Just wondering if anyone has the system in their cars, This seems to be the new trend with new cars. Did some research and looks like flaming river has a system for c-3's. Also American Power train has a system for C-1 and C-2 found this video on their product. This would eliminate all of the hydraulic system and be another option for Rack And pinion. Don,t know if cost is comparable to the rack and pinion system.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnIxjjSnDo8

 

That was a big item at SEMA this year prices were all over the place on the conversions. C7 Vette will have it.

 

Looks interesting, what does it cost ?

 

$5950, installs between column and steering box/rack and pinion.
http://www.flamingriver.com/index.ph.../s0001/FR40105

Then add another $1194.50 for the manual rack.
http://www.flamingriver.com/index.ph.../s0001/FR312KT

 

Wow this thing just turned into a WANT instead of a NEED.

 

ok, lost interest

 

At that price, very few will try it...probably just the high-end customs. I'm sure the designers want to pay back their engineering and testing expenses. But, if the price is out-of-reach for the 'masses', they run the risk of not paying them back, at all. There's no way that is 'competative pricing'.

 

I could do alot better upgrade for that amount of dinero,

 

Hey, I could buy a whole Corvette for that amount of bread! And then fit a Borgeson box.

Regards from Down Under.

aussiejohn

 

Pricing at SEMA was from $3200 to around $1400 for many of the kits being offered there, that pricing seems way out of line. Myself, I'll stick with Borgeson like my buddy John

 

A fool and his money is soon parted.

 

Someone will figure out a way to adapt one from the scrapyard. Here's an electric column from a Malibu.

 

Gee - The C7's will have it! They must finally be catching up with my 2009 Toyota!

 

Ooohhhh!!!! Right in the family jewels!

 

yes lets re-engineer the wheel

 

You bet!

I find it very hard to believe that even at a $4000 - $5000 price point that the steering feedback would be what you would want from a "driver's car". The new cars that I drive on a daily basis (mostly imports) are way over assisted and offer the driver no feed back. They are also over sensitive and feel like there is no steering center. You get tired driving them because you are always correcting the steering to stay straight. This is only my opinion and I'm sure others will vary. I think there are enough steering options for these cars that come in at a much lower price point that there really isn't a big enough demand to support this type of technology.
I guess will see.

 

on my list of things to do is go to a wrecking yard and scope out what has electric rack and pinion (such as the 2010 Chev. Equinox), and find something that will work on my C3.

And seriously, worrying about whether it's on a prii or a 'vette - they're all made by pretty much the same company... car companies mostly just build boxes and the occasional motor anymore. Interiors, wiring, sub systems (like fuel), axles, transmissions and the like come from one or two major suppliers (partners) like Delphi

 

I had an '03 Saturn Vue with electric assisted steering, so it seems Toyota was finally catching up to Saturn.

As to steering feel; just like hydraulic or even manual steering, road feel varies greatly from vehicle to vehicle. I have found the Asian makes to have very poor road feel regardless of steering assist type. Not all of them but the ones I've driven leave much to be desired. More like putting a steering wheel on the living room couch.

My '12 F-150 has an electric rack and pinion. Very good road feel under all conditions. Very untruck-like.

 

I have a Venza and love it. Good handling (not up to the vette but good) and very comfortable even on long trips. When we bought the car we took delivery on a Friday and left Saturday morning on a 2000 mile road trip. Worked very well except for the GPS getting lost in rural Kentucky.

 

Makes sense. Why waste horsepower circulating hydraulic fluid when its not need?

That being said, I think adapting a rack with electric assist would be difficult. If you look at most C3 r&p conversions they use center take off racks due to the need to have the inner tie rods much closer together than most modern cars.

Secondly, how do you control your rack? Hydraulic steering has a control valve that will apply hydraulic assist based not on movement of the steering wheel, but the torque applied to the steering wheel. That way you get more assist at low speeds and less assist when traveling faster.

Electric assist using a torque sensor to accomplish the same thing. The sensor sends a signal to the control module, which responds by supplyling the correct amperage to give you the desired assist. I've only seen this sensor as part of the steering column. Also monitored are steering wheel posistion and vehicle speed. The steering wheel posistion sensor is also located in the steering column.

So if you want electric assist, it would be easier to swap in a column like the one I posted above, which has the electric assist motor, torque sensor, steering wheel posistion sensor, and control module all in one.

But you're still up a stream with getting the module to respond to vehicle speed. That information is gotten off the vehicles "computer network" which is not present on a C3. You would also need to install the wheel speed sensors and the anti-lock brake control module from the donor car.