Electric power steering retrofit, anyone had it done?
Discussion
Hi all, i see there are a few Dutch companies advertising a retrofit to classics, to give a bit of life to heavy steering! Has anyone had it done by either of the two main firms, one is called ooto.eu and the other was easy steering i think? I am considering it but would like to see if its any good in real life.
Very easy to do, vauxhall corsa or VW golf, secondhand bits off Ebay and a control mpdule, cost me £110, copy the Escort to get the idea off you tube, Very profitable for the companys involved, As a bonus the control module allows you to alter the amount of assistance. Recomended modification if your steering is very heavy or you're not as young as you used to be!
Bought all the stuff to do this but STILL not got round to it. Mind you, the workout is doing me good I'm sure.
Using Corsa C parts and total outlay so fat is about £100 including the module for variable assistance. The actual powered part of the column looks quite easy to splice into my existing car but I've just had other stuff to do and as it already steers, the conversion is a low priority.
Make sure you get all the right bits if going down this route. You'll need the electric column, ECU and a module. Other option is to get a complete Corsa of course but there are plenty of people selling the right bits.
Using Corsa C parts and total outlay so fat is about £100 including the module for variable assistance. The actual powered part of the column looks quite easy to splice into my existing car but I've just had other stuff to do and as it already steers, the conversion is a low priority.
Make sure you get all the right bits if going down this route. You'll need the electric column, ECU and a module. Other option is to get a complete Corsa of course but there are plenty of people selling the right bits.
The Fiat Punto system is far more reliable and comes with a variable control button they call City Driving.
Whilst it's fairly simple to rig a system like this up, you have to remember that your column is taking a good deal more stress because the assistance is being applied on the column inside the car, not at the rack or box, so make sure you beef up the column mountings properly.
I prefer this to hydraulic steering because you retain a standard rack and this gives better feel.
J
Whilst it's fairly simple to rig a system like this up, you have to remember that your column is taking a good deal more stress because the assistance is being applied on the column inside the car, not at the rack or box, so make sure you beef up the column mountings properly.
I prefer this to hydraulic steering because you retain a standard rack and this gives better feel.
J
surely the key to this process is making the car feel right - and not like a 70s jaguar, which drives like its had the steering from a fork lift fitted, with no feel whatsoever, just a choice of direction.
The specialist i have watched in action in the workshop fitting electric systems takes considerable time tuning the system on a laptop afer fitting.
Does anybody have an answer as to how you attain that level of adjustability from a Corsa system, or even the Fiat one, which presumably simply has two operating levels of assistance?
i'm sure care would have to be taken if the system is fitted to an older car with a more traditional level of castor, as a 'constant pressure' type of system will be relying on a big castor figure to give the feedback at speed.
The specialist i have watched in action in the workshop fitting electric systems takes considerable time tuning the system on a laptop afer fitting.
Does anybody have an answer as to how you attain that level of adjustability from a Corsa system, or even the Fiat one, which presumably simply has two operating levels of assistance?
i'm sure care would have to be taken if the system is fitted to an older car with a more traditional level of castor, as a 'constant pressure' type of system will be relying on a big castor figure to give the feedback at speed.
Just a warning. We fitted a second hand power steering conversion to our rally 106. Absolutely superb in operation and made a huge difference BUT we had not noticed that the previous owner had modified it slightly and when one of the welds failed it left us with no steering whatsoever! Fortunately we had noticed a possible problem literally seconds before and had slowed down so the following 'incident' was completly without damage. A few minutes earlier and I hate to think of what the outcome might have been.
jith said:
The Fiat Punto system is far more reliable and comes with a variable control button they call City Driving.
Whilst it's fairly simple to rig a system like this up, you have to remember that your column is taking a good deal more stress because the assistance is being applied on the column inside the car, not at the rack or box, so make sure you beef up the column mountings properly.
I prefer this to hydraulic steering because you retain a standard rack and this gives better feel.
J
Be also aware that when column drive eps is fitted as original equipment the steering gear itself is strengthened to reflect the higher loads it sees. A manual rack and pinion gear may have durability issues when the system is modified as discussedWhilst it's fairly simple to rig a system like this up, you have to remember that your column is taking a good deal more stress because the assistance is being applied on the column inside the car, not at the rack or box, so make sure you beef up the column mountings properly.
I prefer this to hydraulic steering because you retain a standard rack and this gives better feel.
J
callumcowman said:
Hi heard about these power steering conversions are there any available for old minis?
on a Mini 
unless you have a disability why would you want or need too
I can't remember Mk2 Escorts having heavy steering, Capris at parking yes, Mk3 Cortina yes, Mk1 Cavaliers yes - but some of the others surprise me unless wide roads wheels and little steering wheels are used or the cars need attention or servicing - what's need or wanted for sports use is a different matter
TonyBrooks said:
Just a warning. We fitted a second hand power steering conversion to our rally 106. Absolutely superb in operation and made a huge difference BUT we had not noticed that the previous owner had modified it slightly and when one of the welds failed it left us with no steering whatsoever! Fortunately we had noticed a possible problem literally seconds before and had slowed down so the following 'incident' was completly without damage. A few minutes earlier and I hate to think of what the outcome might have been.
We had it fitted to our rally Novas as well.... a fantastic modification that actually made us more competitive on the stages.nta16 said:
callumcowman said:
Hi heard about these power steering conversions are there any available for old minis?
on a Mini unless you have a disability why would you want or need too
I can't remember Mk2 Escorts having heavy steering
I had a PTS 'works' 2.2:1 quick ratio rack in my Sunbeam-Lotus and it was seriously heavy at slow speed and for parking etc.
Didn't really notice it that much until later on in ownership as by then I had got to have a daily car with power steering, and it became a bit of shock when taking the SL out for a run somewhere
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