Want steering feel?
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Sometimes I feel like I'm the only person in the world that isn't a huge fan of "steering feel." A lot of this is due to the fact I like in Philly. The roads in the city are HORRIBLE and the roads in the burbs aren't much better. I used to have an E90 335i that was praised for it's good steering feel. But where I spend most of my time driving, it was maddening to literally feel every little bump and crack in the road. Not to mention, the suspension was crashy which made it even worse. If I was doing track days, I'm sure I'd have a much greater appreciation for steering feel.
I actually think I prefer the EPS systems. The S2000 has just enough weight to it to make the car feel solid, stable and planted. My IS350 has EPS and I can vary it's weight and responsiveness based on drive modes. But over rough stuff, the ride is firm, yet smooth at the same time - I'm not being annoyed by continuous chatter through the wheel.
I actually think I prefer the EPS systems. The S2000 has just enough weight to it to make the car feel solid, stable and planted. My IS350 has EPS and I can vary it's weight and responsiveness based on drive modes. But over rough stuff, the ride is firm, yet smooth at the same time - I'm not being annoyed by continuous chatter through the wheel.
Joined: Apr 2011
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From: Florida
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Is the eps light illuminated by a removable bulb or is it soldered in?
Joined: Apr 2011
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From: Florida
Originally Posted by AE_Racer' timestamp='1437589079' post='23689301
[quote name='Hellafunctional' timestamp='1437550627' post='23688686']
I've done this and I absolutely love it. Now if I could just place a resistor somewhere to get rid of that darn eps light..
I've done this and I absolutely love it. Now if I could just place a resistor somewhere to get rid of that darn eps light..
[/quote]
ah, good question. ap1 is a removable bulb, not sure about AP2.
Joined: Jan 2012
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has anyone here daily driven it with it off or long term? I am used to manual racks, but main reason i ask is because i am building a car with a f22c swap on a custom chassis w/ s2000 suspension. I would like to wire up the eps but having trouble on making it work.
the car weighs about 2100 lbs but has 255 sticky tires, my worry is like a steering u joint breaking or steering rack breaking
the car weighs about 2100 lbs but has 255 sticky tires, my worry is like a steering u joint breaking or steering rack breaking
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Joined: Sep 2012
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Having owned my 2003 S for 8 years now, I've always been bothered by the lack of steering feel.
What I mean by this, is that the light steering effort required to turn the wheel remains constant regardless of the position of the wheel or the speed of the car.
This became more apparent after I purchased a Ford Focus SVT (hydraulic steering pump) and a Mini Cooper JCW (electric power steering) as daily drivers. I preferred the heavier steering feel of these two cars, and the way that the steering effort "loaded up" the more I turned the wheel. I also preferred the additional vibration that came from the road through the wheel, particularly when the tires were at the limit of traction.
Although many people on this board have suggested turning off the electric power steering (EPS), I couldn't find a thread in which anyone had actually written about their driving experiences after having done it.
Today, I opened up the hood, and opened up the smaller of the two fuse boxes on the drivers side (US) of the engine bay. Fuse #33, a 70 amp fuse is screwed in with two phillips head screws. With the car turned off, I simply unscrewed the fuse and removed it.
The car started up fine and expectedly, the yellow "EPS" light came on.
Backing out of the garage and turning into the driveway was not as bad as I expected. I thought that the quick ratio no power assisted steering would be a workout, but it was no more difficult than non-power steering vehicles I had driven in the past. I had grown up driving lawn tractors without power steering and my first car was a non power steering 1982 Toyota pickup truck.
Pulling onto the street required some strength, putting my hand at the twelve o'clock position and pulling the steering wheel to make the 90 degree turn onto the street.
I decided to take a route that included country roads, highway, and city traffic.
The country roads were a revelation. Although steering effort was massively higher, I was able to "feel" every nuance of the road. On center there was no effort, but the more I turned the wheel through a turn, the greater the steering effort became. On slow 15 and 20 mph tight turns, I had to hold on with both hands and my arms definitely got a workout.
The highway was easy. At high speed, the steering required no effort and I could easily drive with the effort of only one hand. I did feel much more confident at high speed with the additional feedback.
City traffic was not too bad, but 90 degree turns at low speed intersections definitely requires two hands, concentration and effort.
At the end of my ride, I felt like I was driving a completely different car. I was very much exhilarated, not only by the novelty, but also by the sheer amount of stimulation coming from the wheel, previously masked by the EPS system. I felt so much more engaged by the car and like manual shifting vs automatic, the additional effort connected me deeper to both the car and importantly, to the road. Even though I was tired, it was the type of tiredness that comes after a good workout.
The s2000 is not my daily driver. I drive it on dry days mostly on winding country roads for fun. If I were to drive and park this car in the city on a daily basis, I would probably keep the power steering turned on. However, since I don't, I won't. I prefer things this way for now. I'll let everybody here know if I still prefer it in a month's time.
Feel free to ask questions. Thanks for reading!
What I mean by this, is that the light steering effort required to turn the wheel remains constant regardless of the position of the wheel or the speed of the car.
This became more apparent after I purchased a Ford Focus SVT (hydraulic steering pump) and a Mini Cooper JCW (electric power steering) as daily drivers. I preferred the heavier steering feel of these two cars, and the way that the steering effort "loaded up" the more I turned the wheel. I also preferred the additional vibration that came from the road through the wheel, particularly when the tires were at the limit of traction.
Although many people on this board have suggested turning off the electric power steering (EPS), I couldn't find a thread in which anyone had actually written about their driving experiences after having done it.
Today, I opened up the hood, and opened up the smaller of the two fuse boxes on the drivers side (US) of the engine bay. Fuse #33, a 70 amp fuse is screwed in with two phillips head screws. With the car turned off, I simply unscrewed the fuse and removed it.
The car started up fine and expectedly, the yellow "EPS" light came on.
Backing out of the garage and turning into the driveway was not as bad as I expected. I thought that the quick ratio no power assisted steering would be a workout, but it was no more difficult than non-power steering vehicles I had driven in the past. I had grown up driving lawn tractors without power steering and my first car was a non power steering 1982 Toyota pickup truck.
Pulling onto the street required some strength, putting my hand at the twelve o'clock position and pulling the steering wheel to make the 90 degree turn onto the street.
I decided to take a route that included country roads, highway, and city traffic.
The country roads were a revelation. Although steering effort was massively higher, I was able to "feel" every nuance of the road. On center there was no effort, but the more I turned the wheel through a turn, the greater the steering effort became. On slow 15 and 20 mph tight turns, I had to hold on with both hands and my arms definitely got a workout.
The highway was easy. At high speed, the steering required no effort and I could easily drive with the effort of only one hand. I did feel much more confident at high speed with the additional feedback.
City traffic was not too bad, but 90 degree turns at low speed intersections definitely requires two hands, concentration and effort.
At the end of my ride, I felt like I was driving a completely different car. I was very much exhilarated, not only by the novelty, but also by the sheer amount of stimulation coming from the wheel, previously masked by the EPS system. I felt so much more engaged by the car and like manual shifting vs automatic, the additional effort connected me deeper to both the car and importantly, to the road. Even though I was tired, it was the type of tiredness that comes after a good workout.
The s2000 is not my daily driver. I drive it on dry days mostly on winding country roads for fun. If I were to drive and park this car in the city on a daily basis, I would probably keep the power steering turned on. However, since I don't, I won't. I prefer things this way for now. I'll let everybody here know if I still prefer it in a month's time.
Feel free to ask questions. Thanks for reading!
I immediately went home, took the screw driver out and removed the 70amp EPS fuse. And went out for a drive....
All I want to say to you is: Thank you! This is a revelation, I race Spec Miata, and I loved the steering effect required in corners, and in the S2000, that was always lacking. The S2000 without the assisted steering is a totally different car.
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Originally Posted by CKit' timestamp='1312860859' post='20859810
I would like to see someone autocross or track without EPS (not being a smartass) and post impressions.
The steering effort is high enough that driver fatigue would probably become an issue in a racing situation. The question is, without the fatigue, would the enhanced steering feel decrease lap times? My guess, on a slow tight autocross, probably not. On a course composed of high speed turns, maybe.
I'm not in it to win it. I just want to be more involved. This mod gives me that.
In a race situation, it's about control feel for the driver to extract the maximum out of a racing car. As an amateur racer myself, fatigue is not part of the equation, I expect myself to be fit & able to drive the car within the course of the race, rather it's sprint or endurance. Plus, when we talk about S2000 here, it's mostly refer it as a sports car, where feel and sensation matter far more than lap times.
