[Technocrat]

Hi just my 2 cents

1) All modern power steerings cut off above a preset speed.

2) The benefit of a EPS is that it gets activated only when the sensors detect that the steering is being moved i.e. when the car is going straight the power supplied is off & that why it consumes less power from engine than the normal hydraulic ones.
(This i came to know from a friend who works in MUL)

Even my Dad has Alto VXi which has Speed sensitive EPS & i have never experienced such behaviour as posted.

[speedsatya]

Originally Posted by Technocrat

1) All modern power steerings cut off above a preset speed.

.

never heard of hydraulic PS getting deactivated. i think this applies only to speed sensitive PS,which need to be ON only at low speeds and when parking.

[CLS_55_AMG]

My NHC has EPS and I am more than happy with it. It is just a joy to use. I have driven the WagonR, Zen and Alto extensively too and never experienced any problems. The sensitivity of the steering reduces as the speed increases and at 60, the power steering motor is completely off so I dont see why the car took a sharp turn.
I mean, if that was the case with all cars, we would have cars flying off all the roads and highways in India. So if something like this happened, then I guess that either theres something wrong with the car or something wrong with the way he took the turn.

[Deeps]

Originally Posted by SLK

Rather to test it yourself you can take your car to 80+ km/h and then switch off the engine. Then you get the manual steering, you will know the difference.

SLK, what you have suggested is extremely dangerous. Turning off the engine will not cause the steering to become 'normal'. It will feel significantly heavier than a non powered steering system.

Try on a parked car. Turn the wheel of a non PS car and the wheel of a PS car with the engine off. You will definitely find that the wheel of the PS car is much more difficult to turn.

[kooldude]

a electronic powersteering is a little stiff when driven at low speeds but at high speeds it becomes very free. the hydraulic steering is free at low speeds but it becomes stiff at high speeds this improves handling at high speeds

[RX135]

Isn't it the other way, kooldude? EPS is easier on lower speeds and gradually goes out of picture at higher speeds.

[kooldude]

yeah but i feel that hydraulic powersteerings are better

[Deeps]

Originally Posted by kooldude

a electronic powersteering is a little stiff when driven at low speeds but at high speeds it becomes very free. the hydraulic steering is free at low speeds but it becomes stiff at high speeds this improves handling at high speeds

You have totally contradicted the whole function of an EPS system. RX135 is right, it works the other way round.

[Shan2nu]

While the Vtec has a HPS, our Wagon R has a EPS.

These are my views.

HPS - harder to turn at parking speeds but, very stable as the speeds increase.

EPS - very light at parking speeds but, tends to get twitchy at high speeds (this could also be due to the shape of the Wagon R).

The one on the NHC felt much better but, nowhere close to the feedback you get from a HPS.

Powersteering was designed to make life easier at parking speeds. On that note, i'd like to mention that EPS does a much better job.

Shan2nu

[DueLLeR]

Hi Guys,

I drive a Zen VXi with EPS. In the past, I have driven the Santro ZipDrive and Ford Ikon, both of which feature HPS. The differences I found in EPS are:

(1) More precise response: The calibration and sensitivity of the steering response in EPS is very uniform. In a sudden swerve manouver, the EPS system makes sure that the vehicle does not 'over react' to sudden turning of the steering wheel. On the other hand, when I tried this on a Santro, the wheels turn suddenly and very often you can hear the tires screaming.

(2) Zero Play: I noticed a lag or 'play' in the Ford Ikon's steering. On speeds of around 35-40 kmph, try turning the steering wheel very slowly to either side. You will notice that it is very smooth initially and then gets slighter harder. That's when the hydraulic fluid is pumped into the chambers to produce the turning effect. In EPS, the steering response is very uniform. Turn it a little and the car turns a little. Turn it more and the car turns more. There is no play.

(3) Stability at high-speeds: On a EPS system, the steering wheel becomes tight (steering assist cutoff) and remains that way at speeds of 80 and above. On the expressway, I have let go of the steering wheel aligned perfectly straight and it does inspire confidence while cruising. Of course, having your alignment perfect is a prereq before you try this. On the other hand on a HPS system, even slight or accidental movements of the steering wheel at high speeds causes the car to weave on the road.

In India, it's only Honda and Maruti who provide EPS on their vehicles. Even Maruti has not been very consistent with use of EPS on their cars. Alto, Zen, and the WagonR feature EPS, while Esteem and Baleno have HPS. I wonder why...

On the whole, anyday, I would prefer EPS to HPS. Being electronic, it is less prone to malfunctions. It will either work fine or not work at all (1's & 0's of electronics ), unlike an HPS system, which may not work as well as expected and may have unpredicatable results during a malfunction.

Cheers!

[kooldude]

hey by the way which powersteering does a carb esteem vx have

[Technocrat]

Very nicely put

Btw baleno was the 1st maruti car to have EPS. It came later in the Wagon R & the Alto Vxi

Mercedes benz S class & the Scorpio too sports EPS. If am not wrong then the OHC had HPS & not EPC donno about the NHC.

[RX135]

Originally Posted by Technocrat

If am not wrong then the OHC had HPS & not EPC donno about the NHC.

@Techno, NHC has EPS.

[kooldude]

Originally Posted by Technocrat

Very nicely put

Btw baleno was the 1st maruti car to have EPS. It came later in the Wagon R & the Alto Vxi

Mercedes benz S class & the Scorpio too sports EPS. If am not wrong then the OHC had HPS & not EPC donno about the NHC.

hey i think you are wrong baleno has a hps. i have myself driven a baleno but that was the first version of baleno launched now the lxi and vxi are also launched i am not sure about the new version whether it has the eps or hps

[Technocrat]

Thanks Rx

@kooldude: Am very sure about Baleno having EPS as this was one of the major reasons for me taking test drive of that car :d