Power Steering - hydraulic or electronic steering?

[edbrick]

My civic SI had electronic steering and to my undestanding the manufacturer can fine tune the system to give diffrent types of feedback. I liked it on the Honda so if it was on Camaro I would not complain.

[CamaroSpike23]

i dont know, id still stick with the hyd assist...or a manual rack.

the electric motor, just doesnt sound up to par for me. im just imagining somepoint where my wheel is blocked or something and the electric motor doesnt have the guts to turn the wheel,

[DGthe3]

Is EPS a motorized mechanical system, like conventional rack and pinion or is it an electric pump for regular power steering?

Also, for the reduced feel of the road, is it that things are too effortless? or that you can't tell whats going on at the wheels?

[Mr. Wyndham]

Originally Posted by CamaroSpike23

the electric motor, just doesnt sound up to par for me. im just imagining somepoint where my wheel is blocked or something and the electric motor doesnt have the guts to turn the wheel,

See below.

Originally Posted by DGthe3

Is EPS a motorized mechanical system, like conventional rack and pinion or is it an electric pump for regular power steering?

Also, for the reduced feel of the road, is it that things are too effortless? or that you can't tell whats going on at the wheels?

An electric motor takes the place of the power steering pump that would normally be found driven by an accessory belt. So, the electric motor Does Not actually turn the wheels, but pumps fluid to do it for you, just like your normal hydraulic system. So there aren't any instances where the motor would fail where a conventional power steering pump wouldn't as well. (i.e. pretty much never)

Personally, I can tell what's going on with my wheels when I'm driving. I feel very connected to the road in that aspect. Torque steer, pot-holes, I feel them all, exactly like a conventional system

Where it is soft, is like DGthe3 said - things are too effortless. I'll explain this point a little more:

The whole system is speed sensitive (what being driven by an electric motor, and all. So the computer can control how fast the motor turns (much like in a conventional setup - you get more steering assist the higher your revs, right?) except that it does not rely on the engine. So when you're sitting in a parking lot, or your driveway - I can turn the wheel from side to side with my pinky finger on dry pavement. There is virtually NO effort needed, because the motor offers a lot of assist. But when you get faster - say the highway, the system enhances your stability by requiring a little more effort on your part to turn the wheels - so you don't go flying all over the place. (I've never been able to drive perfectly straight for so far - without my hands - like this car allows me to)

I really like it. I think the overall feel is softer than a conventional setup, but not enough to bother me, imo. And it IS tuneable for cars with different 'personalities'. I think there was a review of the new Malibu - where the author mentioned that GM tuned the EPS so well that it was the best system he had ever driven, and he normally doesn't like EPS systems. I don't know if I can find it......

[DGthe3]

Ok. thats what I was thinking. It should be very easy to tune the amount of assist in a setup like that, just like they can do with a conventional hydraulic setup, unlike with an electric rack and pinion. Thus eliminating the problems that people have with them. As was mentioned earlier, the softness likely comes from the design intent for the car. I'm sure that you would have to do a little bit of work to move the wheels Camaro if EPS were used, its not supposed to be easy after all. It will also make a little more power availible too, not much but a little.

[stovt001]

The steering effort on the Cobalt is very nice. It ramps up and down at pretty logical rates. However, the feedback I get just seems artificial. I just don't get the same mechanical connection that I get through a good hydraulic setup. It is great in every day driving, but when I autocrossed it I could really tell that something was lacking.

[Georgianne]

Originally Posted by gtahvit

Mazda has EPS and my old sport truck (97 1/2 ton) had Hyd. The truck was dropped with low profile tires etc. I would say that the EPS is definitely cleaner and crisper when manipulating the wheel. But the Hyd gave much better feedback from the road. Which made me more comfortable at higher speeds. I like the EPS for lower speed carving. But I feel the road much better with the hydraulic.

Example. In a high G turn (slow or fast) it is harder for me to tell when the tires are going to break loose with EPS than it is with Hyd. But, the steering wheel feels more "locked in" or "slotted" with EPS.

Note: Mazda is FWD so that my blow my logic out the window.

Exactly, Since i'm not doing much street racing these days, it is a practical convenience.