Discussion
fitted electric corsa b to my car ( Pulse) with e bay variable unit, can also turn it off if you want. wouldn't be without it, so much easier to drive and can increase / decrease the power help to suit your driving and car feel
got big wheels on the front ( 295) and you can spin the wheel with one finger on max power help
one of the best things i put on the car
got big wheels on the front ( 295) and you can spin the wheel with one finger on max power help
one of the best things i put on the car
khm said:
fitted electric corsa b to my car ( Pulse) with e bay variable unit, can also turn it off if you want. wouldn't be without it, so much easier to drive and can increase / decrease the power help to suit your driving and car feel
got big wheels on the front ( 295) and you can spin the wheel with one finger on max power help
one of the best things i put on the car
Hi Keith,got big wheels on the front ( 295) and you can spin the wheel with one finger on max power help
one of the best things i put on the car
When the unit is turned off is there "extra play" at the steering wheel due to the torsion bar or have you fitted a strain guage on the column?
I would be inclined to try one (if possible) before you take the plunge. We had the PAS on our Cerbera fail and a replacement was unavailable, so it was changed for a Saxo (from memory) system, which has, in my opinion, destroyed the handling of the car - it is now way too light and all the feel is lost.
Corsa B or C columns are available for not much money, these need an external signal to operate the steering ECU, the external signal is in the form of tacho and speed derived pulses (which would normally come from sensors on the corsa) that are replicated by a small variable signal generator available aftermarket for about £50.00
Corsa columns are anything from £50.00 S/H to £250.00 for re-conditioned and (at the moment) are in plentiful supply.
EPAS comes in many forms and the people in the link below supply BTTC teams with motorsport units,
They can supply a basic Corsa derived kit complete for about £550.00 and have some technical back up if you need it, or you could do this yourself for £150.00?
One problem I have with these home build kits is that you can't turn it right off without adding some "play" into the steering, this is due to a torque sensor on the column that needs the play in order to give feedback to the ECU, of course if the ECU is off then all you feel is play.
Apparently this can be overcome by fitting a strain guage instead of the torque sensor but this adds another £500 + to the cost.
The systems supplied here range from £550. to £5,000+
http://www.wiringlooms.com/EPAS.aspx
Corsa columns are anything from £50.00 S/H to £250.00 for re-conditioned and (at the moment) are in plentiful supply.
EPAS comes in many forms and the people in the link below supply BTTC teams with motorsport units,
They can supply a basic Corsa derived kit complete for about £550.00 and have some technical back up if you need it, or you could do this yourself for £150.00?
One problem I have with these home build kits is that you can't turn it right off without adding some "play" into the steering, this is due to a torque sensor on the column that needs the play in order to give feedback to the ECU, of course if the ECU is off then all you feel is play.
Apparently this can be overcome by fitting a strain guage instead of the torque sensor but this adds another £500 + to the cost.
The systems supplied here range from £550. to £5,000+
http://www.wiringlooms.com/EPAS.aspx
TBH don't know how the thing works, would like to pull one to bits just to have a lokk, but -
no, there is no extra play, if you get one the shaft is solid straight through the middle and you can just spin it with you fingers
i tested at donington without the system in and my arms were dropping off after about 5 laps with the downforce and big wheels, can now go out do a session and come back in no problem, can't praise it enough. when it was fitted was driving down the road and decided to turn it off to get a comparision - soon turned it back on
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VAUXHALL-CORSA-B-electri...
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Corsa-B-C-Electric-power...
sorted :-)
no, there is no extra play, if you get one the shaft is solid straight through the middle and you can just spin it with you fingers
i tested at donington without the system in and my arms were dropping off after about 5 laps with the downforce and big wheels, can now go out do a session and come back in no problem, can't praise it enough. when it was fitted was driving down the road and decided to turn it off to get a comparision - soon turned it back on
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VAUXHALL-CORSA-B-electri...
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Corsa-B-C-Electric-power...
sorted :-)
TBH don't know if either will fit in an ultima, i went to a place who had both and the c is a longer unit with the power motor lower down so would be more difficult to get in
can't believe i don't have a photo of it, but was done just before it went to paint so was a bit of a rush ( screen was out so made it alot easier )
can't believe i don't have a photo of it, but was done just before it went to paint so was a bit of a rush ( screen was out so made it alot easier )
khm said:
TBH don't know if either will fit in an ultima, i went to a place who had both and the c is a longer unit with the power motor lower down so would be more difficult to get in
can't believe i don't have a photo of it, but was done just before it went to paint so was a bit of a rush ( screen was out so made it alot easier )
That's where I'm at now, Corsa B is shorter and so should be easier to fitcan't believe i don't have a photo of it, but was done just before it went to paint so was a bit of a rush ( screen was out so made it alot easier )
I have a Corsa column fitted to my TVR Sagaris V8 race car. As someone has mentioned, they do have play in the column due to the way the torque sensor works. You won't notice it until it is on the car - turn the system off then turn the steering - you get a couple of degrees of steering wheel movement before the road wheels move.
Initially I had an Ebay controller with a variable adjuster. Even on the lowest assist setting it was far too light on a race track. It also provided assist when unwinding lock, causing you to go over centre, which was unnerving on track. Most worryingly it would sometimes cut out altogether and come back on - so you had too much assistance, then none, then too much again. In short it was bloody dangerous and I abandoned it. The thermal cutout in the Corsa ECU couldn't cope with the assist required with slicks on a track.
I replaced it with the DC Electronics Motorsport EPAS ECU and it is a revelation. No cutting out, I can programme the assist levels (5 different settings, each configurable) - and because I can configure the shape of the input/output torque curves, I can set it up so it effectively gives more assist in slow speed hairpins than it does on high speed sweeping bends. It also has a steering angle sensor which gives me rack stop protection (switches off the power when you reach full lock - unlike the cheapo versions which will continue to demand more assist until something burns out). I'm hugely impressed with it. DC also do a version with a strain gauge which dispenses with the slack in the system - I'm still on the standard torque sensor version and don't notice the play whilst racing, although inevitably it must mean that driver inputs are slightly delayed.
Granted this is all feedback from racing and is less relevant on the road, but thought you might find it helpful.
Initially I had an Ebay controller with a variable adjuster. Even on the lowest assist setting it was far too light on a race track. It also provided assist when unwinding lock, causing you to go over centre, which was unnerving on track. Most worryingly it would sometimes cut out altogether and come back on - so you had too much assistance, then none, then too much again. In short it was bloody dangerous and I abandoned it. The thermal cutout in the Corsa ECU couldn't cope with the assist required with slicks on a track.
I replaced it with the DC Electronics Motorsport EPAS ECU and it is a revelation. No cutting out, I can programme the assist levels (5 different settings, each configurable) - and because I can configure the shape of the input/output torque curves, I can set it up so it effectively gives more assist in slow speed hairpins than it does on high speed sweeping bends. It also has a steering angle sensor which gives me rack stop protection (switches off the power when you reach full lock - unlike the cheapo versions which will continue to demand more assist until something burns out). I'm hugely impressed with it. DC also do a version with a strain gauge which dispenses with the slack in the system - I'm still on the standard torque sensor version and don't notice the play whilst racing, although inevitably it must mean that driver inputs are slightly delayed.
Granted this is all feedback from racing and is less relevant on the road, but thought you might find it helpful.
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