Are rubber steering couplers available?

[siteunseen]

That would be good for drag racing I guess, straight line.

[Freez74]

22 hours ago, siteunseen said:

That would be good for drag racing I guess, straight line.

Maybe so, it does have a nice solid feel.  I thought it was an original part until reading the information here.

[jeremy93ls]

ahhhh, nobody seems to have these available. Every time I purchase one, I get an email the next day with notification that I am being refunded because the part is NLA.

Funny thing...when I removed mine yesterday, I realized it was solid plastic. MSA sells the same exact one and the previous/original owner must have felt the need to upgrade to it??

I'd be happy to whittle one out from rubber if I had something to start with. Any ideas? How soft is the rubber coupler? Could I use a few layers of (something like) a heavy-duty garage floor mat epoxied together? Maybe a tractor/trailer mud flap? It's just a rubber disk with 4 holes.

[grannyknot]

Try a hockey puck.

[Mark Maras]

 All the old ones I've seen reminded me of a tire carcass. Cords and all. I think some sort of reinforcement (tire cord) would be imperative, although a hockey puck would be less work. I'd head down to my local tire shop and see what they have in their junk tires that might work. Maybe a piece of sidewall from a truck tire. You might get lucky and spot a gator on the side of the road. They worked well for resoling sandals in the 70s.

[Zed Head]

Not sure why people don't like the polyurethane (PU) unless it's a combination of factors.  I have the PU coupler, with 205 70/14 tires, cut springs (about 1" lower) and KYB shocks.  Feels great, no shocks or harsh road feel through the steering wheel.  That's with PU T/C rod bushings (front, rubber in back).

The PU coupler is inexpensive and easy to change.  Worth a try, I'd say.

[jeremy93ls]

Zed, I've read about the hockey puck, but assume it would be similar to the plastic coupler I have already. I just installed KYBs and cut coils and plan to buy that same size tire. Tire rubber is a good idea, too.

I imagine the original rubber coupler is pretty hard and probably closer to poly in density/flexibility.

What do I know, though. I had no idea I was driving with plastic until yesterday. Sure, it was a bumpy ride, but I figured everything was worn the !@#$% out after 38 years.

Edited August 8, 2016 by jeremy93ls
grammar, yo

[Zed Head]

MSA sells an ABS coupler ($13) and a PU version ($15).  ABS is definitely a hard stiff material, like black sewer pipe.  PU is in between ABS and rubber in stiffness.

http://www.thezstore.com/page/TZS/PROD/23-4161

http://www.thezstore.com/page/TZS/PROD/23-4160

[jfa.series1]

10 minutes ago, Zed Head said:

Not sure why people don't like the polyurethane (PU) unless it's a combination of factors.  I have the PU coupler, with 205 70/14 tires, cut springs (about 1" lower) and KYB shocks.  Feels great, no shocks or harsh road feel through the steering wheel.  That's with PU T/C rod bushings (front, rubber in back).

The PU coupler is inexpensive and easy to change.  Worth a try, I'd say.

I'd say your right on target with a combination effect.  When a full poly kit is installed on the front end, all of the prior compliance (shock absorption) provided by the rubber bushings goes away.  Apart from the springs and shocks, road shock that is no longer absorbed ends up being transmitted.  In the case of steering, poly bushings at the steering rack and in the coupler will guarantee that any lateral pressure or one-side impacts (i.e. a bump) on the tires will get transmitted directly to the steering wheel and the driver's hands.  If you are able to drive only on super smooth surfaces, none of this matters.  The reality of our common street and highway surfaces says that each wheel is constantly getting separate impacts that try to move the steering one way or the other.

 

Just my $0.05 worth and looking for change.

[jeremy93ls]

That ABS coupler is the same one I pulled out of mine yesterday. I'll order the poly one unless I run across something softer before I bolt everything back up.

If anyone wants this one, it's yours for the cost of shipping or I'll trade for a few half-shaft bolts that I rounded out.

[Zed Head]

10 minutes ago, jfa.series1 said:

I'd say your right on target with a combination effect.  When a full poly kit is installed on the front end, all of the prior compliance (shock absorption) provided by the rubber bushings goes away. 

I wouldn't say it all goes away.  It's just reduced.  PU is definitely more compliant than ABS.  I have the PU rack bushings too.  I installed the rack bushings and the coupler because I wanted to tighten up the steering.

But, I do have one of those spongy steering wheel wraps over the stock 280Z rubber.  I'd imagine that if you have a 240Z wheel with wood or some sort of aftermarket wheel, you would get more road feel.  Follow the path from hands to road.  And we should distinguish between high frequency, like a rough gravel road, and low frequency, like a bumpy road, and shocks, like banging a small pothole,  And hand size.  Donald Trump probably needs all rubber.  Kidding!!  

Really, all you can do on these questions is recommend a direction.  One person's firm ride is another's rough ride.

[jeremy93ls]

I'm thinking of taking a gamble on a Porsche 911 coupler. They're easy to find and look pretty close to the Nissan part.

If the holes line up, all I'd have to do is cut off the ends of those metal sleeves so they fit flush with the rubber since other pics I've seen show them sticking out a bit.

 

Edited August 11, 2016 by jeremy93ls
clarification