Have any of you ran into issues after upgrading to wider tires? The SS\WS6 added power steering coolers with the 275\40-17 (over the 245's on all the other "lower" tire optioned cars). I've gone with 285's up front (looks better on the 9,5" wheels) and I have a feeling that the small "leaks" I've seen (can't find a leak but there's power steering fluid that comes up missing from the reservoir) that collect road grim are a result of the fluid getting to hot. I haven't taken the temperature of the fluid, but I can feel the heat coming out of the reservoir and it feels significantly hotter than the engine coolant. (Will do that the next time I drive it).

Thoughts?

I'm considering piping from the outlet of the cooler to the inlet of the transmission cooler (in the radiator ... I have a manual car so it's not being used) then back to the pump... maybe that will get the temps down?

 

if you are referring to the stock PS cooler in the upper radiator hose....RUN dont walk that POS to the nearest dumpster .....and external tranny style cooler will work just fine.....many threads here on installing one

 

Never understood the overkill people are using on street cars. My 98 with no factory cooler in 110 degree temps has never boiled any of its fluid out of the resevoir

 

Yep you can just replace it with a single piece radiator hose like my Formula has with no worries.

 

It seems to be very common in cars with the radiator hose cooler that they boil the fluid, or have more issues with rack and pinion extreme leaks. The rack in my 98 is original and has a small damp spot, my wife's rack and pinion with the cooler blows a quart a week out of the rack and it's her grandma car with low miles.

 

The factory power steering "cooler" actually heats the fluid. It brings the PS fluid temps up to coolant temps. I recommend removing it, or installing a seperate standalone cooler if you do higher performance driving.

Think of it this way - PS fluid is similar to ATF. Hydraulic fluid. Would you install a fluid heater to the automatic transmission in your high performance car? Hell no, hydraulic fluid breaks down pretty quickly with heat.