Power steering cooler: Is it really necessary?

[Crazy_pilot]

Random question, but I've been browsing NASIOC and came across a thread pertaining to P/S coolers. Obviously if you're taking to the track it makes sense (my classmate boils fluid in his 240 on track days), but is it really something that's a necessity on a street driven car? I've got the "clean up the engine bay" bug in my head and would like to do something about those ugly lines.

Those who've tracked their cars (lapping as opposed to Auto-X, since I assume continuous lapping would build heat to a much greater extent), have you run into issues with the P/S boiling over? Searching yielded no results on the subject.

[Manarius]

Originally Posted by Crazy_pilot

Random question, but I've been browsing NASIOC and came across a thread pertaining to P/S coolers. Obviously if you're taking to the track it makes sense (my classmate boils fluid in his 240 on track days), but is it really something that's a necessity on a street driven car? I've got the "clean up the engine bay" bug in my head and would like to do something about those ugly lines.

Those who've tracked their cars (lapping as opposed to Auto-X, since I assume continuous lapping would build heat to a much greater extent), have you run into issues with the P/S boiling over? Searching yielded no results on the subject.

Those lines really wouldn't go away too much since the return line is still going to have to come from the rack to the pump.

I don't know how the pump would react to the new found pressure because of the lack of power steering cooler. I can tell you though that I'm pretty sure the stock one is about as useless as a part can get.

[Crazy_pilot]

Originally Posted by Manarius

I can tell you though that I'm pretty sure the stock one is about as useless as a part can get.

That's my thought as well. If I ever came to a point that I thought the system needed cooling I would plumb in a small oil cooler. That silly tube is hardly an effective heat exchanger.