Electronic power steering vs Hydraulic power steering

[Crashjr]

I have driven a lot of differnet vehicles in the last 10 years, 5 vehicles with EPS, 2-F150s, a GT350, and 2-Challengers, I have driven 4 vehicles with HPS, 2-F250, 1 4x2 and 1 4x4, a Ram 2500 4x4 and a Jeep, I thought it was just me that was thinking the EPS was harder to steer on all settings until some of the other guys got moved down to F150s from F250s, both versions 4x4, and said the same thing, this is people that drive a minimum of 1.5 hours, sometimes up to 10 hours, is there something that can be done to make the EPS more like HPS or our we just screwed in this, it seems like the EPS is constantly fighting you where the HPS is just along for the ride until you need it, I drive an 8hr trip from Houston to Midland and my Ram does not bother me but the F150 I sometimes have to drive tires me out.

Sponsored

 

[markayash]

Funny I was just playing around with the steering setting on my mustang today. I had it on sport mode but like you said seems to tire my hands..Never really liked " normal" so today I put it on comfort and liked it..But have this mental block " you can't drive a mustang in comfort mode"

I wouldn't do it driving fast on mountain roads but driving to the store and about it was nicer.

 

[sk47]

Hello; I favor old type hydraulic PS. I have test driven some newer cars with the EPS. Some are bad as you say. The more recent ones in some brands are better. I am old enough to recall the early HPS in my uncles Oldsmobile. No feel at all. Could steer that heavy car with one finger. The HPS eventually got some feel.
The first EPS I worked on was an early 2000's Toyota MR-2. A friend bought it with the EPS not working. We test drove it in essentially a manual steering mode. I loved the feel and the car was light enough to not be hard to steer. Turned out the rack & pinon and the electric motor were fine. I traced the fault to a sort of junction box. Did some shade tree/redneck rigging and got it back into operation. Did a sound job on it even tho it was supposed to be a temp fix. The owner decided not to spend the $119 on th factory part. That was maybe 15- 18 years ago and my repair is still holding.

Some thoughts. if any like being able to push a button to get different steering feel and response then EPS will give us that. Cars that park themselves and trucks that self-back up a trailer use EPS. self-driving cars use it.

Last thoughts. That some cars have sport modes which tighten up the steering leads me to think a "tune" might be had to change how the electric motor which supplies the force to steer the car might be altered. On older full-sized trucks/vans I did add a hydraulic steering dampener to the steering linkages. A shock absorber type thing which helped a lot.

Sponsored