S_39
Probationary Member
- 17
- 1
- Oct 22, 2022
-
Binghamton,
New York
Hey all,
My GVR4 currently has had a manual rack from a 1.8L Eclipse installed for quite a while now and I'm getting a bit sick of the feel it has on the road while I am trying to make quick maneuvers at lower speeds, especially in parking lots and when I go down-town. I was looking into either converting the steering column to have EPS via the "Prius method" which involves taking a EPS steering column from a 2009 or similar model Prius and adapting it to the GVR4 steering column (which is different from a 1g and a 2g dsm to my knowledge). This would require a bit of fabrication work which I am not opposed to since I have a couple friends that do marvelous work and I have access to a machine shop.
However, in my research on the topic, I stumbled across the Galant GS, some models of which were equipped with an early concept "EPS" system. Although not truly EPS from what little information I could find on the internet, more-so EPHS, it seems like it might be a valuable option as it has true speed-sensitive power steering which would be the exact fit for what I need, however would involve considerably more work as I would have to source all of the parts for the power steering system, including the rack, EPS electronic bits, pump, reservoir, lines, and any brackets I may be missing. It's not that much work but it is considerably more work than just buying a Prius EPS steering column which are leagues easier to find.
Luckily, both systems used their own ECUs for sensing, so there's no electrical work needed to be done besides feeding wires through a firewall in the case of the GS EPS. Another pro for the GS EPS is that it can be controlled using a sort of "sport" button that makes the sensing more or less aggressive, similar to the sport functionality in some modern vehicles:
However, the Prius EPS would not have this ability. From what I can gather, it seems the Prius ECU would just go into failsafe mode and set the torque assistance target to what it would be around 40 mph.
It may seem here like I've already made up my mind to go after the GS EPS system, but I haven't. I just want to hear from people who may have experience in this specific area to give some advice or feedback on what path they think I should take.
My GVR4 currently has had a manual rack from a 1.8L Eclipse installed for quite a while now and I'm getting a bit sick of the feel it has on the road while I am trying to make quick maneuvers at lower speeds, especially in parking lots and when I go down-town. I was looking into either converting the steering column to have EPS via the "Prius method" which involves taking a EPS steering column from a 2009 or similar model Prius and adapting it to the GVR4 steering column (which is different from a 1g and a 2g dsm to my knowledge). This would require a bit of fabrication work which I am not opposed to since I have a couple friends that do marvelous work and I have access to a machine shop.
However, in my research on the topic, I stumbled across the Galant GS, some models of which were equipped with an early concept "EPS" system. Although not truly EPS from what little information I could find on the internet, more-so EPHS, it seems like it might be a valuable option as it has true speed-sensitive power steering which would be the exact fit for what I need, however would involve considerably more work as I would have to source all of the parts for the power steering system, including the rack, EPS electronic bits, pump, reservoir, lines, and any brackets I may be missing. It's not that much work but it is considerably more work than just buying a Prius EPS steering column which are leagues easier to find.
Luckily, both systems used their own ECUs for sensing, so there's no electrical work needed to be done besides feeding wires through a firewall in the case of the GS EPS. Another pro for the GS EPS is that it can be controlled using a sort of "sport" button that makes the sensing more or less aggressive, similar to the sport functionality in some modern vehicles:
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However, the Prius EPS would not have this ability. From what I can gather, it seems the Prius ECU would just go into failsafe mode and set the torque assistance target to what it would be around 40 mph.
It may seem here like I've already made up my mind to go after the GS EPS system, but I haven't. I just want to hear from people who may have experience in this specific area to give some advice or feedback on what path they think I should take.
