Electric power steering.

[Uncle_Ken]

Originally Posted by ute83

I would have thought that 2004 was a bit old for EPS.

Check it out
http://www.fixya.com/cars/t24531436-problem_eps_warning

UK

[SumoDog68]

Originally Posted by jpblue1000

yeah I think its the infinity Q50 first to hit the market..no thanks in about 5 years time!
I seem to recall a concept car where the 'steering wheel' could be swapped left to right. plug and play style to suit intercontinental travel and manufacturing cost savings.
Its coming though.

JP

Q50 has steer by wire but also keeps a mechanical connection to the front wheels.
Most planes are fly by wire these days but their systems contain multiple Comms channels and control computers in case of failure - some even keep some basic mechanical controls. This is done for redundancy purpose .
There are issues of legality as in some states vehicle with purely steer by wire without mechanical connection can't be registered. Another issue is that 12v electical system in todays cars is not suitable for efficient supply of steer and brake by wire systems - there were plans to introduce 42v car electrical systems.

[b2428]

We have EPS in our Pulsar. I find it great around town but it doesnt firm up really at all as speed rises and remains way to light around and above 100. Don't get me wrong I do like it weight wise when I just want to chill and drive. However because of it's weight sometimes it feels like your constantly chasing it which makes it hard work at times.

Compared to the Mondeo, I love the feedback most the time and highway weight of the system but find it quite heavy around town and while feedback wise works well tramlines horridly at times, seemingly following every rut and hollow.

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by SumoDog68

Q50 has steer by wire but also keeps a mechanical connection to the front wheels.
Most planes are fly by wire these days but their systems contain multiple Comms channels and control computers in case of failure - some even keep some basic mechanical controls. This is done for redundancy purpose .
There are issues of legality as in some states vehicle with purely steer by wire without mechanical connection can't be registered. Another issue is that 12v electical system in todays cars is not suitable for efficient supply of steer and brake by wire systems - there were plans to introduce 42v car electrical systems.

It was 48V system for cars, we were talking about it in trade school a few years ago, it was on the cards.

But I doubt it would eventuate, like 24V has been a dismal failure in trucks IMO. Some run 24V, lots don't.

EPS is great, I've got it on my WS Fiesta.

[SumoDog68]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

It was 48V system for cars, we were talking about it in trade school a few years ago, it was on the cards.

But I doubt it would eventuate, like 24V has been a dismal failure in trucks IMO. Some run 24V, lots don't.

EPS is great, I've got it on my WS Fiesta.

It was 42V for main system with 14V auxiliary circuits ( as proposed by Mercedes and BMW) - 48V is too high as under certain conditions charging voltage would exceed 60V ( and they want to stay under 50V for electrical hazard protection).
They tripled the current standard (36V ) with charging voltage of 42V.
42/14 seems to be close to becoming a future standard .
It is true that it seems very slow to be implemented.

http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1227292
http://www.autospeed.com/cms/article.html?&A=0319

[Dr Terry]

You've got to compare apples with apple here. There are 3 district types of electric power steering systems.

1. Hydraulic rack & electrically driven pump.
2. Manual rack & electrically assisted steering column.
3. Full powered electric rack.

Type 1. has been around for donkey's. Astras & Barinas have had it since the late 90s & it is commonplace on a few Mazda/Fords. It's main aim was to reduce load on the engine & therefore a gain in economy. My verdict is that whilst a convenient design, they are arguably more complex & troublesome than the regular belt-driven hydraulic pump & rack set-up. Economy gain was good however.

Type 2. has been also around for a few years. As mentioned above, the Suzuki Ignis/Holden Cruze (2000-2005) was one of the common early adopters of this system. It's main aim was again, fuel efficiency, but was markedly simpler than the Type 1 system. Many Japanese & Korean makers favour this system, which also lends itself well to self-parking set-ups, a la Lexus etc.

Type 3. is the one seen in VF Commodores & other upmarket luxury cars. This one is my favourite, it easily adapts to self-parking set-ups as well as being able to have variable speed & load info fed in. The overall driving experience at any speed is very good. If you jump out of a Corolla into a VF Commodore it's like chalk & cheese, the VF is SO MUCH better than any motorised column type p/st system on the market.

Dr Terry

[mik]

Originally Posted by tranquilized

We've had fly by wire, as in the accelerator pedal not being operated by cable anymore since the BA. Haven't heard any complaints there.

Steer by wire is chasing further refinement, eliminating nvh travelling up through the steering column. I'm happy with the current arrangement thanks...

Electric power steering is also required for the self park and self drive features that are becoming common place now.

actually there have been a number of fly by wire throttle failures over the years , but its not a headline grabbing fault.

[vztrt]

Driven a few different types and not a fan. The mustang I drove in the states allowed you to stiffen it up and it made it better but still nothing special....the one in the camaro I drove a couple days prior was terrible. really poor for a sports car.....but that car had a lot of short comings so not surprised.

Current Terri is too light I prefer the hyrdo setup in the Falcon. But just like all things it comes down to personal preference.

[ute83]

Ok, I had a drive today of a couple new V dubs and they did not exhibit the same sensations of the Kuga. They were actually good to drive at speed. I think it is a Ford, Nissan and Korean thing as well as others.

[mik]

Originally Posted by vztrt

Driven a few different types and not a fan. The mustang I drove in the states allowed you to stiffen it up and it made it better but still nothing special....the one in the camaro I drove a couple days prior was terrible. really poor for a sports car.....but that car had a lot of short comings so not surprised.

Current Terri is too light I prefer the hyrdo setup in the Falcon. But just like all things it comes down to personal preference.

yes it is all in the calibration of them i think, out of a bunch of trucks i used to drive, most felt pretty good to drive, one was calibrated like a sports car, it was bloody ridiculous/horrible, no doubt its same for cars, its all in the software tune.

[tranquilized]

Originally Posted by mik

actually there have been a number of fly by wire throttle failures over the years , but its not a headline grabbing fault.

Depends how they fail I guess. Might make the news if the throttle gets stuck wide open at an inappropriate time...

[eb2fairmont]

have ehps in my xf ute using a ts astra pump. works a treat and gives a better road feel than the overassessed engine driven pump

[mik]

Originally Posted by tranquilized

Depends how they fail I guess. Might make the news if the throttle gets stuck wide open at an inappropriate time...

from the ones i have read about either, they had no throttle, or inconsistent throttle, or would not run full stop, but i don't recall any that went full throttle(would not have a clue if there have been any go full throttle though) , or maybe they are engineered in a way so they cant go full throttle when they cark it ?? i really don't know mate.

[mik]

Originally Posted by eb2fairmont

have ehps in my xf ute using a ts astra pump. works a treat and gives a better road feel than the overassessed engine driven pump

i think my young brother bought an astra one also to put on his sleeper, seems a common one from memory to fit to rods too ?