Passive Rear Wheel Steering?

[Dyoel182]

So I was talking to an old SVT owner about his new car (Saturn Sky Turbo) and he said he still preferred the way the Contour handled partly because of the unique passive rear wheel steering. Now I had never heard of this but the SVT manual mentions it as well. Is this a standard Contour feature or just something that us SVT owners have but dont know about?

 

[Tomato]

So I was talking to an old SVT owner about his new car (Saturn Sky Turbo) and he said he still preferred the way the Contour handled partly because of the unique passive rear wheel steering. Now I had never heard of this but the SVT manual mentions it as well. Is this a standard Contour feature or just something that us SVT owners have but dont know about?

Bah even the focus has this(so I assume all tours) it's essentially controlled bushing deflection under load can add a bit of toe to the opposite wheel to help track.

My old ass Volvo 850 had it, as do several other cars.

There's quite a few threads on FocusFanatics about the system, as well as several other sites.

As for the the Sky driver, I own an SVT and have driven numerous Kappa based cars, and I'd take a FR layout any day. Plus I can't see how he would think the tour handled better.

Most people I've talked to who track their cars seriously, either hate, or replace the so called "PRS" with a unit that doesn't deflect.

 

[2000SilverSVT]

RX-7's had that from 86-91. It is one of the first things replaced. The passive rear stear does weird things at the limit.

 

[SVTGeorge]

300zx's have it

 

[Goumba]

You guys should try 3/8's toe out in the rear. It really changes the charactoristics of the car. Don't do it on the street however. I adjust my toe at every event. Lots of fun oversteer can/does occur. Yay fun!

 

[Dyoel182]

300zx's have it

And some 240/300 models also have active four wheel steering.

 

[LauraSVT]

And some 240/300 models also have active four wheel steering.

It's called HICAS or Super HICAS (High Capacity Actively Controlled Suspension), depending on the year, and was Nissan's rear wheel steering system. Early versions used hydraulic power to move the rear steering rack via the power steering pump. Super Hicas saved weight by using an electric motor.

I believe the prevailing thinking of the Z car guys is that it is not worth having.

 

[Dyoel182]

I believe the prevailing thinking of the Z car guys is that it is not worth having.

Yeah thats how I felt about the system on my step-brothers 300 because I saw it as dead weight but it was a pain to fine non-hicas parts. In Grassroots Motorsports there was an article about a 240 owner who just kept it after his datalogging showed it never kicked in on course.

 

[Desiato]

The PRS on the Focus is a lot more noticeable than on the Contour. I noticed it the first time I drove a Focus and think it works extremely well on that platform. I think it needs to be more aggressive on the Focus due to its dimensions and wheelbase -- taller, thinner than a Contour makes it naturally less stable imo.

I think PRS on the Contour is only a good thing. I love the feel of the rear suspension in day to day driving situations.

 

[Dyoel182]

I think PRS on the Contour is only a good thing. I love the feel of the rear suspension in day to day driving situations.

I do too. The way it carves reminds me of my girlfriends Focus which in my mind is a very good thing. On my previous 626 I had the rear so stiff with aftermarket parts and bracing that it would scoot and slide which was fun but not the most comfortable thing on a daily driver.