Anonymous

To power steer, or not to power steer.

The all purpose forum for any TR7/8 related topics.
Post Reply
Hasbeen
TRemendous
Posts: 6474
Joined: 28 Apr 2005 12:32
Location: Australia
Contact:

To power steer, or not to power steer.

Postby Hasbeen » 08 Sep 2012 00:42

I had better make sure people realise I am not recommending this power steering system our local guru has developed.

As many know I have a Honda S2000. Unlike many high grip modern sports cars, it really handles very well. It has one main problem however, the electric power steering.

The steering has no feedback at all. I'm sure this is the reason that many of these things end their life disappearing backwards into the scenery. Most of them do this after the tail has snapped back from the first little breakaway, AND KEPT GOING.

Why is this? It's because the driver was chasing the tail, but could not keep up with it, let alone have any chance of catching it.

Cars of my day, up to & including my lovely 7, all had lots of steering feed back. Yes they were heavy at very low speeds, but they also gave you heaps warning, that you were approaching the limit.

The steering would go all light as adhesion was being lost, & a minor movement of the steering, & a slight reduction in speed would have it all back under control, before anything had become apparent to anyone but the bloke mucking about at the steering wheel.

Many very good natural drivers could not tell you how they knew what the car was about to do, just before it did it, but it was this feed back they were using.

I can take liberties with my 7, that I could never get away with with the S2000. The S would spit me off into the shrubbery before I knew it, where my 7 would have said with the steering wheel, "careful mate, you're getting a bit too close to my limit for an old bloke", & I would have eased ever so slightly.

Of course the S would have been going a little quicker around the same corner, it aught to with the rubber it's got on it, but that is not the point.

Many who have only driven with power steering probably need it, & few have any intention of getting that close to the limit, that they would ever notice the difference, but be aware it's there.

The number of stories on BMW & Honda sites, detailing how they wrote off their car, attests to this factor in driving todays cars. It always seems to start with a tail gone a little too far for the driver to get back, funnily enough, even with cars that understeer naturally.

Hasbeen

FI Spyder
TRemendous
Posts: 8917
Joined: 03 Jul 2006 19:54
Location: Canada

Postby FI Spyder » 08 Sep 2012 03:06

When my 7 speaks to me it says "Dude, is that all you got? I can take a corner like that a lot faster than that". I've never been brave enough to take a corner as fast as it seems to be able to take it. When I hear someone say "my friend had one of these but he ran it off the road and totalled it" (and I've heard it a few times) I think "How did he manage that, either he wasn't a very good driver or he was stinkin' drunk".

- - -TR7 Spider - - - 1978 Spitfire- - - - 1976 Spitfire - - 1988 Tercel 4X4 - Kali on Integra - 1991 Integra - Yellow TCT
Image

Spectatohead
Swagester
Posts: 862
Joined: 04 Apr 2009 11:19
Location: Vancouver, Wa USA

Postby Spectatohead » 08 Sep 2012 04:48

The factory TR8 power steering does feel a bit over boosted to me sometimes but it does provide some feedback. It certainly isn't as bad as most American cars' power steering. The factory steering is also very fast, again, almost too fast. I think that it is only two turns from lock to lock. You do get used to it and find that you need a light touch on both the throttle peddle and the steering wheel. Having owned both a stock (US spec) TR7 and a slightly modified TR8 they really drive like two different cars. The 7 was much more forgiving but almost impossible to steer with the throttle. The 8 is really easy to steer with the throttle and the quick steering ratio makes little adjustments to your slip angle a snap.

Jim Clark
'80 TR8
'97 Maxima 5spd
ImageImage

Stag76
Swagester
Posts: 691
Joined: 22 Jun 2010 04:14
Location: Australia
Contact:

Postby Stag76 » 08 Sep 2012 06:59

I find the PAS on my TR7 to be really good value for normal driving, especially at low speeds. PAS and better brakes transformed the car. Having said that, I recently drove a Mazda RX-7 Series 3 (1985) with no PAS from home to Cairns (2,200 klm in total) for my son, and really enjoyed the feel of the steering (even though it has the ball and chain type steering box).

TR7 Convertible
Sprint Motor
MegaSquirt EFI

jclay (RIP 2018)
TRemendous
Posts: 6027
Joined: 08 Jul 2006 17:13
Location: USA

Postby jclay (RIP 2018) » 09 Sep 2012 19:54

I have learned that if I "get on it" in any kind of turn in the TR8, I am going for a trip somewhere! I just wait to get through the apex of a tight turn before I get the lead foot. No problem in the 7. It takes everything in stride.

Clay

[url="http://www.jclay.me/"]My Triumph Site[/url], [url="http://www.triumphtechnical.me"]Technical Stuff[/url], [url="https://docs.google.com/folder/d/0B8MWEvqOpX3udEF4SmFQUW9RS09hbU5uNW5Wd0xrUQ/edit"]My Public Folder[/url],

Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 327 guests

cron