owners of electric power steering cars

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Originally Posted By: Char Baby
Well, my daughters '06 Mazda 3i is electric P/S but, not DBW! And I didn't know it was electric for over 1 year of ownership. I may be wrong still as I can't really tell.

All 3s except the newest generation have an electric pump but it's still a hydraulic system.
 
I believe that my Acura TL has electric steering boost and the steering feels a lot more dead than that of my old Saab. However, the car has lots of nice features, so you have to take the good with the bad. I don't even know if my vehicle uses hydraulic fluid or not for the PS. I don't recall seeing anything about it in the owners manual
 
Depends on the implementation. When we were shopping for wife's Grand Cherokee, we drove a 2011 (engine-driven hydraulic P/S) and a 2013 (electric/hydraulic PS). There was no detectable difference whatsoever in that implementation, but the racks are basically the same. The 2013 just uses a variable-speed electric motor to run a hydraulic pump so that it doesn't draw as much engine power when not needed. Other systems use servo-motors directly on the rack, and I haven't had that much experience comparing them to non-electric equivalents (just rental cars so far).
 
Originally Posted By: 440Magnum
Depends on the implementation.


This.

It's just like any other automotive system. Some manufacturers do it well, some do it poorly.

And as mentioned at the beginning of the thread, it's not "drive by wire." There's a physical connection still, it's just that the assist is electric.
 
My New Ram has it! I have no issues with it so far. Only 3870 miles so far. Mostly interstate driving but I myself have no gripes about it.
 
Lets really face it - the shift is going to electric power steering. No leaks, less moving parts, no lines to replace, no parasitic drag on the engine with another pulley & pump, no pump to go bad, etc etc... Im sure its also easier for car makers to integrate accident avoidance options & cars that park themselves with the EPS too.

People didnt like airbags or anti-lock brakes at first either, remember.

I feel the EPS in my 2007 Prius was very well thought out and developed by Toyota. It has given me a very positive view towards it. It is only going to get better as manufacturers fine tune it. One day, we will all look back and scratch our heads as to how we ever lived with hydraulic power steering.....
 
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Originally Posted By: Rand
Some are pretty numb "video game" type steering
some actually are tuned pretty good.

2009 hyundai elantra felt very numb and over assisted

my 2015 subaru feels fine.. can barely tell its not hydraulic.
Just drove the wifes '15 after the first oci with the Valvoline. It was decent. Granted, I didn't live with it for more than a few miles - but it was surely not abysmal. (BTW RAND, holy aero undercarriage covers batman! Lots of flat, black plastic under the Forester! Watch your jack points!)
 
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some cars have electric pump driving hydraulic fluid! I have no idea why electrical pump is better than a belt driven pump but I presume some guy looked at the radiator fan evolution and decided that it would be a neat idea to use the same principle for the power steering pump.
 
As other Mazda3 owners can tell you, turkey baster changes won't be very practical as the fluid "reservoir" holds about two ounces of fluid. The majority of the fluid stays down inside the pump housing and throughout the P/S system. I have seen a process for changing the fluid on a Mazda forum. The plastic splash pan needs to be removed and then a return hose can be disconnected from the pump to allow draining of most of the fluid from the system. It does seem to me that fewer changes are taking place in the fluid after 38K miles than what I have seen in past vehicles. Maybe the electric pump doesn't add as much heat or mechanical degradation to the fluid?
 
Originally Posted By: Vikas
some cars have electric pump driving hydraulic fluid! I have no idea why electrical pump is better than a belt driven pump but I presume some guy looked at the radiator fan evolution and decided that it would be a neat idea to use the same principle for the power steering pump.


Somewhat on topic, the first 1980's camrys (new to FWD) used the PS hydraulics to run a hydraulic radiator fan. I believe bulldozers & city busses do this too.
 
Our Fit has electric steering. If you hadn't told me that, I wouldn't have noticed. Then again, I'm not a very discriminating driver who would notice those things.

The Taurus has regular hydraulic steering and definitely feels different when steering. Then again, it's a larger wagon so it's like comparing apples and oranges.
 
Let's face it.
It's cheaper and will therefore see universal use within the next five or so years.
 
No loss in feel going from a car with hydraulic PS to EPS in my Cruze or our Fit. With the roads around here, feeling every single bump gets old fast.
 
Originally Posted By: fdcg27
Let's face it.
It's cheaper and will therefore see universal use within the next five or so years.


Exactly. It's cheap so the manufacturers will use it.

I've driven numerous cars with both hydraulic and EPS and without a doubt the old school hydraulic pump is the best with great feedback and smooth progressive feel which is natural. EPS stinks in most applications although there are a few exceptions. Very few. EPS is usually too light, numb, and gives little tactile feedback which can be critical for emergency situations.
 
Originally Posted By: antiqueshell
EPS is usually too light, numb, and gives little tactile feedback which can be critical for emergency situations.


Bwahahahaa!

Mazda RX-8
Porsche Cayman
Porsche Boxster
Porsche 911

All run EPS, and none are lacking road feel, or are unsafe in "emergency" situations.

I also have EPS in my CX-5, and my wife's Fiat 500 Abarth.
Nothing wrong with those vehicles, either.

There are way too many drivers on the road that need to be upgraded in order to properly work with newer vehicles.

BC.
 
Originally Posted By: Bladecutter
Originally Posted By: antiqueshell
EPS is usually too light, numb, and gives little tactile feedback which can be critical for emergency situations.


Bwahahahaa!

Mazda RX-8
Porsche Cayman
Porsche Boxster
Porsche 911

All run EPS, and none are lacking road feel, or are unsafe in "emergency" situations.

I also have EPS in my CX-5, and my wife's Fiat 500 Abarth.
Nothing wrong with those vehicles, either.

There are way too many drivers on the road that need to be upgraded in order to properly work with newer vehicles.

BC.


I said a few, very few, that are actually decent.
Note that MOST of those few are outrageously expensive models.
So you have a total of perhaps two vehicles that are affordable that have a good EPS system...touche...
crackmeup2.gif
happy2.gif
thumbsup2.gif

You covered them all. The rest are TERRIBLE.
 
I drove a Suzuki Swift Sport for 3 years which had electric assist steering. This is a lightweight, great handling car, but the steering felt a bit dead at center. I don't know that I can blame that on the electric assist, more the servo algorithm, which can clearly be refined.

It amuses me that rather the power being "on" with the key, the power is on only when the engine is running, simulating a hydraulic system, and of course saving driver's from accidentally draining their battery.

What worries me about the system is that rack lubrication is by grease only and there is no obvious way to replenish that.
 
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