On 10/10/2011 20:54, hugh wrote:
In message , "Dave Plowman (News)"
writes
In article ,
geoff wrote:
A vehicle with power steering is far heavier to steer when the
assistance fails than the same vehicle fitted without power steering.


No **** sherlock

It doesn't seem to have occurred to most. And I also doubt many have had
the opportunity to do this comparison. I have.

Well so have I. RAF Land Rover Defenders playing on their off-road
course, one with PS one without. Sure the one without was a bit heavier
but even the girls could drive it around without too much trouble.

You are forgetting the different gearing. I don't know current ratios,
but one set that I do remember from the 80s was non-PS 4.15 turns lock
to lock, whereas a PS rack was 2.1 and that makes a big difference. On
top of that, the PS racks are a lot stiffer when not powered, making a
failed PS setup extremely hard to turn, the PS is usually standard on
the heavier models with wider wheels and smaller, sporty, steering
wheels may be used. I know that at low speeds, my wife would be totally
unable to turn the wheel on my Focus 1.8 TDCI if it weren't for the PS.

SteveW