Epas retrofits; What is the state of play?
Epas retrofits; What is the state of play?
(OP)
Hello all,
This is my second post to the group (my first was exactly the same, but I managed to lodge it in the wrong place, for which I am eternaly sorry).
I am asking how current is my question (Epas retrofits; What is the state of play?). Is it dead & burried, or nailed down. & who does what, where & with who (or should that be whom? I never know).
I have been asked by a friend to help him fix an MGF EPAS to his original 60s style Mini. To be honest I can't see too many problems, but I am known to have been wrong in the past....lol.
Any help or gentle nudges in the direction of current information (You know the sort of thing) will be greatly appreciated.
Many thanks in advance.
Mobby
This is my second post to the group (my first was exactly the same, but I managed to lodge it in the wrong place, for which I am eternaly sorry).
I am asking how current is my question (Epas retrofits; What is the state of play?). Is it dead & burried, or nailed down. & who does what, where & with who (or should that be whom? I never know).
I have been asked by a friend to help him fix an MGF EPAS to his original 60s style Mini. To be honest I can't see too many problems, but I am known to have been wrong in the past....lol.
Any help or gentle nudges in the direction of current information (You know the sort of thing) will be greatly appreciated.
Many thanks in advance.
Mobby





RE: Epas retrofits; What is the state of play?
Cheers
Greg Locock
New here? Try reading these, they might help FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm?
RE: Epas retrofits; What is the state of play?
Speed is a given. However, above a certain speed the power assist needs to disappear (0n one of the MG sites they have designed an on/off switch for their epas systems...Gives a much tighter feel, if off at speed).
Wheel angle/steering wheel angle, column torque, rate of spin, is steering centered etc. I believe that some of this is the engineering equivalent of a blue trout!
Very little of the above type of information was ever gathered by the old hydraulic steering servos, nor do the now generally superseded, but OK for years vacuum servoed brakes.
Whilst I realise that is now possible with our vast array of sensors & sophisticated software to tell if the driver should fart, & how that might alter the 'eta'. I am bound to ask "exactly what info does the steering need"
PAS is ever really only of use at 'parking' speeds & was always turned down as speed increase. In my very humble experience I only noticed power assist at sub 6/7 mph speeds.
I would hope that the above taken in context should suggest that the chances of mating most epas systems to most other vehicles originally epas or not shouldn't present too many problems........This is the point that I usually duck.....Ho Hum.
RE: Epas retrofits; What is the state of play?
Norm
RE: Epas retrofits; What is the state of play?
Regards
Pat
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RE: Epas retrofits; What is the state of play?
To reply to pat, I'm not quite sure if you are supporting the 'No epas' button or not? Again if you are moving at speed pas is mostly off anyway. In forest conditions I'd rather have the feel of the surface than the parking convenience of pas 'E' or otherwise
Cars never used to have pas on every single model from every manufacturer. It was for the top of the range only, those of us who worked for a living only saw cars with pas in the directors spaces...lol
I'll let you know how we get along.
RE: Epas retrofits; What is the state of play?
For the record, on road cars, PS is faster than MS in most circumstances for most drivers and the ability to quickly get from lock to lock is more important than some extra feel.
A well designed ps system at a reasonable assist level has ample feel.
Regards
Pat
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RE: Epas retrofits; What is the state of play?
Commodore had a speed sensitive HPAS that switched effort assistance at around 50 or 60 kph, which was most amusing in slow corners.
I've read of several people who reckon that in a long race in sedans they were faster with PAS than not.
I suspect that rather than trying to game the controller your best bet is to plug it in and use it as it was intended. If push comes to shove you might want to fiddle with the road speed input, either manually (faking a higher speed to give less assistance) or electronically, perhaps installing a non linear curve of pulse rate vs roadspeed.
Cheers
Greg Locock
New here? Try reading these, they might help FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm?
RE: Epas retrofits; What is the state of play?
As for other comments; I am only flitting between specialist sites for MGF owners, general EPAS modders sites & here. I'm trying to amass info to help a friend.
It may be that the best help I can give him would be to 'leave well enough alone'. Trouble is I love to tinker, I think I will have him sign a 'waiver' in case of catastrophic failure....lol.
Best regards to all.
Mobby