anyone here still own a Prius?
in [Aussie Drivers]
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From: Clocky on 11 Mar 2010 10:35 Noddy wrote: > "Clocky" <notgonn(a)happen.com> wrote in message > news:4b987e51$0$8821$c3e8da3(a)news.astraweb.com... > >> One model from one manufacturer has zero relevance to any other >> model from any other manufacturer. > > It would depend on who's making the steering controller. If the one > fitted to the current Corolla is found on other cars then it has the > potential to be huge. > >> I don't think so. For one electrically assisted power steering is a >> pretty simple system with fewer moving parts and less reliance on >> other parts to work and it's simply more efficient. Hydraulic power >> steering by comparison has many avenues of failure either directly >> or indirectly. > > And yet hydraulic systems have proven themselves to generally be > pretty reliable over the years. > Well, that is until you have worked at a Holden or Ford dealership where leaking pumps, racks and hoses are bread and butter jobs ;-) > As I said, I don't have an issue with the technology or the hardware, > but at least a conventional hydraulic system is unlikely to ever try > to turn the wheels hard left because of a bit of dodgey computer code. > No system should be able to do that, and I already said that Toyota fucked something up. >> ...and efficiency. > > I think the efficiency difference between running a tiny power > steering pump and the extra load on the alternator in running an > electric motor mounted on the steering column would be incredibly > hard to measure. Easy to measure when the electric system only operates when turning the wheel as opposed to the hydraulic pump turning all the time. On the other hand, the difference in component costs > per vehicle would be significant. That too. >> It's been around since the very early 90's and used in mass >> production vehicles for over a decade. > > In *some* vehicles. Mainstream would be more than half a dozen. > Millions of cars, that's a pretty decent sample ;-) >> Nice try, but disabling electric power steering doesn't disable >> steering either, it just makes the steering heavier much like >> hydraulic power steering failure does. > > So why where you implying that it had some magical safety benefit? > I didn't imply that, I said it had fewer avenues of failure. I suppose if it's less likely to fail it would be safer, in theory at least until someone fucks it up like Toyota did :-) >> I wonder if the same scrutiny will now be applied to other >> manufacturers and what will be uncovered there ;-) > > Probably not until they have problems. If and when. The Territory balljoint failure from a couple of years ago where the front end would fall apart was a significant safety failure but was that a national recall or done under their usual (if not somewhat somewhat underhanded) service rework procedure at the time?
From: Jason James on 11 Mar 2010 15:13 "Clocky" <notgonn(a)happen.com> wrote in message news:4b9903b5$0$8825$c3e8da3(a)news.astraweb.com... > Jason James wrote: >> "Albm&ctd" <alb_mandctdNOWMD(a)connexus.net.au> wrote in message >> >> Capacitor failure,..in particular electrolytics, have taken over for >> some years now as the component most likely to fail :-) >> The fast way to find which one,..is to put the rail, line concerened, >> or straight acoss the cap,.. into a CRO. No ripple usually means that >> cap is OK. > > Looking at them is another good indicator. > If it's a power supply problem and it's a switchmode supply, caps are > certainly the #1 suspect. > > A CRO is on my shopping list... They are or should I say were,..my favourite piece of test-gear. You use them as a volt meter (select DC-shift), and if it has delay, you can blow-up parts of a waveform in a switching cct for example to see any bounce, ringing etc 200mhz VHF CROs are great for some radio work,...but my most favourite piece of gear is an analoque (better resolution than a digital display, at least in late '90s) IFR test set which incorporates a spectrum analyser. Good for up to a couple of ghz, makes things like RFI, AE work a breeze. 2nd hand about a $1k, new dont ask :-) Jason
From: Noddy on 11 Mar 2010 16:48 "Clocky" <notgonn(a)happen.com> wrote in message news:4b9905d4$0$8774$c3e8da3(a)news.astraweb.com... > It's all about meeting emission specifications and features that require > the ECU to have throttle control over the engine. I'm sure that's a consideration, but I'd suggest that it's a bonus rather than the deciding factor. -- Regards, Noddy.
From: Clocky on 11 Mar 2010 22:41 Noddy wrote: > "Clocky" <notgonn(a)happen.com> wrote in message > news:4b9905d4$0$8774$c3e8da3(a)news.astraweb.com... > >> It's all about meeting emission specifications and features that >> require the ECU to have throttle control over the engine. > > I'm sure that's a consideration, but I'd suggest that it's a bonus > rather than the deciding factor. The features I'm talking about are things like cruise, ESP, traction control etc. Yes emissions are just one consideration but certainly not the ony one.
From: Noddy on 12 Mar 2010 01:20
"Clocky" <notgonn(a)happen.com> wrote in message news:4b99b7e5$0$27851$c3e8da3(a)news.astraweb.com... > The features I'm talking about are things like cruise, ESP, traction > control etc. Yes emissions are just one consideration but certainly not > the ony one. I agree. It certainly makes all of those things easier to implement, but also shitloads cheaper. Just out of curiosity, why does ESP need to have throttle control? As far as I'm aware the only function it has is brake control by way of limiting brake pressure to the wheels it thinks it needs to, unless it wants to cut the throttle to idle if a car gets sideways while the driver's foot is still on the loud pedal (in which case there's a perfect reason *not* to have it). -- Regards, Noddy. |