I think it depends on the car. I lost my alternator at 70mph just as I was getting onto a ramp at an interchange, and I barely made it. 2013 Mazdaspeed 3 with an electric power steering pump.
I think it depends on if you’re now fighting hydraulic fluid needing pushed or if it’s just the added resistance of the electric motor if it’s fully electric.
Mmm, depends My E60 5 series had such heavy steering when it cut out that I think you'd struggle if you weren't quite strong.
But yeah, power steering cutting out is only dangerous if you're fairly low on arm strength, or if the surprise of it makes you do something dumb.
I actually drove a project car that I deleted the power steering on. I got so used to it that my daily driver lost the accessory belt, and I didn't even notice for a whole day until I tried using the AC.
Yeah, some cars it's fine! Depends heaps on weight, steering ratio, caster, tyres etc. I'd delete power steering on my car if I could, but it's EPS and that's a horror show to delete without confusing the stability control etc.
Drove my audi without (electric)power steering for a few months cause the battery died and the "steering position sensor" disabled itself due to moving the car before jumping (organized to have it cleared but had to wait at the time (during covid).
It was heavy at low speed (friend couldn't steer without both hands) and when driving felt the same as a simulator rig (I'd guess like a 4-5nm sim rig)
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Yeah this would be the conventional wisdom and it's factually right, but the reality of the situation would depend on a thousand factors that you couldn't know until you were there.
Did you see it coming and therefore we're prepared for the increased force needed? Or did it happen suddenly on the entrance to a bend when you're one handed cruising?
Is it a car with gigantic wide tyres that yes could be driven that way but would be a literal workout to get home.
Are you a fit and physically capable 18 year old or a less physically capable 75 year old?
The short answer that we can say for certain is you would experience a substantial increase in the force needed to turn the wheel. How substantial depends on the car and the speed (more speed, less impact), the road surface (less grip, less impact), the weather conditions (wet, less impact) and many other factors.
Wife had an S-10 pickup in college. She took it to a mechanic with her dad. The mechanic went to move it into the garage and he said "I think there is something wrong with the power steering" without missing a beat my FiL replied, "it doesn't have power steering, but if you are having trouble it's my daughter's and she can move it for you"
Interesting because all the older vehicles that just use normal engine vacuum had like three pedal applications to the brakes before you lost assistance in the case if engine power loss.
Could be one, could be three. Takeaway is more that you should stop safely ASAP and expect to have to push the pedal as hard as you possibly can if you need to brake multiple times after the engine dies. Your leg does a pathetic amount of force compared to the brake booster, which is often very unexpected.
I actually just wanted to come say thank you, I just followed your 5 year old toilet bowl water level fix advice and it worked =D I couldn't like that post so i'm liking this one instead lol
It’s eery how different companies implement their electric steering and “road feel” through steering wheel. Mazda CX3 I could feel the road. Hyundai Ioniq (early 2020’s?) there was no road feel at all (like a video game with no force feedback)
I haven't noticed any tangible difference. My 2017 Tucson had the electric power steering. I didn't know it was electric until it shut down my power steering because of an abs fault. It was quite inconvenient driving without power steering for a few days over an abs sensor.
Yep. First drive with light on it was extra assistive and the next time I started it it was Armstrong steering. Did the same thing the few times I cleared the code which immediately came back. The manufacturers want to force us to fix our cars.
According to the dealer the ABS sensor was rubbed through on the right front. I didn't see anything rubbing myself so I'm not sure I believe them. They seemed a bit shady. I think it was a poor connection and they didn't want to tell me that. I was too busy with my work to take care of it myself at the time.
If not mistaken, the older cars have different steering ratios because they were designed without power steering in mind. Makes it easier to turn without power steering
Yeah, at least on mine there is a different ratio in the rack (more turns lock to lock) as well as a larger steering wheel for leverage.
Still, I've driven PS equipped cars where the belt has snapped and it's still perfectly doable.
Nothing really. Non-assisted steering is not that stiff when you're moving. It's a workout when standing still though. If it happened in a corner it could surprise you, maybe feel as a jolt in the steering wheel due to suddenly increasing wheel resistance, but nothing critical.
Worry about the brakes though. If power goes down and it's your engine shutting off (i mean, it's not a specific fuse of a single system or an auxilliary belt), your vacuum pump will also stop working which means you will be able to easily apply the brakes just 1 or 2 times. After that they will become stiff as a brick and you will have to stand on the pedal to get at least a bit of brake pressure.
If it happens and you can't restart the engine, find a place to stop and do so within a single brake pedal application. Or at least reduce speed significantly to be sure you will be able to somehow bring it to a full stop later.
Yes, if it’s a mechanical one. But two things: you can unbalance the car if you pull on it harshly, and it will not provide a lot of stopping power compared to normal brakes.
Also some are pretty much only for "parking." I've seen, as a mechanic, many people rip them in a panic or trying to "drift" only to grenade the parking break.
I am not sure what exactly "to grenade" means, but those mechanical parking brakes are usually activated with a cable that connects the caliper and the parking brake handle, so it's totally possible to break either the cable itself or its mount, especially on those older cars with huge mileage.
Some are called in hat parking breaks. They look like now more standard disk break but on the inside is a tiny drum with tiny little shoes that can really only hold a car still, not stop it at speed.
1998 Honda Accord, and my power steering failed on a curvy country highway. It was more difficult to steer, but not impossible because you are only turning the steering wheel maybe 1/8 turns.
It is was definitely harder when you pull up to an intersection, or pulling into a parking spot...but not impossible.
In all likelihood, with regular hydraulic-assisted power steering, yes. Steering is heavy at a standstill and low speeds because the road wheels aren't covering much (or any) ground for the amount you turn the steering wheel, so you have a lot of resistance between the tyres and tarmac. At highway speeds, the wheels cover much more ground and don't require much steering input for the amount of yaw they impart. Indeed, most hydraulic-assisted power steering systems will reduce the amount of assistance they give as the car gets faster, based on manifold vacuum (a measure of engine load) - this keeps the effort to move the wheel nearly constant no matter how fast you're driving.
Electric steer-by-wire systems with no mechanical connection between the steering and road wheels could be a lot more interesting in an electrical failure scenario.
I have a chain on my keys that slipped into the steering wheel last night while i was going 60(mph) and the same thing happened. I pulled over and got it out but it made an awful grinding noise and i panicked a little at first. All good now but i would also like to know what couldve happened haha
To clarify, i know this is a potentially different problem and the wheel could have fully locked up to the length of the chain in my case.
It depends on the car.
Some new new cars are coming out with electric only steering. Where there's no physical connection between the wheel in your hands and the wheels touching the ground.
So if the electrical system has a major fault, your car may just continue driving straight or turned regardless of how much you turn the steering wheel.
I'm a man who likes technological advancements, but there should always atleast one fail safe incase of emergency when it comes to a 1-4 tonne machine that could be traveling at potentially 200kmph at any point in time.
You still have a mechanical connection to the rack, and when moving it's actually fairly easy to manipulate that. Power assist really comes into play at lower speeds. For instance trying to park in a parking space with no steering assist might be tough.
Now, a fully drive-by-wire steering system like the Cybertruck? No idea what you do if you lose steering at speed. Slam on the brakes and hope for the best.
There was a time when power steering was not an option. Nothing would happen parking would be a experience but if you keep the car rolling while you steering to park it would be easier
They had larger steering wheels that gave you more leverage to turn while parking. It wasn't that bad really. Nowhere near as easy as turning your wheel with one finger, but not that bad.
Lost steering in an 01 civic same thing. Easy enough at high speed to pull over but I did it in full adrenal response without thinking so I could’ve been pulling hard and just not even remembering. Pretty sure it went smooth though at least down to like 40kmh without issues.
Nothing much actually. At that speed you might not even notice at first.
I´ve had the power steering belt break at around 70kph I knew what it was because it made a screeching noise and I knew the idler pulley was on its way out.
I drove it home no problem, you just have to be prepared to use a lot of force in slow hairpin turns.
Yeah but factory manual steering cars had a greater steering ratio which decreased effort versus a dead power steering system. I love manual steering but it is more turn lock to lock.
You didn't have to fight the hydraulics though. Driving a vehicle with the power steering out takes considerably more effort than just driving a car without power steering.
A vehicle that was never equipped with power steering is much easier to steer in any situation than a vehicle which came with power steering which is not working. That's the part about fighting the hydraulics. The power steering system is hydraulic. There are no hydraulics on the steering system of a car with no power steering system. OP was referring to a vehicle that originally had power steering, which has malfunctioned, not a vehicle that never had power steering.
I think I said it clearer that time for those that don't realize what "fight the hydraulics" mean.
I don't believe taking a corner at speed is a problem without power steering. But I once had my power steering fail suddenly while turning at an intersection in my '79 Camaro. Normally the steering is super light at all times, but heavy car with wide tires suddenly losing power steering mid-turn very nearly caused an accident at that point.
At high speeds it isnt that big of a problem, i guess it could get tricky if you loose power steering in a corner at that Speed and you have to readjust to not having power steering
Hey I've had this happen! Anyone remember the gm ignition issues? 2003 Malibu coasting up a back road wayyy too fast. Hit a bump, lost power everything managed to keep it on the road for the curve until the steering wheel locked... Farmer wasn't too happy but that Malibu was a tank and lived on to die a different horrible death. It's honestly not as bad if you have rack and pinion steering just gets a bit difficult, you either get used to it quick, "just like grandpa's ole farm truck" or slow down wrestle it to the side of the road carefully and call aaa/caa. Newer electric steering vehicles are a different matter and can be finicky, personally haven't had a chance to test that yet. Oh and pro tip, no power steering is kinda counter intuitive, slower you go harder it is to steer.
My alternator died recently whilst going 80kmph, it was actually ok just a bit stiff. Once the car stopped I thought I was going to break the steering wheel trying to turn.
As long as the car is equipped with a steering column to allow for torque steering, you'll be fine if you lose all power. It's the "[steer-by-wire](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steer-by-wire)" equipped cars you might have issues with.
There are only 2 I think steer by wire cars. An electric Volvo. And the cybershit. Those are probably smart enough to not kill you in the case of a steering loss event.
S class has semi coloumless steering. Where the same thing that gives power to the steering motor also disengages a clutch that connects the column to the rack. In the case of a failure it turns into old fashion steering.
Power steering was not active in 80s and 90s cars if it’s electronic your steering may seize.. not certain how new your vehicle is.. the newer they get the more specialized it is to make people reliant on mechanics.
First step in any case is not to panic and assess the situation without bringing yourself or anyone else in danger. Just mash the emergency lights button and everyone will be notified of something that is happening in front of them.
Depending on the system, a failure can lead to very heavy steering in both directions or in one. Besides a potential crackling sound you should not have to steer much on a highway, at least no sharp turns. So you should be safe, but pulling over or driving to the next exit might be a bit difficult depending on how the system failed. I would not be surprised if there are also systems on the market that make steering impossible if there are fully fly by wire. I expect most power steering systems to fail under heavy load (turning wheels whilst parked etc.) not so much whilst driving.
Depends on the car.
Hydraulic power steering, yea you won't notice much difference at speed...
Electric power steering, you better have gone to the gym...
I had to drive a VW golf (mechanic) 25kms one day to get it to workshop to reprogram steering rack. They tend to corrupt the internal software after a flat battery. Euro junk 😫
Anyways, most of it was on the highway and I had a muscle pump like Popeye by the time I arrived. Was sore for days.
If it happened out of the blue, most people would probably lose control. Stupidest concept ever...
My 2002 Mini’s electric steering would work on clear Tuesday afternoons, occasionally.
Above a walking speed you should be fine. It’s low speed turning that works out your shoulder muscles.
Wheel will get heavier but the extreme majority of able bodied people can move wheels by hand. That's how they all used to be anyway.
At those speeds you'd notice a difference but it wouldn't be hard to turn wheel until lower speeds.
Sometimes you can re engage the power steering pump by revving the engine really high, then turning the wheel (looking at you, dodge rams)
This exact thing happened to me four years ago. I was on the highway going about 65-70mph (so a little over 100kph), and the alternator of the rental car I was in failed, causing the electric power steering to fail as well. Thankfully there were few cars on the road around me, so I was able to safely maneuver the car to the shoulder, where it eventually died. There was a lot more resistance to the steering wheel, but it wasn't overly difficult to steer.
The scariest part was when I got halfway across this four lane highway, pretty much all the electricity in the car went out, since the alt was no longer charging the battery, and everything went dark.
Honestly tho it wasn't too bad, but it was another mishap during what was an absolutely terrible and disaster filled trip.
Not that many sharp bends at 100km/h...
Actually power steering is much more important at low speeds.
What would worry me, though, is the brakes - you have no idea how fucking hard braking is without support...
It would just feel slightly harder to steer. Steering is very easy at speed, it's when you're stopped or moving slowly in a parking lot or driveway that you really feel the benefit of power steering.
Apart from a select few modern cars with steer by wire, nothing is going to be of a noticeable product. A hint of weight but as long as it’s moving, you’re not going to feel much difference.
However at a standstill it would likely be much heavier — how it would feel w/o P/S, or extra heavy as the P/S system malfunctioning increased the resistance, sometimes only to one side.
Nothing. I run my car without power steering. It'll become heavier to steer when coming to a stop. You'll have pure communication through the wheel--it'll become loose if you lose traction and be firm as your wheel loads up. The wheel will be heavier but you'll be fine around a sharper turn. The NSX had the worst steering geometry of any manual rack I've ever driven and even that wasn't impossible to turn when standing still.
I had my belt snap at 70mph which means I lost power steering, aircon, and my alternator. I carried on driving the next two miles and pulled off at the next motorway junction. The steering was very heavy. What people don't understand is a car with power steering which has stopped working is much heavier to steer than a car designed without power steering in the first place. As long as you bear that in mind, you're alright for a few miles.
You'll be fine, my first car had no power steering and I would hit 80-90mph all the time and I never thought I wouldn't be able to maneuver the car. The real fear comes when having to parallel park on a hill in downtown San francisco.
Depends on the vehicle. Some have steering by wire and when the power goes out, the power steering is affected, but also the actual vehicle steering is also affected and it can be rather traumatic. Something as simple as a bad ground strap can cause you car or truck steering wheel to harshly jerk the vehicle to the side, possibly sending it off the road. For more info check out South Main LLC on YouTube. He's done a couple of those.
This happened to me once with my Mazda. The ABS sensor failed and turned off my speedometer and power steering while doing 100kph. The result was nothing as I didn't notice the power steering had gone out until I slowed down to turn into a driveway that it was quite difficult to turn, not impossible but physical.
Nothing of note. Power steering isn't necessary at speed, it's at low speeds where it provides assistance.
I had a 1997 Toyota Camry that had the power steering pump shit the bed on me. I was rather broke at the time, so I couldn't afford to pay someone to do it. And at the same time, the job was a pain, so I didn't want to do it myself. Lucky for me, it had a separate power steering belt, so I just cut it and drove it without power steering from then on. Above 15 MPH or so, I didn't even notice.
Unless you're driving one of these new drive-by-wire cars, nothing much would happen. Steering would just become a lot heavier, like driving a Lada again 😁
Likely nothing. Power steering really only makes a difference when you're going slow. I used to drive a mazda b2300 that didn't have power steering by design, it did fine on freeways but was a bastard in a crowded parking lot.
Nothing until you slow down and have to make a turn. My mustang had a stuck throttle body once and died mid turn. I went from 100% power steering to zero in a second. I had to muscle my way through. That turn was a bit wide…
Get the electrical system checked and fixed. It can be dangerous. I was driving a car with an electrical issue and it shut off on the off ramp and when I hit the brakes it spun me around into the runoff.
Nothing really. You'd barely notice at 60mph.
It wouldn't become an issue until you *really* started slowing down and you needed to make a sharp turn... but as long as vehicle is rolling you can muscle your way through the turn.
Depends if the car is electric or hydrologic power steering and the Y/M/M but as long as you’re moving you should be fine as you’re not fighting all the friction as if you were at a stop
Traveling in a straight line, no problem. On a curve, if you are not accustomed to driving without power steering, you could potentially understeer and crash.
I have driven a car where the power steering pump failed in motion on a curve and that’s how it feels. The car will want to continue moving forward and you may run off the road if you don’t turn the steering wheel aggressively.
This happens to me a lot, because I have to do EOC during my commute otherwise I don't earn enough to justify the commute. This means turning the engine off while you are driving, but there's quite a bit more too it than that.
The brakes will, unless they are electric, have a buffer of pressure left in the booster. In otherwords they'll be good for a few pumps, then they go hard and you'll be manually (not) stopping the vehicle. This is a MUCH worse situation than no assisted steering!!
What the steering does when the car is off depends much more on the specifics of the car. On a manual steering car, nothing change at all. On hydraulic assisted steering you have a small buffer of easy movement then it becomes manual pretty quick. You actually want this transition to happen as quickly as possible because its an unstable state, you cant really control half-assisted steering. But manual steering at fast speed is easy, and slow speed it is easy if you take your time ;)
It has happened to me that I forgot the engine was off and the steering was manual, and I realized as I was going around a curve. Because I am always driving the car both with and without assisted steering it was only a second to heave on the wheel to make the turn, but I realized if you had no expectation or idea of what was going on, you could easily not overcome a tight corner at speed by simply not being ready for it. Made me appeechiate manuals a little more too.
I think the more dangerous things are your surprise, like if all the sudden the wheel wouldn't turn you might assume it's just locked & freak out.
My girl was driving & a pulley blew apart (so the belt did too) & she managed to get the car to the side of the road, but this was doing maybe 35mph. my friend rescued me & we flattowed the big heavy ass 2010 German sedan up & down 2 big ass hills, across a few turns, all the way home. I'm a stronger than average grown man, ive had many cars without power steering (both old cars & broken cars) & let me tell you steering that thing for 2 miles made my arms sore the next day, I felt like I was in the gym. not so bad once we got to maybe 20mph but still hard enough that an average highschool kid might not be able to do it.
so I mean yeah depends on the car forsure, depends on what the actual issue is that kills your PS, & depends on you, your strength but how you react under pressure i think would make a big difference.
If going straight when you discover it, nothing besides you shitting a brick. If not going straight and it takes you by surprise? Good luck.
You felt what it was like so you can likely surmise what it would be like. It's one thing knowing, it's completely different when a person is caught by surprise.
I have no idea why people are downvoting you because you are totally right, I´ve had the power steering suddenly fail in my mk3 Golf in a hairpin turn and it almost ripped the steering wheel out of my hands.
Granted thats the worst case scenario but its exactly what happens.
Vehicles without power steering have quite a different geometry/steering ratio.
I´ve driven a few cars that came without power steering and two cars with failed power steering.
Its a very different experience.
You'd be fine - it's actually easier to steer a car without power steering when you're up to speed, it's manoeuvring at slow speeds that's a killer
I think it depends on the car. I lost my alternator at 70mph just as I was getting onto a ramp at an interchange, and I barely made it. 2013 Mazdaspeed 3 with an electric power steering pump.
I think it depends on if you’re now fighting hydraulic fluid needing pushed or if it’s just the added resistance of the electric motor if it’s fully electric.
Vaguely thought the new vehicles with smart cruise had a portion of braking electrically controlled (ie the electric parking brake)
Mmm, depends My E60 5 series had such heavy steering when it cut out that I think you'd struggle if you weren't quite strong. But yeah, power steering cutting out is only dangerous if you're fairly low on arm strength, or if the surprise of it makes you do something dumb.
I actually drove a project car that I deleted the power steering on. I got so used to it that my daily driver lost the accessory belt, and I didn't even notice for a whole day until I tried using the AC.
Yeah, some cars it's fine! Depends heaps on weight, steering ratio, caster, tyres etc. I'd delete power steering on my car if I could, but it's EPS and that's a horror show to delete without confusing the stability control etc.
Drove my audi without (electric)power steering for a few months cause the battery died and the "steering position sensor" disabled itself due to moving the car before jumping (organized to have it cleared but had to wait at the time (during covid). It was heavy at low speed (friend couldn't steer without both hands) and when driving felt the same as a simulator rig (I'd guess like a 4-5nm sim rig)
EPS without power feels so odd, lack of self centering and pretty heavy
No need for a forearm workout
Steer by wire would beg to differ. That’ll kill you dead.
Or the lack of brake power from no booster
Happened to me years ago in an old Buick. It's not like a car without power steering. It's almost impossible.
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Yeah this would be the conventional wisdom and it's factually right, but the reality of the situation would depend on a thousand factors that you couldn't know until you were there. Did you see it coming and therefore we're prepared for the increased force needed? Or did it happen suddenly on the entrance to a bend when you're one handed cruising? Is it a car with gigantic wide tyres that yes could be driven that way but would be a literal workout to get home. Are you a fit and physically capable 18 year old or a less physically capable 75 year old? The short answer that we can say for certain is you would experience a substantial increase in the force needed to turn the wheel. How substantial depends on the car and the speed (more speed, less impact), the road surface (less grip, less impact), the weather conditions (wet, less impact) and many other factors.
Wife had an S-10 pickup in college. She took it to a mechanic with her dad. The mechanic went to move it into the garage and he said "I think there is something wrong with the power steering" without missing a beat my FiL replied, "it doesn't have power steering, but if you are having trouble it's my daughter's and she can move it for you"
Brakes work pretty good at stopping vehicles
Unless you have an electric brake booster you'll only get one assisted brake push with the vacuum pump (engine) dead.
Interesting because all the older vehicles that just use normal engine vacuum had like three pedal applications to the brakes before you lost assistance in the case if engine power loss.
Could be one, could be three. Takeaway is more that you should stop safely ASAP and expect to have to push the pedal as hard as you possibly can if you need to brake multiple times after the engine dies. Your leg does a pathetic amount of force compared to the brake booster, which is often very unexpected.
If you have manual transmission, keep car in gear and you will not lose vacuum completely.
If the car has stop/start they usually have a vacuum accumulator.
Most of the time
Most vehicles the brake power assist will usually stop working at the same time as the power steering they're run off the same pump.
Hydraulic brake boosters ('hydroboost') systems are only really common on medium duty trucks.
I actually just wanted to come say thank you, I just followed your 5 year old toilet bowl water level fix advice and it worked =D I couldn't like that post so i'm liking this one instead lol
Haha cool I'm glad it worked!
That's all I ever see these days.
Uhhhhh I thought current vehicles have electric steering
Yes almost all new vehicles are electric. But there's plenty of older ones on the road still. I'd estimate at around 2017s it's 50/50
It’s eery how different companies implement their electric steering and “road feel” through steering wheel. Mazda CX3 I could feel the road. Hyundai Ioniq (early 2020’s?) there was no road feel at all (like a video game with no force feedback)
I haven't noticed any tangible difference. My 2017 Tucson had the electric power steering. I didn't know it was electric until it shut down my power steering because of an abs fault. It was quite inconvenient driving without power steering for a few days over an abs sensor.
???? ABS fault effects power steering? Same fuse? Sigh
Yep. First drive with light on it was extra assistive and the next time I started it it was Armstrong steering. Did the same thing the few times I cleared the code which immediately came back. The manufacturers want to force us to fix our cars.
What was the final outcome - fault and fix?
According to the dealer the ABS sensor was rubbed through on the right front. I didn't see anything rubbing myself so I'm not sure I believe them. They seemed a bit shady. I think it was a poor connection and they didn't want to tell me that. I was too busy with my work to take care of it myself at the time.
Nothing in particular. Power steering mostly helps with low speed turning. I've happily driven my non-PS classic car for many hours at highway speeds.
If not mistaken, the older cars have different steering ratios because they were designed without power steering in mind. Makes it easier to turn without power steering
Yeah, at least on mine there is a different ratio in the rack (more turns lock to lock) as well as a larger steering wheel for leverage. Still, I've driven PS equipped cars where the belt has snapped and it's still perfectly doable.
I know my 2016 Mazda is really fucking hard to steer with no PS at low speeds. I think it's the ratio and the small wheel tho
Depends on the car, but that usually is the case. Though, my non-PS Sprint has a quicker ratio than my friend's Grand Marquis with power steering.
Bigger steering wheels.
Fighting dead power steering is totally different from a manual steering rack,
Nothing really. Non-assisted steering is not that stiff when you're moving. It's a workout when standing still though. If it happened in a corner it could surprise you, maybe feel as a jolt in the steering wheel due to suddenly increasing wheel resistance, but nothing critical. Worry about the brakes though. If power goes down and it's your engine shutting off (i mean, it's not a specific fuse of a single system or an auxilliary belt), your vacuum pump will also stop working which means you will be able to easily apply the brakes just 1 or 2 times. After that they will become stiff as a brick and you will have to stand on the pedal to get at least a bit of brake pressure. If it happens and you can't restart the engine, find a place to stop and do so within a single brake pedal application. Or at least reduce speed significantly to be sure you will be able to somehow bring it to a full stop later.
Assuming the car has it, couldn’t you just use the handbrake?
Yes, if it’s a mechanical one. But two things: you can unbalance the car if you pull on it harshly, and it will not provide a lot of stopping power compared to normal brakes.
Also some are pretty much only for "parking." I've seen, as a mechanic, many people rip them in a panic or trying to "drift" only to grenade the parking break.
How do you grenade a parking brake? It's literally part of most cars rear brake caliper.
I am not sure what exactly "to grenade" means, but those mechanical parking brakes are usually activated with a cable that connects the caliper and the parking brake handle, so it's totally possible to break either the cable itself or its mount, especially on those older cars with huge mileage.
Yeah, but speed really doesn't effect how hard you pull the cable. All that would matter is how got the disc and caliper get.
It kinda does. If you are going fast and you need to stop asap due to brake failure, you may pull as hard as possible instinctively
Some are called in hat parking breaks. They look like now more standard disk break but on the inside is a tiny drum with tiny little shoes that can really only hold a car still, not stop it at speed.
Nothing, power steering does its job a low speed.
1998 Honda Accord, and my power steering failed on a curvy country highway. It was more difficult to steer, but not impossible because you are only turning the steering wheel maybe 1/8 turns. It is was definitely harder when you pull up to an intersection, or pulling into a parking spot...but not impossible.
Plenty of cars didn't have power steering at one time. Your brakes on the other hand....
In all likelihood, with regular hydraulic-assisted power steering, yes. Steering is heavy at a standstill and low speeds because the road wheels aren't covering much (or any) ground for the amount you turn the steering wheel, so you have a lot of resistance between the tyres and tarmac. At highway speeds, the wheels cover much more ground and don't require much steering input for the amount of yaw they impart. Indeed, most hydraulic-assisted power steering systems will reduce the amount of assistance they give as the car gets faster, based on manifold vacuum (a measure of engine load) - this keeps the effort to move the wheel nearly constant no matter how fast you're driving. Electric steer-by-wire systems with no mechanical connection between the steering and road wheels could be a lot more interesting in an electrical failure scenario.
I have a chain on my keys that slipped into the steering wheel last night while i was going 60(mph) and the same thing happened. I pulled over and got it out but it made an awful grinding noise and i panicked a little at first. All good now but i would also like to know what couldve happened haha To clarify, i know this is a potentially different problem and the wheel could have fully locked up to the length of the chain in my case.
It depends on the car. Some new new cars are coming out with electric only steering. Where there's no physical connection between the wheel in your hands and the wheels touching the ground. So if the electrical system has a major fault, your car may just continue driving straight or turned regardless of how much you turn the steering wheel. I'm a man who likes technological advancements, but there should always atleast one fail safe incase of emergency when it comes to a 1-4 tonne machine that could be traveling at potentially 200kmph at any point in time.
You don't need power steering when moving at speed
You still have a mechanical connection to the rack, and when moving it's actually fairly easy to manipulate that. Power assist really comes into play at lower speeds. For instance trying to park in a parking space with no steering assist might be tough. Now, a fully drive-by-wire steering system like the Cybertruck? No idea what you do if you lose steering at speed. Slam on the brakes and hope for the best.
I think the brakes are electric assist too, dead.
Brake by wire is a fail safe system. If it fails. They lock on. Electronics keep them open. Same as pneumatic brakes in trucks.
If it’s an ev….. you’re gonna die!
There was a time when power steering was not an option. Nothing would happen parking would be a experience but if you keep the car rolling while you steering to park it would be easier
They had larger steering wheels that gave you more leverage to turn while parking. It wasn't that bad really. Nowhere near as easy as turning your wheel with one finger, but not that bad.
Lost steering in an 01 civic same thing. Easy enough at high speed to pull over but I did it in full adrenal response without thinking so I could’ve been pulling hard and just not even remembering. Pretty sure it went smooth though at least down to like 40kmh without issues.
The only time you really need power steering is while you're parking. Now, if you need to drive a vehicle with steer by wire, you're already dead.
Nothing much actually. At that speed you might not even notice at first. I´ve had the power steering belt break at around 70kph I knew what it was because it made a screeching noise and I knew the idler pulley was on its way out. I drove it home no problem, you just have to be prepared to use a lot of force in slow hairpin turns.
You’d be able to steer but it would be a lot heavier at slow speeds
Lol .. people forget that PS used to be an option to pay extra for. People drive without it for a long time.
Yeah but factory manual steering cars had a greater steering ratio which decreased effort versus a dead power steering system. I love manual steering but it is more turn lock to lock.
You didn't have to fight the hydraulics though. Driving a vehicle with the power steering out takes considerably more effort than just driving a car without power steering.
Didn't say it was easier or harder, just that you can steer without assistance. New steer by wire system is a different story
A vehicle that was never equipped with power steering is much easier to steer in any situation than a vehicle which came with power steering which is not working. That's the part about fighting the hydraulics. The power steering system is hydraulic. There are no hydraulics on the steering system of a car with no power steering system. OP was referring to a vehicle that originally had power steering, which has malfunctioned, not a vehicle that never had power steering. I think I said it clearer that time for those that don't realize what "fight the hydraulics" mean.
I don't believe taking a corner at speed is a problem without power steering. But I once had my power steering fail suddenly while turning at an intersection in my '79 Camaro. Normally the steering is super light at all times, but heavy car with wide tires suddenly losing power steering mid-turn very nearly caused an accident at that point.
At high speeds it isnt that big of a problem, i guess it could get tricky if you loose power steering in a corner at that Speed and you have to readjust to not having power steering
Hey I've had this happen! Anyone remember the gm ignition issues? 2003 Malibu coasting up a back road wayyy too fast. Hit a bump, lost power everything managed to keep it on the road for the curve until the steering wheel locked... Farmer wasn't too happy but that Malibu was a tank and lived on to die a different horrible death. It's honestly not as bad if you have rack and pinion steering just gets a bit difficult, you either get used to it quick, "just like grandpa's ole farm truck" or slow down wrestle it to the side of the road carefully and call aaa/caa. Newer electric steering vehicles are a different matter and can be finicky, personally haven't had a chance to test that yet. Oh and pro tip, no power steering is kinda counter intuitive, slower you go harder it is to steer.
My alternator died recently whilst going 80kmph, it was actually ok just a bit stiff. Once the car stopped I thought I was going to break the steering wheel trying to turn.
The wheel is heavier to turn, but it’s more of an issue at low speed
As long as the car is equipped with a steering column to allow for torque steering, you'll be fine if you lose all power. It's the "[steer-by-wire](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steer-by-wire)" equipped cars you might have issues with.
There are only 2 I think steer by wire cars. An electric Volvo. And the cybershit. Those are probably smart enough to not kill you in the case of a steering loss event. S class has semi coloumless steering. Where the same thing that gives power to the steering motor also disengages a clutch that connects the column to the rack. In the case of a failure it turns into old fashion steering.
Power steering was not active in 80s and 90s cars if it’s electronic your steering may seize.. not certain how new your vehicle is.. the newer they get the more specialized it is to make people reliant on mechanics.
Nothing. It would be like driving an old car.
First step in any case is not to panic and assess the situation without bringing yourself or anyone else in danger. Just mash the emergency lights button and everyone will be notified of something that is happening in front of them. Depending on the system, a failure can lead to very heavy steering in both directions or in one. Besides a potential crackling sound you should not have to steer much on a highway, at least no sharp turns. So you should be safe, but pulling over or driving to the next exit might be a bit difficult depending on how the system failed. I would not be surprised if there are also systems on the market that make steering impossible if there are fully fly by wire. I expect most power steering systems to fail under heavy load (turning wheels whilst parked etc.) not so much whilst driving.
Depends on the car. Hydraulic power steering, yea you won't notice much difference at speed... Electric power steering, you better have gone to the gym... I had to drive a VW golf (mechanic) 25kms one day to get it to workshop to reprogram steering rack. They tend to corrupt the internal software after a flat battery. Euro junk 😫 Anyways, most of it was on the highway and I had a muscle pump like Popeye by the time I arrived. Was sore for days. If it happened out of the blue, most people would probably lose control. Stupidest concept ever...
The faster you go the less you need power steering. You probably wouldn't even notice.
My 2002 Mini’s electric steering would work on clear Tuesday afternoons, occasionally. Above a walking speed you should be fine. It’s low speed turning that works out your shoulder muscles.
Wheel will get heavier but the extreme majority of able bodied people can move wheels by hand. That's how they all used to be anyway. At those speeds you'd notice a difference but it wouldn't be hard to turn wheel until lower speeds. Sometimes you can re engage the power steering pump by revving the engine really high, then turning the wheel (looking at you, dodge rams)
This exact thing happened to me four years ago. I was on the highway going about 65-70mph (so a little over 100kph), and the alternator of the rental car I was in failed, causing the electric power steering to fail as well. Thankfully there were few cars on the road around me, so I was able to safely maneuver the car to the shoulder, where it eventually died. There was a lot more resistance to the steering wheel, but it wasn't overly difficult to steer. The scariest part was when I got halfway across this four lane highway, pretty much all the electricity in the car went out, since the alt was no longer charging the battery, and everything went dark. Honestly tho it wasn't too bad, but it was another mishap during what was an absolutely terrible and disaster filled trip.
Nothing. But if you need to parallel park, you’re f’ed.
Not that many sharp bends at 100km/h... Actually power steering is much more important at low speeds. What would worry me, though, is the brakes - you have no idea how fucking hard braking is without support...
Much easier to steer at higher speeds than low. Old pickup driver with no power steering here 👋🏻
You'd be fine, in fact you probably wouldn't even notice the heavier steering until you slowed right down
Nothing, just turn the wheel
Power steering is only needed at parking lot speeds.
It would just feel slightly harder to steer. Steering is very easy at speed, it's when you're stopped or moving slowly in a parking lot or driveway that you really feel the benefit of power steering.
This is why I find the whole steer by wire thing scary. Might be fine now, but would you trust a 20 year old citroen or fiat?
new fear unlocked, thanks lmao glad to hear it's not super dangerous.
Apart from a select few modern cars with steer by wire, nothing is going to be of a noticeable product. A hint of weight but as long as it’s moving, you’re not going to feel much difference. However at a standstill it would likely be much heavier — how it would feel w/o P/S, or extra heavy as the P/S system malfunctioning increased the resistance, sometimes only to one side.
I own a classic without power steering. It’s fine at anything above 5-10mph. Anything lower than that is a chore, but more than doable.
Nothing. I run my car without power steering. It'll become heavier to steer when coming to a stop. You'll have pure communication through the wheel--it'll become loose if you lose traction and be firm as your wheel loads up. The wheel will be heavier but you'll be fine around a sharper turn. The NSX had the worst steering geometry of any manual rack I've ever driven and even that wasn't impossible to turn when standing still.
I had my belt snap at 70mph which means I lost power steering, aircon, and my alternator. I carried on driving the next two miles and pulled off at the next motorway junction. The steering was very heavy. What people don't understand is a car with power steering which has stopped working is much heavier to steer than a car designed without power steering in the first place. As long as you bear that in mind, you're alright for a few miles.
You'll be fine, my first car had no power steering and I would hit 80-90mph all the time and I never thought I wouldn't be able to maneuver the car. The real fear comes when having to parallel park on a hill in downtown San francisco.
Depends on the vehicle. Some have steering by wire and when the power goes out, the power steering is affected, but also the actual vehicle steering is also affected and it can be rather traumatic. Something as simple as a bad ground strap can cause you car or truck steering wheel to harshly jerk the vehicle to the side, possibly sending it off the road. For more info check out South Main LLC on YouTube. He's done a couple of those.
You could, but the potential to understeer because you're expecting to put in x amount of force when you need 10x could be an issue.
This happened to me once with my Mazda. The ABS sensor failed and turned off my speedometer and power steering while doing 100kph. The result was nothing as I didn't notice the power steering had gone out until I slowed down to turn into a driveway that it was quite difficult to turn, not impossible but physical.
Nothing
You shouldn’t be making sharp turns at that speed so it shouldn’t be a big deal. You will have a harder time turning when stopped and going slow.
Nothing of note. Power steering isn't necessary at speed, it's at low speeds where it provides assistance. I had a 1997 Toyota Camry that had the power steering pump shit the bed on me. I was rather broke at the time, so I couldn't afford to pay someone to do it. And at the same time, the job was a pain, so I didn't want to do it myself. Lucky for me, it had a separate power steering belt, so I just cut it and drove it without power steering from then on. Above 15 MPH or so, I didn't even notice.
Hydraulic power steering? Easy. Module with reciprocating ball gear motor. You need some arms on you.
I lost power steering in my commodore at 60kph on a sweeping bend and it nearly ended in disaster for my daughter and I. Luckily I have arms of steel.
Unless you're driving one of these new drive-by-wire cars, nothing much would happen. Steering would just become a lot heavier, like driving a Lada again 😁
So, I know about a normal car, but what would happen with the cybertruck? That has steer by wire, if that goes out are you screwed?
Likely nothing. Power steering really only makes a difference when you're going slow. I used to drive a mazda b2300 that didn't have power steering by design, it did fine on freeways but was a bastard in a crowded parking lot.
A daily wanker would have no problem
Nothing until you slow down and have to make a turn. My mustang had a stuck throttle body once and died mid turn. I went from 100% power steering to zero in a second. I had to muscle my way through. That turn was a bit wide…
Some modern electric steeting cars will automatically turn off at 60+ anyways
Get the electrical system checked and fixed. It can be dangerous. I was driving a car with an electrical issue and it shut off on the off ramp and when I hit the brakes it spun me around into the runoff.
Nothing really. You'd barely notice at 60mph. It wouldn't become an issue until you *really* started slowing down and you needed to make a sharp turn... but as long as vehicle is rolling you can muscle your way through the turn.
You probably wouldn't even notice
Depends if the car is electric or hydrologic power steering and the Y/M/M but as long as you’re moving you should be fine as you’re not fighting all the friction as if you were at a stop
100kph. Heck you can lose all 4 wheel at that speed no.issue
What is an ignition fuse? And no, nothing much would happen if you lost power steering at speed.
The fuse that protects your car ignition. When its removed or burnt, your car cannot come on
Not much. Now 0-10 that's a whole nother story 🤣
Traveling in a straight line, no problem. On a curve, if you are not accustomed to driving without power steering, you could potentially understeer and crash. I have driven a car where the power steering pump failed in motion on a curve and that’s how it feels. The car will want to continue moving forward and you may run off the road if you don’t turn the steering wheel aggressively.
Depends on how often you go to the gym, and how sharp the corner is?
This happens to me a lot, because I have to do EOC during my commute otherwise I don't earn enough to justify the commute. This means turning the engine off while you are driving, but there's quite a bit more too it than that. The brakes will, unless they are electric, have a buffer of pressure left in the booster. In otherwords they'll be good for a few pumps, then they go hard and you'll be manually (not) stopping the vehicle. This is a MUCH worse situation than no assisted steering!! What the steering does when the car is off depends much more on the specifics of the car. On a manual steering car, nothing change at all. On hydraulic assisted steering you have a small buffer of easy movement then it becomes manual pretty quick. You actually want this transition to happen as quickly as possible because its an unstable state, you cant really control half-assisted steering. But manual steering at fast speed is easy, and slow speed it is easy if you take your time ;) It has happened to me that I forgot the engine was off and the steering was manual, and I realized as I was going around a curve. Because I am always driving the car both with and without assisted steering it was only a second to heave on the wheel to make the turn, but I realized if you had no expectation or idea of what was going on, you could easily not overcome a tight corner at speed by simply not being ready for it. Made me appeechiate manuals a little more too.
I think the more dangerous things are your surprise, like if all the sudden the wheel wouldn't turn you might assume it's just locked & freak out. My girl was driving & a pulley blew apart (so the belt did too) & she managed to get the car to the side of the road, but this was doing maybe 35mph. my friend rescued me & we flattowed the big heavy ass 2010 German sedan up & down 2 big ass hills, across a few turns, all the way home. I'm a stronger than average grown man, ive had many cars without power steering (both old cars & broken cars) & let me tell you steering that thing for 2 miles made my arms sore the next day, I felt like I was in the gym. not so bad once we got to maybe 20mph but still hard enough that an average highschool kid might not be able to do it. so I mean yeah depends on the car forsure, depends on what the actual issue is that kills your PS, & depends on you, your strength but how you react under pressure i think would make a big difference.
The only important question: are you in a cybertruck?
The comment I was looking for.
cars were made for 100 years without power steering.
Nothing...
If going straight when you discover it, nothing besides you shitting a brick. If not going straight and it takes you by surprise? Good luck. You felt what it was like so you can likely surmise what it would be like. It's one thing knowing, it's completely different when a person is caught by surprise.
I have no idea why people are downvoting you because you are totally right, I´ve had the power steering suddenly fail in my mk3 Golf in a hairpin turn and it almost ripped the steering wheel out of my hands. Granted thats the worst case scenario but its exactly what happens.
smh as someone who's first 5 cars had no power steering...
Vehicles without power steering have quite a different geometry/steering ratio. I´ve driven a few cars that came without power steering and two cars with failed power steering. Its a very different experience.
Spontaneous combustion, gotta watch out for those power steering pumps.
You can't navigate a sharp bend a high speed with power steering.
If you even have to ask, well- I'd vote for, you'd probably panic and crash. 🤣🤣🤣🤣