EZ Power Steering kit | Page 4 | FerrariChat

EZ Power Steering kit

Discussion in '308/328' started by ATSAaron, Feb 24, 2021.

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  1. ginoBBi512

    ginoBBi512 F1 Rookie
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    #76 ginoBBi512, Mar 2, 2021
    Last edited: Mar 2, 2021
    Thank you for your reply, some folks just will not get it, even the people I have spoken with visiting here from Euro cant believe what they see, especially in Ca, so one can go on and on , Europe has nothing on us here, like I said, the 530 Mile drive to Payson, has every kind of tarmac you can think of, and is 10 times better than anything over seas, your roads are ok, I must video our next ride to AZ, I really love this road because of the insane variety of tarmac you can experience , long windy country roads, canyons, with cliff drop offs with and without run off, 190 MPH straights, decreasing radius switchbacks, its road car territory, I see all these videos here with race cars and very few road cars, thats for Pikes Peak type of stuff. Roads that rip by beautiful lakes, and desert scapes, hills you can catch air just by the sure velocity, loop de doos I call them !! Roads that go through horse and cow country, I mean its endless, so you can ridicule me all you want, I dont take it personal lol , yeh I was wrong about EZ, but if you guys like it ,Im happy for you. There is no better place in the world to drive a Ferrari than where I am, like I said, all you have to do is watch James Bond movies, I can go 45- 55 miles from my house and be at the base of the Sierra Nevadas, 45 minutes from downtown La, you see that pic with the mountains in the foreground the OP put up, I can show you a pictures that will blow your mind, that photo is common place out here ,its that simple, the incredible thing is I can be on a road by a mountain like that, and then a road in the desert ,then on a road that curves through beautiful farm country all in the same day within in miles , not countries , but miles, Europe is nothing like that, period, its that simple gentlemen.My God, even the Euro Jounos, who I love , come here test cars and motorcycles more than anywhere in the world, they even comment about their lack of what we have over here, Ive read these guys for years. We have it all, tight, loose, twisty, fast, big blue sky, our roads cannot be found all over Europe. All the Swiss have are mountains, thats it, boring after a while, try riding through Death Valley, then to Lone Pine , are kidding me ? lol Thats the lowest point 200 ft below sea level. to mount whitney, the highest peak in the continental USA with in 60 miles !!! Look it up
    .
    Thank you
     
  2. Aircon

    Aircon Ten Time F1 World Champ
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    This is the only bit that mattered.
     
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  3. ginoBBi512

    ginoBBi512 F1 Rookie
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    #78 ginoBBi512, Mar 2, 2021
    Last edited: Mar 2, 2021
    Ok Sir, you win !!! lol I heard that a long time ago, some folks on here get off on lambasting other people, but then again, it is the internet lol Take it EZ !! lol

    Great Debate in this time of covid, with that being said , I was suppose to get me car back today, when I asked if everything was set, like , does the stereo turn on, I get a call back, no it doesnt, well please fix it, it worked when I brought it in, now with a new fuse board, it should really work with no issues, I dont want to have to take it to the stereo shop !! lol And this is the dealer.

    Thank you
     
  4. ATSAaron

    ATSAaron Formula 3
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    Wow! I was amazing to come back here and find four pages. But now I am embarrassed to say I have not crawled back under the dash in a week. I think I can get past the spline issue now. I need to enlarge the hole I cut under the dash a little bit to push the steering motor further forward, otherwise the only position the steering wheel will sit is full buss driver.
     
  5. Ferraridoc

    Ferraridoc F1 World Champ
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    LOL! Like you take corners fast...
     
  6. Ferraridoc

    Ferraridoc F1 World Champ
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    When I cut the hole, I wanted it to be as small as possible - lots of check measures, etc. No dice. I went back 3 times to enlarge it, but the motor sits in there nicely, and the shaft is right up high out of the way. Three points I might make: Make sure you seal up the hole (I used lots of foam), otherwise hot air will flood into the cabin. When you mount the motor, adjustment of the wheel becomes very... complicated, so make sure the wheel is where you like it - mine's too low, and in 5 years, I couldn't be arsed to change it. I thought the mounting provided was a little weak, for all the torque that gets applied, so I made an angled bracket that bolts to the sheetmetal on the top side (easily reached through the bloody big hole you've just cut) and attached the body of the motor to it with a large hose clamp.
     
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  7. Lawrence Coppari

    Lawrence Coppari Formula 3

    Apr 29, 2002
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    The times I've noticed a steering load up are when I'm going downhill on mountain roads at a fast rate, then hard braking to negotiate the switchback at the bottom of the hill.
     
  8. mk e

    mk e F1 World Champ

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    I stumbled onto this
    https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/Brand-new-OEM-factory-12V-380W_60772301635.html?spm=a2756.order-detail-ta-bn-b.0.0.51942fc21vOLlJ

    A pretty small 80Nm power unit that seems about perfect for a 308 and they will ship a sample for $250....so much for waiting until winter.
     
  9. mike996

    mike996 F1 Veteran

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    That site won't download for me for some reason but if they say no modifications required, remember that the ad copy for the EZ steer says the same thing. So if cutting is an issue for you, contact them directly and ask if any mods (cutting) is required for a Ferrari 3o8/328.

    If they say "no," unless I was confident I was talking to a tech who actually KNOWS, I'd still ask for a pic showing it installed because you could be talking to a customer service rep who only knows what their ad says... ;)
     
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  10. mk e

    mk e F1 World Champ

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    Its just a semi-generic electric power steering motor and controller, then its up to the Tech guy, me, to decide it cutting is required. This is about the most compact unit out there so it is what it is I guess....but its not $250. when I placed the order they said 1 piece is $280 and air shipping $120. Waiting to find out if there is a cheaper shipping option.

    If anyone else wants in let me know and we can split shipping.....but remember this is a prototyping exercise so there will be more bits to buy/make and I'm not promising this is a no cutting path only that I'll see what's possible before cutting.
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  11. Aircon

    Aircon Ten Time F1 World Champ
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    You're a brave and talented man! Looking forward to a full report.
     
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  12. mike996

    mike996 F1 Veteran

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    Being a beta tester is not my idea of a fun time in this sort of application! As Aircon stated, let us know how it goes! :)
     
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  13. hyenahf

    hyenahf F1 Rookie

    May 25, 2004
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    been on those LA canyon roads in the LA area umpteen times. Mulholland, tunas, laurel, Angeles Crest, palomar, ojai etc.

    we used to go crotch-rocket hunting, especially on the way to willow springs trackdays. when the road gets twisty you can absolutely destroy those bikes with a car.

    nevertheless it looks like great fun on motorcycles!
     
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  14. hyenahf

    hyenahf F1 Rookie

    May 25, 2004
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    I had a 308 and a 308Gt4 and have driven 1/2 dozen more. Both my 930 and factory M491 911 have wide tracks with higher efforts steering over the narrow bodied cars with the increased scrub radius.

    I’d say the efforts between the fcars and Aircools are comparable. But the quicker steering ratio and feel of the Aircools are much much better. I’ve put in a quick rack 15:1 to speed things up further

    The 308’s are a little dead in feel and nut more importantly, molasses slow. All the gr4 michelotto cars had a quick rack. I think an pw assist EZ couple with a quick rack would be the ideal easiest solution. If it’s transparent without any assist over 5mph what’s there to ***** about in terms of feel?

    The late 328 had a faster rack, more importantly it has less scrub radius running on high offset wheels with anti dive geometry. Like the 964’s it’s a much more modern needed set up to run with abs over the earlier generations of cars

    having said that, a 308 steering feel isn’t bad but nothing like a kart or even an air cooled 911. Best street car steering track car I’ve driven is a Caterham 7 or a motorsports cup elise.... in all aspects, a 308 doesn’t come close.

    my 2 cents
     
  15. Ferraridoc

    Ferraridoc F1 World Champ
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    I have a Lotus Elan tarmac rally car. There's a beautiful road over Mt Glorious, near my home town. Going flat out, the big bikes would gradually catch me on the way up, then over the back, I'd overtake them going down the other side - they used to get very snarky about it too!
     
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  16. JC Andruet

    JC Andruet Karting

    Jan 16, 2013
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    I used to own a Porsche 993 RS, not the lightest, nor the most powerful combination, but a very usable car that was great fun to drive.

    I'd had my fun for the day, and was heading home (in daylight) along a truly wonderful piece of blacktop at a reduced pace. Some distance behind me, I became aware of a headlight rapidly approaching. I quickly established it was a bike.

    I let the rider pass me, but was somewhat dismayed that he pulled back into my lane sooner than was pertinent or polite, and his hot sticky rear tire fired a barrage of stones over the front of the car in the process. It seemed an unnecessary gesture and annoyed me sufficiently, that despite having had my quota of fun for the day, I felt dutybound to uphold Stuttgart's honour ...

    The ante was quickly upped and the perpetrator soon caught up, the Porsche's chassis was well up to the task of keeping pace with the bike through the corners, but along the straights, the bike's superior power to weight ratio was telling, and after 5 minutes of keeping up with the rider, we came to a less twisty, and very fast section, at which point the rider pressed home his advantage.
    I knew the road well and was all too aware that less than a mile further on, the road got very twisty again, and once again the Porsche would be in its element, though I figured that if the rider was good, I'd probably not see him again.
    I was wrong.

    At the end of the fast section, the road went through an open but fairly tight S bend, this in turn led into a tight downhill right hand bend. If you knew the road, you'd know that, that tempting open S bend couldn't be taken as quickly as you'd like IF you wanted to negotiate the tight righthand bend that followed ...

    This gentleman clearly didn't know the road, and as I braked all the way through the S bend to slow sufficiently to make the following tight right, he could be seen picking himself up off the road and surveying his now horizontal Aprilia RSV1000 ...

    I stopped, reversed my car back up the road and parked it with its hazard lights on mid-lane to slow and warn other road users, then got out to offer assistance to the gentleman. I asked if he was ok, he refused to remove his helmet, but said he was fine, I asked what had happened, he shrugged his shoulders, but it was obvious, his approach speed was excessive, he'd understeered sufficiently that he'd found himself on the loose gravel on the outside of the bend, and then the inevitable had happened.
    I asked if he wanted me to ring anyone or arrange for recovery for the bike, or give him a lift somewhere, he refused all my offers, but requested I help him lift his bike up. I duly obliged (note to self, 1000cc bikes are HEAVEEE) and noted that despite the fairing, bars and pegs being bent and scuffed, the bike still looked rideable.
    I once again checked he was ok, before leaving him to it.

    I stopped off for fuel some 5 miles down the road, the car had a fairly large 72 litre tank, so it took some time to fill, and as I pumped the gas, who should appear on his less than pristine motorcycle ...
    He turned onto the gas station forecourt, but then saw me and the Porsche, and decided discretion was the better part of valor and promptly took off again !!

    A properly ridden 600-1000cc Sportsbike is a very potent weapon indeed (though I'm not suggesting the Aprilia was such a Sportsbike) but the amount of rubber a decent sports car puts on the road, more often than not balances out the bike's superior power to weight ratio around the twisties in my experience.
     
  17. hyenahf

    hyenahf F1 Rookie

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    yes, the bikes will pull away from you once there is a long straight with their blinding acceleration though the moderns have close that gap a little. once the bikes are leaned over, that cant use all of the power and negates that advantage. you can reel them in pretty easily on braking and in the corners. im thinking a nimble 600cc would actually be quicker in those canyon roads. they are all over a 100hp, closer to 126hp these days, more than enough with an experience ace rider

    never encounter a snarky biker who is out there having fun, once your are on their tails for awhile they pull over and let you pass... its the cruiser and HD guys that get snarky.
     
  18. mike996

    mike996 F1 Veteran

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    I know we are diverging from the thread BUT...

    As noted, it depends on the car, the driver, the bike, and the rider. Top-level modern sport bikes have most of the bells and whistles of modern cars, and add lean-angle sensors to all the "usual (electronic) suspects." What it means is if you dive into a corner, you can peg the throttle and the electronics will determine how much power can be applied to the rear wheel without slipping. Of course, this does not negate the laws of physics so cars still have more traction in corners but it does allow the bike to use its maximum power in any corner without the rider having to actually manipulate the throttle. In theory, of course, an expert rider should be able to match what the electronics can do. But the reality is the same as with ABS. In the real world 99.9% of the riders CAN"T match the electronics' capability.

    I rode a friend's Ducati V4 Panagali (215 HP) recently. I've been riding all my life and held a competition license at one time. When you wick the throttle on, that thing is just....GONE! If it was possible to stage a race on a twisty road between ME in my 328 and ME on that Panagali, me in the 328 would see me on the Panagali's taillights for the first turn or two and nothing at all after that...

    I am not saying others couldn't do better in the 328 and certainly a more current/powerful sports car could outpace the Panagali in the turns. But that machine, with its latest electronic "aids" is a mind-blower. I'm sure other current brands can do the same but it's the most capable/powerful street bike I have ever been on.
     
  19. sltillim

    sltillim Formula 3
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    Did you just find the core components from the EZ system for a couple hundred dollars?
     
  20. mk e

    mk e F1 World Champ

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    $400 with shipping but that was WAY too rich for my blood, so now I have them in transit for $165 ;)

    Remember though, with a package like the EZ steer setup you know it will all fit and work what I'm trying will eat a lot of my time and may never work out....this seems pretty straight forward though and its not much money so I'm not very worried.
     
  21. Ferraridoc

    Ferraridoc F1 World Champ
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    Plenty of guys have adapted OEM units for their 308's down here. The Holden Barina (Opel Corsa) is a popular donor.
     
  22. Aircon

    Aircon Ten Time F1 World Champ
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    Really? How'd it end up? Cost wise?
     
  23. Ferraridoc

    Ferraridoc F1 World Champ
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    Cheaper than EZ, but I'm not sure of the final cost. MJ up here does them.
     
  24. Aircon

    Aircon Ten Time F1 World Champ
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    Does it work the same? Fit the same? Details man, details!
     

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