Electronic Power Steering?

[Lpotter13]

Anyone ever use, or see an electronic power steering rack for the raptor?

I’m getting to the point where I need to make some upgrades to the stock power steering set up, and wanted to consider all options.

Thanks!

 

[BenBB]

I swear I saw an old thread but can't find it, thought someone fitted an EPAS but didn't go into detail about what electronics needed to go along with it, if any. My work truck is a '14 STX 5.0L and has EPAS and it looks like it would bolt right up to my '13 Raptor, but if ever had to go that route I'd probably see what a '17-up Raptor unit would take as I think parts places like rockauto differentiate standard F150 racks from Raptors (might just be inner tie rod length but may also be ratio I'm not sure); like control module if it has one...

 

[Ruger]

The original motive for the development of electric power steering was fuel economy, specifically to lower fleet fuel mileage numbers to meet changing EPA guidelines. I think that it remains the prime driver for electric power steering.

Durability? That's not why electric power steering was even considered. How good are they? Do one off race trucks run electric PS?

 

[Lpotter13]

I tried searching and didn’t come up with much either.

Most I see run hydraulic, but I’m certainly no expert. Electric can certainly be more efficient, but just because something wasn’t originally designed to be reliable doesn’t mean it can’t be improved.

I just was going through the list...bigger reservoir, beefier cooler, filter, new pump, then a whole steering rack and all the lines...just seemed like a lot to do and spend to make sure I don’t lose PS when I’m out getting the truck dirty.

Was wondering if anyone had any experience or had any suggestions...appreciate you two responding!

 

[BenBB]

I tried searching and didn’t come up with much either.

Most I see run hydraulic, but I’m certainly no expert. Electric can certainly be more efficient, but just because something wasn’t originally designed to be reliable doesn’t mean it can’t be improved.

I just was going through the list...bigger reservoir, beefier cooler, filter, new pump, then a whole steering rack and all the lines...just seemed like a lot to do and spend to make sure I don’t lose PS when I’m out getting the truck dirty.

Was wondering if anyone had any experience or had any suggestions...appreciate you two responding!

I went through the same list lol! I knew from reading posts here before I even bought mine that a lot of people had issues with the power steering, and nobody seemed to have the "perfect" solution. Sure enough, when I bought mine the pump started whining and was dying. I don't think it's a "bad" system so much, just one that was originally designed for a typical light truck (i.e. highway & mostly pavement), just the 35's alone are a bit of a strain, off-roading even moreso, and a lot of common mods just push it past the limits (offset rims, heavier tires, longer travel increasing tie rod angles, Raptor Runs, etc.). That said, I think preventative maintenance helps, I've been changing the P/S oil in the reservoir with every oil change and so far the new pump is doing well. One thing I don't like about the system in general is that you can't rebuild the rack or the pump, another is the lack of any filter and finally the cooler and overall capacity is on the weak side. The last three are addressed by the aftermarket pretty well but you're still stuck with the first two.

I agree with @Ruger that I haven't seen a trophy truck running EPAS, but the majority of the side-by-sides do (maybe all? including KOH & Baja 1000 racers?), and it must not be that bad (I have seen some reports of failures) if it's on the '17 & up Raptors. Like I said, I think it's a viable option and one I'll look at if/when my rack fails. I'd start by contacting these guys and see what they say:
https://epasperformance.com/

Anyway let us know if you decide to pursue it, I'd be interested to see what happens. Good luck!

 

[Lpotter13]

@BenBB I’ll report back after more research.

I had the same thoughts about the new trucks with the EPAS. You’d think (hopefully) Ford did enough research on, and off road, as well as hearing the concerns about the issues with the Gen 1, to make the decision to change to electronic steering.

 

[Trick.Raptor]

I would think you could gather the required parts to go to EPAS on a Gen1... Ford had EPAS on the EcoBoost V6 models. Personally I have never seen anyone complain about the EPAS and it could be better than the current PS pump.

I have no idea if it would be a plug and play setup but on the surface it appears EPAS could work on a Gen1.

 

[Ruger]

Like @BenBB , I drain and refill the PS reservoir with every oil change - 6K miles. I also have a very strong rare earth magnet on a loop of wire inside the PS reservoir. It acts as an open filter, but it doesn't capture much because of my routine of changing the PS fluid so frequently. 80k+ miles on the truck and absolutely no problems.

 

[Trick.Raptor]

Like @BenBB , I drain and refill the PS reservoir with every oil change - 6K miles. I also have a very strong rare earth magnet on a loop of wire inside the PS reservoir. It acts as an open filter, but it doesn't capture much because of my routine of changing the PS fluid so frequently. 80k+ miles on the truck and absolutely no problems.

I have 66k on my 2nd PS unit and its still doing good. After swapping out my PSS reservoir for a RPG res and cooler along with going to Royal Purple Synthetic PS fluid no issues.

I do believe heat is a big issue along with cavitation. The issue with the PSS res was the fill line was way to low and the fluid would splash around too much causing cavitation and the air pockets got ot the PS unit. I ended up filling the res to almost full and that helped out big time. It didn't spill any more from the top bleed valve.

With the RPG tank it has a drain hose so no more spray on the engine and only after hard use do I ever see any fluid drip to the ground.