Prius Electric Power Steering (via the/drive)

[pyroholtz]

This seems almost too easy and quite genius for a lot of projects, not just electric conversions.

https://www.thedrive.com/news/41845/toyota-prius-power-steering-works-in-almost-any-project-car

[Huzer]

@pyroholtz How does one “simply whip up a laser cut adapter?”

Mustang folks (and I’m sure others) have been doing this for a while (most commonly with components from a Saturn Vue). But it isn’t just a plug and play solution.

[jminer]

@pyroholtz that is pretty cool.

[Demon Xanth]

@huzer Make a drawing of what you need, take it to a machine shop. They put it in the machine and give you the part a short time later.

[pyroholtz]

Now I just need to think up a project to build around this electric power steering.

@jminer said in Prius Electric Power Steering (via the/drive):

@pyroholtz that is pretty cool.

[studystudystudy]

Saturn vue columns have long been used as such. The trick is the steering column is still keyed in as a column in pricing catalogs at junkyards so they let you buy it for $40-50 vs the power steering pump/rack which they charge hundred-hundreds. You need a speed controller or it goes into limp mode so it is a set amount of power assist at all times rather than speed or potentiometer controlled.

[DasWauto]

@huzer @Demon-Xanth there are online services that do this as well. Design it in CAD, send it to them, receive part(s) a short time later. If you watch the video from the article he got one such service to sponsor him (https://sendcutsend.com/)

Also of note @pyroholtz, Superfastmatt is a former longtime Oppo member/contributor. His YouTube channel is fun, as is pretty much anything he’s written.

[rctothefuture]

Hoovie did this to his GT to make it easier to drive. Pretty neat idea!

[Huzer]

@demon-xanth The regular Joe working in his garage thinking that this is neat, they most likely can't even draw up the adapter they need.

For those people that don't have those skills, writing "simply whip up" doesn't make it any easier. I mean "simply cut your steering column, buy the adapters, couplers, and bearings you need, use a lathe to modify your steering coupler, and weld everything together. Done!" To some people, sure that's easy, to others, it's what the hell, I thought you told me I could do this.

And just because regular Joe can't draw/design/fabricate his own custom parts doesn't mean they don't have the ability to work on their own vehicle.

[Demon Xanth]

@huzer You do drastically overestimate the amount of difficulty involved. If you have a sketch with the important dimensions, they can work with that. You don't need to have CAD skills for basic parts.

[Huzer]

@demon-xanth I get it, but being the internet, most mechanics can pull, rebuild their engine, and be racing in 90 minutes, and break for lunch.

Regardless of how drastically overestimating the difficulty, when it comes to "design your own part", a bunch of people will be tapping out at that point. And for those people, instead of spending $100-200 on miscellaneous items and fabricating what they need, they can spend $1500 on the prefabbed kit.

[Demon Xanth]

@huzer I agree that I would take the prefabbed kit every single time. But most of the people this video is targeted towards are the kind that have a low enough volume application that is there would be no prefabed kits ever made. There are likely single digit number of people with that car that want that addition. A "universal" style kit perhaps with a plate for the Prius box setup and you drill the holes for your own car I can see.

[pyroholtz]

@daswauto good to know, I don't know superfastmatt, I'll have to keep an eye on his YT stuff.