Ford Adaptive Steering system

  • Jun 6, 2014
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Ford claims the new Adaptive Steering system changes the steering dynamics depending on the vehicle's speed thereby improving the handling performance

Ford Adaptive Steering system

The car’s steering system is one of the most important aspects contributing in its handling dynamics. To take the steering system technology to the next level, Ford Motor Company has come up with a new system called “Adaptive Steering”. According to the US carmaker, the new system helps in making the vehicle manoeuvre easily at low speeds, especially while parking in tight spots. Simultaneously, owing to its adaptive nature, the new technology makes the vehicle more composed at high speeds.

Ford’s Adaptive Steering achieves this performance by changing the ratio between the drivers’s input on the steering wheel. This basically means that the system alters the number of turns made on the steering wheel and the actual amount of turn the front tyres make depending on the speed at which the vehicle is travelling. In traditional cars the steering ratio cannot be altered and is a fixed amount. While in Ford’s new Adaptive Steering system, the steering ratio continually changes with vehicle speed, optimising the steering response in all conditions and improving steering feedback.

New Ford Mondeo

The system has a sensor that stiffens or relaxes the steering system depending on speed. So while parking the car, the Adaptive Steering makes the vehicle more agile and easier to turn, as it dials more steering into the road wheel. Because of this, low-speed manoeuvre requires less steering input as opposed to standard cars. While travelling at high speeds, the steering system firms up, enabling the car to react more smoothly and precisely to steering inputs made by the driver. 

Ford Adaptive Steering system component

Ford’s Adaptive System achieves this adjustment in steering ratio with the help of a precision-controlled actuator that is compact enough to be embedded inside the steering wheel itself. The actuator – an electric motor and gearing system – can essentially add to or subtract from a driver’s steering inputs. Another additional benefit of the Adaptive System is that it doesn’t require any alterations to the vehicle’s traditional steering system that means it can be fitted to existing Ford cars as well. The new Adaptive System has been developed by Ford in collaboration with Takata, which is a renowned supplier of automotive steering and safety systems. It is expected that select vehicles from Ford’s portfolio will come fitted with this new Adaptive Steering system from early 2015 onwards.

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