BRIGHTON, MI: When four-wheel steering turned up on some Honda and Mazda cars a few years back, it made little more than a blip on the consciousness of buyers or in the history of automotive technology.
But Delphi Automotive Systems thinks its QuadraSteer system will have a significantly bigger impact on the truck market when it debuts in a couple of years. And company tests and a limited exposure to a pre-production iteration of QuadraSteer at Delphi's tech centre west of Detroit suggests the world's largest component supplier may be right.
In today's cars and trucks, the front wheels turn and the rear wheels stay more-or-less straight. With four-wheel steering, the rear wheels turn as demanded by the situation and commanded by a sophisticated computer control unit.
The system debuted on the GMC Terradyne concept vehicle at the recent Detroit auto show, and Delphi's steering systems division president Paul Tosch says QuadraSteer will allow that big vehicle "greater ease of maneuverability while driving at low speeds, provide enhanced stability while trailering, and offer improved stability, handling and control at higher speeds, especially while trailering."
Based on tests with full-size SUVs and pickup trucks, Tosch says, QuadraSteer by Delphi reduces the minimum turning circle diameter by an average of 19 percent. In fact, one full-size pickup's turning radius diameter was reduced from 14.08 to 11.4 metres, making it comparable to a Nissan Altima at 11.4 metres and a Saturn Coupe at 11.3 metres.