"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote in message
...
In article ,
TMS320 wrote:
Turning off the ignition will turn off electric power steering. Not what
you want to add to your list of surprises.

You can still steer the car with no power assistance. It will just be
heavier. But not so heavy you can't steer it to the side of the road. And
far safer than trying to stop the car on the brakes while on full power.

Yes I've driven my car a couple of miles, including changing lanes, coming
off a motorway and going round a roundabout, with no PAS when the fan belt
broke. It was heavy. I had to plan ahead and grip the wheel with both hands
to get more torque on the wheel, but it was not insurmountable. I wouldn't
like to try it in a coach or HGV, though :-)

Is the heaviness of the steering when PAS is disabled due solely to having
to compress the PAS fluid on the "wrong" side of the piston that gives power
assistance? Or are cars with PAS made with inherently heavier steering
(different castor angle) to give greater precision and feedback to the
driver, in the knowledge that the PAS will more than compensate for this
heavier (but more responsive, more self-centring) steering. I've heard two
schools of thought about this.