Inside Honda’s Power Steering

Doogie

December 09 2008
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Inside Honda’s Power Steering

A few days after we posted our review of the new 2009 Honda Rancher (click here for the review), we were talking with our Honda rep Tim Patnode about when we’d be getting our long-term test unit. As we were talking, we got on the subject of the Rancher’s fuel efficiency (something we neglected to discuss in our online article). Thanks to the Rancher’s drivetrain, it’s an extremely fuel efficient 4×4—especially compared to all the big-bore 4×4s out there today. As fuel costs are a major factor in all our day-to-day lives, this is a subject that we’ll discuss more in-depth in our Rancher review in our upcoming March issue.

As we were wrapping up our call, Tim asked us about our comparison between Honda’s power steering and Yamaha’s. Tim went on to say, “The only thing I didn’t communicate very well during the intro was the reason the our competitor’s PS system feels like it has more assist is because our PS system is mapped separately—we have a separate map for 2WD and one for 4WD. We do this so the rider has the same feel/predictability (which increases confidence and in turn the “fun factor”) whether you are in 2WD or 4WD. If we didn’t do this, our system would have the same feel as our competitor in 2WD. Another reason our system doesn’t feel as loose is the way it is installed (on rubber dampers) and how it was designed (with its double spiral worm gear).

In two-wheel drive, competitive systems feel like they have more assist because their systems do not differentiate between 2WD and 4WD. They give the same level of assistance whether the machine is in two or four wheel drive. As you know, more steering effort is needed in 4WD than 2WD and the Honda system adjusts for this. It allows the rider to have the same steering feel/predictability whether in 2WD or 4WD. This consistency increases rider confidence and in turn the “fun factor”. Another benefit of the Honda system is the way it is installed. Rubber dampers on the worm gear shaft, designed to reduce steering free-play, give the system a direct, natural feel at all speeds and provide additional cushioning when kickback occurs.”

So it got us to thinking—obviously power steering in the ATV world is a new phenomenon, but it’s a feature that undoubtedly will be incorporated into more and more models in the near future (we’re even seeing that happen now as Suzuki has recently joined the PS ranks).

Our question is—how does power steering factor into your ATV purchase decisions? Is it something you think you’ll want in an ATV? Please take a minute and hit up our poll below and let us know!