RAS is like having a helping hand when you dont know how to do somthing, but once you do you're better of doing it yourself.

 

I heard RAS only activates at low speeds (like 0 to 30 mph). My friend had it on his prelude and thats what he told me. He said it helped a lot when manuevering in areas like parking lots, while at higher speeds it didn't even make a difference. This is just what he told me, so maybe he is completely wrong.

 

Does anyone know if you can drop the car and add 19x10.5 +19 275 or 285 wide tires on the rear w/o having problems with RAS?

I went w/o RAS only because i have aftermarket wheel and tire combo and I wasn't sure about clearence issues after a 1 inch drop.

 

i also own a 06 fully loaded 6mt wit the RAS it makes the turns feel great. it hugs the road with little body lean.. well worth it

 

I would still like to know if it can be turned off? I intend to do some track time and I am going to buy a used G so my choices are limited.

 

I dont know for sure...but I assume you can probably disconnect the sensors....although this will cause the RAS light to stay on in your cluster.

I have it on my car...I have an s2k as well and I can say that I do feel more comfortable tossing the G around than the s2k. Also...compared to my old sedan...the steering feels a lot quicker...which I really enjoy...so I am glad I have it

Its just an aid...does not mean you can't drive if you have it...but it will help if you suck at driving too..LOL

 

I've had my G with Rear Active Steer for a few months now (3,700 miles), and I think it is very much worth the cost. I don't buy into the notion that if you are a good driver you are better off without advanced technology like this. You adapt to the new feel and, with that, you can drive a lot better than you could have otherwise. After getting accustomed to the somewhat strange characteristics of RAS, I cannot imagine owning any car without something similar.

Also, the closer ratio steering is a huge plus. That is the biggest thing I noticed when I first test drove both.

 

man, dawg...you can't have no RAS! if i cants DRIFT like i'm on FF3: tokyo drift, then i aints havin' it!! i drift everywhere i go!111

*smirks*

 

https://g35driver.com/forums/g35-coupe-v35-2003-07/97024-rear-active-steer-package-worth.html

From what I hear, its not worth it for the price.

 

Might as well chime in here... Now I might drive different than most of you young whippersnappers, being as I've been driving since I was 9, (almost 40 years). I've driven or owned pretty much anything and everything you can think of whether it be a sports car, or good old American muscle cars. I've also driven trucks, from pickups to big rigs. Actually owned a towing service for over 18 years and drove an average of 70,000 miles a year in the first 15 years or so. Not saying I'm a better driver than anyone, but I do have plenty of experience with a LOT of vehicles and KNOW what it feels like to drift the rear end in a 25,000 pound truck while going over a bridge 150' in the air!!!

I waited almost 3 years to buy my G, coming really REALLY close to buying an 03 Coupe. I'm really glad I did. More engine, more refinement all around, including the RAS.

Some have said that the RAS gives the car a 'false' or 'fake' feeling. I don't get that feeling. Mine will stick to the road like glue, even when doing 65 in a 25mph curve! Darned tires don't even make a sound. Remember the VDC is still there and works just as good with rear steer as it does without. On the expressway, I typically cruise at 85~90 in a 70, and 70+ in a 55... and if it's safe (IE light to no traffic) triple digits are a common thing.

Honestly, I've done some pretty stupid speeds on roads around here that I know it would have been out of control on without the rear steer. Nothing like flying down a country road full of hills and twisties at 85~90 AT NIGHT to get the ol' heart pumping. (We have Waaaaaaaaaaay to many deer around here for me to do that crap very often.) I've stopped flying around at night and just go for daytime rides here and there now. The last freaking thing I need is a 150 pound deer flying through the windshield!

One thing that bears remembering is that these things are well known for understeer / push. I mean every test you read on them will tell you with the factory setup (all tested without RAS) that it will push when pushed to the limits, but you can break the rear loose with throttle in track conditions to help steer. IMHO for all but race drivers this package literally does away with all practical understeer situations. But I would warn that one would have to be out of their freaking mind to turn off VDC and test the limits of the rear steer on public roads, especially twisty country ones like we have around here. I have no doubt that it (RAS) will give many drivers 'big ball' syndrome. Where they'll feel as if they are really 'packing' and can drive like a mad-man. Where if the truth be known, they are well over their head when it comes to twice the speed limit on a given road, much less really hauling a$$.

 

I've had my '06 6MT w/RAS for abut 6 weeks now and often drive with the VDC off. I will agree with the above comments that with this set-up, I do not experience much understeer at all. On the contrary, the back end often feels what I would describe as "squirrely".

I came from a '95 Probe GT that had great, tight handling and have been a little bothered by the G's looseness in the twisties.

I've often wondered if it had to do with the RAS. This weekend I am going to crawl under there and unplug the connector to the little RAS steering rack and drive it for a few days. I'll report out in a few days.

 

OK, I found the connector and unplugged the RAS and went for a drive. The RAS, VDC OFF, and SLIP indicators were all lit on the dash.

Went to my favorite big parking lot and left about $100 worth of rubber in spirograph designs. Felt fine.

Took it on a nice empty 2 lane highway and proceeded to throw it around from lane to lane slalom style at 60mph. Felt good, very neutral and predictable.

Went back to the parking lot and plugged the RAS back in. After a restart, all the warning lights were off. Went and paved the parking lot again. Could not discern a difference (yes, VDC was off of course).

Took it back to the highway. 60mph lane to lane slaloms again. Difficult to tell, but I do believe I felt that slight squirrely tendency again. It could be my imagination and it's always hard to drive it in exactly the same manner.

I will leave the RAS unplugged next week and report back after 5 days of twisties back and forth to the slave mines.

 

Uhhhh.... no.

 

Rear-wheel steering system delivers improved active safety while providing optimal handling characteristics without traditional chassis tuning tradeoffs

PARIS, May 3 -- Delphi Corporation is providing customers and journalists with an opportunity to experience Active Rear Steering for the first time this week at a test track in Mortefontaine, France.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20020315/DEF002LOGO )
Delphi introduced the concept at the Frankfurt Motor Show last fall.

Active Rear Steering is a low-angle rear wheel steering system, specifically designed to offer European vehicle manufacturers an innovative, affordable solution for dynamic handling enhancement and active safety management on passenger vehicles.

"Vehicle suspensions are traditionally tuned with a bias for either handling or ride comfort," said Robert J. Remenar, president of Delphi Steering. "Now vehicle manufacturers can optimize their vehicle's ride and handling characteristics using Delphi Active Rear Steering."

Active Rear Steering can serve as a primary mechanism for enhancing the vehicle's handling performance by using its highly tunable software. Using dynamic control algorithms, the system provides the ability to specifically "dial in" desired handling characteristics. For instance, if the desired vehicle character is for a smoother ride via a softer suspension, Active Rear Steering can be used to help regain the desired handling using an algorithm that dynamically adjusts the rear wheel angle according to a vehicle behavior model. The result is optimized handling performance and ride comfort.

The real beauty of Delphi Active Rear Steering is in the way it helps balance ride and handling performance with improved vehicle dynamics, or active safety, Remenar said.

This combination delivers value to the end user who wants to be safe but also desires superior ride and handling characteristics for every day driving comfort and enjoyment.

"Active Rear Steering separates the yaw and lateral dynamics of the vehicle," said Dr. Jean Botti, chief technologist, Innovation Center, Delphi Dynamics & Propulsion Center. "This gives chassis design and tuning experts a new degree of freedom to control vehicle motion. When combined with the latest in advanced algorithms, Active Rear Steering allows our customers to achieve superior handling performance while also increasing dynamic safety through active rear steering."

Delphi Active Rear Steering helps minimize over steer and under steer at all speeds, and on virtually all surfaces, even during normal driving, without slowing the vehicle. Emergency lane changes, or elk test maneuvers, become more predictable, more manageable and less stressful when rear steering is added to the equation.

Active Rear Steering can be integrated with controlled braking to provide a more effective vehicle system solution to stability control than brakes alone. Together these systems help deliver instantaneous rear steering control to bring a vehicle back on its intended course and blended braking as needed. This approach minimizes any slowing of the vehicle making the correction less intrusive to the driver. In addition, by allowing steering to maintain directional control and braking to slow the vehicle, this integration can help reduce vehicle-stopping distances on split and mixed coefficient surfaces, such as snow and ice, in a stable, controlled manner.

"Active Rear Steering complements and expands the impact of brake-based stability control systems on vehicle dynamics by improving handling and yaw stability," said Botti. "Bringing steering into the equation allows our customers to deliver the ultimate in active safety combined with a comfortable ride and superior handling."

Traditional four-wheel steering benefits seen on today's full size trucks and SUVs in the U.S. are also maintained on passenger car applications. Active Rear Steering will reduce the vehicle's turn circle for added maneuverability during city driving or parking. The system can also be configured with unique algorithms for improved handling and safety while towing a caravan or utility trailer.

The Delphi Active Rear Steering system represents a high-value enhancement for vehicle manufacturers using proven, reliable technology. The system features a low-cost, lightweight and modular actuator flexible enough to work with different suspension configurations.

"Active Rear Steering for passenger cars is a leading edge system in our growing electric steering portfolio," said Remenar.

"With more than two-and-a-half million Delphi electric power steering systems on the road in Europe and nearly two years of Quadrasteer(TM) Four Wheel Steering production in the U.S., our engineers have the experience and expertise to deliver safe, reliable and high-value systems to our customers," he said.

 

Rear Active Steer: 20 years have passed since Nissan pioneered production 4-wheel-steering system in Skyline. The technology once went out of production after Skyline GT-R died in 2002. Now Nissan resurrected this technology to deal with the 2900mm wheelbase of Infiniiti M-series. In order to quicken the steering response of the big M, the system uses electric motors to move the lower links of the rear suspensions. This varies the toe angle of the rear wheels by up to +/- 1 degree.

How large the toe angle is controlled by electronics depending on speed and steering angle. When the car is entering a turn, the rear wheels will be steered in opposite direction to sharpen initial turn-in, and then gradually shift to the same direction as the front wheels when the car is exiting the bend to enhance stability. In short, rear active steer is used to eliminate the undesirable understeer and oversteer that would have occurred in conventional cars.