Have
you driven an A-body with 16:1 manual steering and 275mm wide tires in the front with a good amount of positive caster? Because that’s exactly what I’ve been doing for the last 10 years with my Duster, using it as a daily driver with 1.12” torsion bars, Hotchkis shocks, Hellwig sway bars, etc. I’m well aware of how it steers and handles.
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20:1 is still too lazy a ratio for AutoX IMO, you’d be sawing away at that steering wheel on a tighter course. 16:1 is good, but with wide, sticky tires on the front and good alignment settings the steering effort in tighter courses gets pretty high.
The Hotchkis Challenger, while a larger Ebody, had great success on AutoX courses using the 12:1 ratio power steering. Although an early A may be significantly lighter, the 67-76 A’s are not ridiculously lighter than an E.
EPAS is a great way to add a power assist, most are available with potentiometers so that you can adjust the amount of assist with the turn of a knob. You’re already driving an alternator, and depending on your engine, radiator, fan and accessories adding the additional belts and pulleys for standard power steering can be a significant headache. Plus the EPAS will be lighter- no power steering pump, no heavy power steering box, no hydraulic lines. Just an alternator you already have to run and the EPAS itself.
Not sure about the OP’s car, but I have a completely new American Autowire harness and a 160A alternator. So EPAS is a no-brainer for power assist steering. And I could dial it up for AutoX and then dial it back down for the highway.
