Subject: (Fiero) Power Steering
It was all designed and started to be promoted for the '89
Fiero. The world lost this power steering unit when it lost the Fiero - or so
we thought!
Actually, the world didn't lose this electro-hydraulic power
steering unit when they lost the Fiero.
The very same unit that was planned to be introduced on the Fiero now
lives on in another GM car, the EV-1, which is GM's electric car currently
available for purchase in select areas of California. The following is from GM's EV-1 web page listing its specs:
S t e e r i n g
Steering Type:
Electro-Hydraulic, power rack-and-pinion
(speed-sensitive,
variable-effort)
Steering Ratio:
16.5:1
Turning Diameter:
32.5 feet (9.9 m)
Steering Wheel
Turns: 3.0 (lock-to-lock)
GM's eventual use of this unit makes sense because they had
already started producing the system to put on the Fiero back in '88. However, when it was decided that '88 would
be the last year of the Fiero, GM decided not to let any of these units reach
the assembly line so they wouldn't have to spend any time, money, or effort
(big surprise there) supporting such a complex, small volume, item on a few
select Fiero’s. It's used on the
electric car, because an electric car can not support a conventional hydraulic
system. As a matter of fact, the car
even has electro-hydraulic assisted power brakes.
On a related subject, the January 1994 issue of Motor Trend magazine featured an article
written by Ron Cogan entitled “GM IMPACT - Redefining Electric Vehicle
State-of-the-Art”. The article stated: “The Impact’s electro-hydraulic,
speed-sensitive power steering - the next generation of the Saginaw system that
would’ve debuted in the ’89 Fiero, if it hadn’t been canceled, was precise and handling
characteristics were responsive and predictable.”
My question though, is if it would be possible to get a hold
of one of these units from the EV-1 and put it on a '88 Fiero, since the '88's
steering rack has provisions for the unit?
Ken Slish - taken off the
Internet
lmmd@grove.iup.edu
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