My wife doesn't mind not having power steering in the tank!!!!! - Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum

IsaacCarlson · 09-17-2009, 10:27 PM

I sent her into town to get gas before heading to eau claire and she said she got used to it about the time she left the gas station.

I wonder if filling up a LOT less often is getting to her....

vtec-e · 09-18-2009, 05:22 AM

Well done! I have my power steering disabled in the yaris but it's heavy when parking. I doubt my wife would appreciate the extra work so i keep the fuse in the glove box, just in case.

ollie

Christ · 09-18-2009, 01:09 PM

PS in my wife's Saturn Auto while EOC feels almost exactly the same... there is very little notable difference, except when stopped completely, and it's not even that bad then. I won't disconnect it, though, as that would require making a cap to fit in the cylinder head where the pump goes.

In Cara, I haven't tried driving w/o PS at high speeds, other than EOC into parking lots and stuff... it's ALOT heavier, but I don't mind. It's like steering the backhoe (which has hydraulic steering).

solarguy · 09-18-2009, 01:17 PM

Back in the day, before power steering was commonplace, vehicles had bigger steering wheels to improve the mechanical advantage.

So, if you had a vehicle where it was difficult or impossible to switch to a manual steering box, you could get some of the same effect by just installing a bigger diameter steering wheel.

This has some obvious down sides, like steering wheels with switches and gizmos integrated, and less room for your legs and stuff.

But, it would work.

Please carry on.

troy

Christ · 09-18-2009, 01:19 PM

I believe they had longer lock-to-lock ratios as well, at least in some cases... it seems like I could steer some of those classic cars forever just to make a left turn at a red light.

RH77 · 09-18-2009, 08:29 PM

Good work! I'm still running "Stealth PS Delete" -- don't tell anyone

You're really going to like the FE bump.

RH77

rykoala · 09-19-2009, 04:41 AM

I had an old '69 Land Cruiser wagon (FJ-55) and it had manual steering. Even with fat 33" tires, off roading in the rocks, I didn't mind it at all. In fact, I think for general off-roading that manual steering is fine. But that's another topic. Interestingly, the turns lock to lock on my cruiser were the same as most other vehicles, but the steering wheel was BIG.

I miss that Land Cruiser, may it Rust In Peace.

meanjoe75fan · 10-18-2009, 10:21 AM

I drove a borrowed Ford Escort (88-ish?) that came w/o PS...actually preferred the feel >5MPH.

Also, I think the old postal jeeps were manual steering. Hard to tell, really, because with those things, the steering wheel functioned basically as a "suggestion" regarding course

(One of the few vehicles where you can actually run yourself over, BTW)

Seraph · 10-18-2009, 02:00 PM

At high speeds, no PS isn't that bad and you get used to it. Could even pull a decent fast corner if you're good enough. But when i drop down to like 20km/h and below, the steering gets REALLY tough and unless you feel like working out its pretty hard.

Christ · 10-18-2009, 09:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Seraph

At high speeds, no PS isn't that bad and you get used to it. Could even pull a decent fast corner if you're good enough. But when i drop down to like 20km/h and below, the steering gets REALLY tough and unless you feel like working out its pretty hard.

There are ways to help with this, such as replacing tie rods with spherical rod ends mounted to studs on the hubs, using skinnier tires, max inflation/hyperinflation, greasing the rack, making sure that the grease is up to spec as far as lubricity, etc.

I personally love the spherical rod end trick. It not only makes life easier when you need to disassemble them for whatever reason, it also reduces bump steer and slop in some applications.