PAS Quick Rack

[petert 630]

Over the weekend I installed a VTS rack into my 205. They're 2.4 turns lock to lock. The rack I pulled out, was from a model we call an Si in Australia. ie 2 door XU5M, manual or auto, AC and PAS standard. That rack is 2.7 compared to 3.2 for the GTi rack, so quite a bit faster. I stripped the Si and GTi racks to investigate the differences. There is only one difference, the pinion. In the pic, the 7T GTi pinion is on the left and the 8T Si pinion on the right. The actual rack themselves are identical and the 8T pinion is a direct fit into the GTi rack. 

 

Thus is you can't find a VTS rack, upgrading your GTi rack might be an option. The part number is 4048 C7. Welshpug mentioned it many years ago in this post:

You can just see the orange cowling in my pic. Maybe you can find a new one sitting on a shelf somewhere?

 

I'm not sure what RHD 205 4048 C5 was fitted to.

 

Also attached are pics of the lower columns. It's a fairly straight forward swap if you have that lower square drive column. I removed by file, two small "knobs" on the top of the square pinion. This allows the lower column to fit vertically (same as splined), which makes fitment to the car significantly easier.

 

Edited December 1, 2025 by petert

[Gohn 73]

excellent info !

 

two identical pinion parts for the 205 RHD rack. both 8 teeth / 2.7 turns lock to lock :

 

#4048C7 came on the Si / Auto / XU5M with an ORANGE plastic seal

 

#4048C5 is the exact same but has a BLACK plastic seal . and WAS NOT on the Si, Automatic, GTI, and CTI

 

 

[SRDT 232]

There is a torsion bar inside, that's why you have colour coded caps even on pinions that are externally the same.

If you change a 7T pinion for a 8T one the rack can't stay exactly in the same place inside the casing. For what I have heard on a 9T rack the teeth are cut a bit deeper on the bar.

Peugeot Talbot Sport had a manual 8T pinion that used the stock rack with offset bushings to compensate for the bigger diameter.