Electric Power Steering for the Chimaera

Electric Power Steering for the Chimaera

Author
Discussion

rdl001

Original Poster:

82 posts

65 months

Tuesday 9th November 2021
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Hi,
Has anyone successfully retrofitted electric power steering in the column?

Is there any 'watch outs' if I take this on myself. I have the availability of machining and welding.


Skyedriver

17,859 posts

282 months

hoofa

3,151 posts

208 months

Tuesday 9th November 2021
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You need to split the column and you will need to get some spline couplers, I got mine with the epas from dc electronics maldon. You will have to fab up upper and lower shrouds. Also careful when welding the couplers they must be straighr

hoofa

3,151 posts

208 months

Tuesday 9th November 2021
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Test fit picture before lower shrouds manufacturing

Smokey Boyer

509 posts

131 months

Tuesday 9th November 2021
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If not already considered, your other option is to get a TVR power steering rack along with an electric power steering pump from a Pug 106/Citroen Saxo. I had that set up on my chimaera and it worked well.

I recall several threads about people fitting Subaru Imprezza racks as a cheaper and more available option with the 106 pump.


Penelope Stopit

11,209 posts

109 months

Wednesday 10th November 2021
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hoofa said:


You need to split the column and you will need to get some spline couplers, I got mine with the epas from dc electronics maldon. You will have to fab up upper and lower shrouds. Also careful when welding the couplers they must be straighr
Lovely job

Impressed is an understatement

phillpot

17,116 posts

183 months

Thursday 11th November 2021
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Smokey Boyer said:
get a TVR power steering rack
Rocking horse poo springs to mind !

Adam205

814 posts

182 months

Saturday 20th November 2021
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Smokey Boyer said:
If not already considered, your other option is to get a TVR power steering rack along with an electric power steering pump from a Pug 106/Citroen Saxo. I had that set up on my chimaera and it worked well.

I recall several threads about people fitting Subaru Imprezza racks as a cheaper and more available option with the 106 pump.
A few have done Impreza rack with Astra pump (myself included). Works well, cost less than a good manual rack fetches...

Fenderer

137 posts

102 months

Friday 26th November 2021
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Yep +1 for Impreza rack and Astra pump. It's totally transformed my car and is cheap to do. I never liked the idea of splitting the steering column and the steering on this type of setup feels a little weird to me. The Impreza rack also feels far more 'quick rack' and in keeping with the character of the car.

450Nick

4,027 posts

212 months

Saturday 27th November 2021
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I'm just looking into steering solutions for my build at the moment and I'm considering both EPAS and EHPAS, though probably leaning toward the latter.

For EPAS, I once put a Corsa C rack into my Tuscan racecar build and I found it to be a little over-assisted at the time with an aftermarket controller to reduce the assistance to minimum. I have contacted DCE about use of their micro system which appears to be smaller so maybe better than the Corsa C? The other worry I had is that the way the EPAS works is to sense input torque through twisting of a torsion bar in the column. This means that very tiny vibrations transmitted through the lower rack may not trigger the sensor, causing the motor to not react to road fizz. This plus the fact that to introduce assistance, the motor has a degree of inertia to overcome from one direction to the other before assistance begins. It's all very minor though, so it may not make a difference on the road and I haven't driven one with road tyres, suspension, bushes etc.

Nigel how is the drive on the DCE column? Do you notice or miss any lack of feedback from the road surface, and is there any hesitancy to note? Also, what do you use in terms of torque reaction in your Chim? Obviously with the torque input coming from high up in the column, the imparted force needs to react against something and on my Tuscan that was a steel bar running across the back of the dash onto which we welded some mounts. What do you attach it to on the Chim?


For EHPAS, I've been looing at the Astra pump from TRW, but also the BMW Mini one from ZF. I hear there was also a Peugeot one used in the TVR T cars but not sure which one that was. Is there a general consensus on the best one to use for TVRs? I guess all will work but I'm not sure of the working pressure or noise generated by each of them and whether one is better in those respects.

Would be interested to hear people's experiences

pb450

1,303 posts

160 months

Wednesday 1st December 2021
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Lloyds fitted a system from the Suzuki Wagon R (don't laugh) on my Chimaera. It transformed the car overnight. I'm sure they're still doing the conversion if you get in touch with them.

sixor8

6,293 posts

268 months

Thursday 2nd December 2021
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Suzuki and Vauxhall have shared production of several models (as well as the multijet engine acquired under licence from Fiat) for a while so should be very similar to that conversion.

The Agila and Wagon R are basically the same, and the Suzuki Splash and 2nd gen Vauxhall Agila are re-badged with slightly different panels, but essentially the same.

Classic Chim

12,424 posts

149 months

Thursday 2nd December 2021
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pb450 said:
Lloyds fitted a system from the Suzuki Wagon R (don't laugh) on my Chimaera. It transformed the car overnight. I'm sure they're still doing the conversion if you get in touch with them.
Could you confirm if they used a non PAS TVR rack or adapted your TVR PS rack for this system please.

Interesting lol