmeister

NevadaZielmeister

Caught the Bug
Forget the cooler, it is one more thing to leak and trust me, these hydraulic assist systems have lots of pressure. Plus, I have had no issues at all without a cooler.

You will love the PSC ram assist. The on road feel is awesome. You will be able to steer with confidence. The first few times though you will realize that when you put a little input you get a lot of output, so steer gently on the road, which you will get used to in like a mile.
 
Ddays

Ddays

Hooked
NevadaZielmeister said:
Forget the cooler, it is one more thing to leak and trust me, these hydraulic assist systems have lots of pressure. Plus, I have had no issues at all without a cooler.
Click to expand...

Sorry, I beg to differ my good man. Mine was howling pretty good without it. Once off the trails and back onto paved roads it cooled back down & was fine. These systems run really hot and the cooler can't do anything but good. Using the proper fittings one shouldn't have any issues with leaks.
 
Ddays

Ddays

Hooked
NevadaZielmeister said:
The first few times though you will realize that when you put a little input you get a lot of output, so steer gently on the road, which you will get used to in like a mile.
Click to expand...

This is very true & I forgot to mention it. Its like going from one of the cars in the 70's that had the recirculating ball steering to a modern car with a rack & pinion setup. It feels really good.
 
Grubbicon

Grubbicon

New member
Ddays said:
Sorry, I beg to differ my good man. Mine was howling pretty good without it. Once off the trails and back onto paved roads it cooled back down & was fine. These systems run really hot and the cooler can't do anything but good. Using the proper fittings one shouldn't have any issues with leaks.
Click to expand...

Agreed here I wouldnt worry about a cooler causing problems. I personally have never had a problem with mine not having a cooler but Im also in the South East so doesnt get as bad as out west. Probably also because more stopping and less constant riding. If I did it over Id run one for piece of mind. Hell I may still add one in the system one day.
 
highoctane

highoctane

Caught the Bug
The cooler gets mounted in the return line running from the pump to the reservoir. It is high volume/low pressure and easy to keep from leaking. My PSC extreme duty kit overheats when I took my Jeep out on the trails the last two weekends. I picked up the PSC dual cooler kit but only ordered one radiator style cooler since I don't need the 2nd one for the transmission. Also, the advice Drew@Offroad Evolution gave me, as well as SaddleTramp was to avoid the Derale inline fin style cooler. They don't cool as well, and can have the potential to trap air, making it difficult to fully bleed. FYI heat is the #1 killer of hydraulic systems.
 
danco3636

danco3636

New member
Ddays said:
This is very true & I forgot to mention it. Its like going from one of the cars in the 70's that had the recirculating ball steering to a modern car with a rack & pinion setup. It feels really good.
Click to expand...

Right on! Can't wait then.....
 
croge17

croge17

New member
The cooler should be on the low pressure side of the system anyway so you wont be any more likely yo leak than a trans cooler or oil cooler.
 
NevadaZielmeister

NevadaZielmeister

Caught the Bug
highoctane said:
The cooler gets mounted in the return line running from the pump to the reservoir. It is high volume/low pressure and easy to keep from leaking. My PSC extreme duty kit overheats when I took my Jeep out on the trails the last two weekends. I picked up the PSC dual cooler kit but only ordered one radiator style cooler since I don't need the 2nd one for the transmission. Also, the advice Drew@Offroad Evolution gave me, as well as SaddleTramp was to avoid the Derale inline fin style cooler. They don't cool as well, and can have the potential to trap air, making it difficult to fully bleed. FYI heat is the #1 killer of hydraulic systems.
Click to expand...

Strange, Drew recommended against a cooler. Go figure.
 
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