Four Wheel Steering Coming To New Zealand Next Year

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 4, Issue 48, 19 May 1987, Page 5 (Supplement)

Four Wheel Steering Coming To New Zealand Next Year

NEW Zealand ers may be able to buy a production family car with four-wheel-steering by the end of next year. This follows a recent announcement by one of the most innovative of the Japanese motor manufacturers that it has completed work on its own unique four-wheel -steering system for cars. Mazda Motor Corporation has released details of the special steering, and says it will be introduced into a production vehicle for the Japanese market by the middle of 1987. It will be the highlight on the top model of a new medium size passenger car which is scheduled to be unveiled in New Zealand during 1988.

The steering is a speedsensing type which utilizes all four wheels to steer. In addition, it electronically controls the steering direction and angle of the rear wheels in response to vehicle speeds. Steering input from the driver is mechanically transmitted by the rotation of a shaft which connects the front and rear steering systems. The rear steering system incorporates a mechanism to transform the steering input and an electronic system to control it. At speeds over 35km/ h, the rear wheels are steered in the same direction as the front wheels for improved handling and stability.

At speeds lower than that, the system operates to steer the rear wheels in the opposite direction of the front wheels and makes vehicle manoeuvring easier. Mazda is a pioneer of four-wheel-steering, and New Zealanders saw a preview of this development when the Mazda MX-02 experimental car visited Auckland in 1984. The electronic system in the Mazda steering system soon to go into production, has sensors which regulate the steering ratio between front and rear wheels according to vehicle speed. This optimizes the car's dynamic characteristics at any speed. Mazda has developed four-wheel-steering because of improvements to be gained in both driving comfort and handling. According to the Hiroshi-ma-based manufacturer, this advanced steering not only aids vehicle handling at high speed, but reduces driver fatigue in sustained long distance driving. During cornering, the car becomes more stable and controllable, and there are particular benefits when road surfaces are slippery. Steering response is faster and more precise at all speeds than with conventional steering systems. Straight-line stability at high speed is improved. The car is also better at coping with road irregularities, and cross-winds have less influence on the vehicle's stability. At faster highway speeds, stability when lane-changing is improved. There is less chance of the vehicle going into a spin or the driver losing control when the driver has to make a sudden directional change. Finally, four-wheel-steer-ing is a great asset in town and urban motoring. Because the rear wheels steer in the opposite direction to the front wheels, the car's turning circle is greatly reduced. Manoeuvring in narrow roads and parking becomes much easier.