Saving gas by not changing lanes?

[justa4door]

i cut my belt yesterday .... the only problem i had was today my BATT. light started to flash and my radio died..and my heat would not heat up.... i dont know i got to work and parked it so we will see what happens on my drive home

[VetteOwner]

Originally Posted by justa4door

i cut my belt yesterday .... the only problem i had was today my BATT. light started to flash and my radio died..and my heat would not heat up.... i dont know i got to work and parked it so we will see what happens on my drive home

umm... if your heat isnt heating up then that means you cut the belt to the water pump too, have fun dealing with a cracked head when it over heats that is if it even starts up...(if theres not enough juice to run a radio then theres not gonna be enough to start the thing)

[theholycow]

It sounds like you cut the alternator belt, not the power steering belt...

[Jay2TheRescue]

Originally Posted by theholycow

It sounds like you cut the alternator belt, not the power steering belt...

Could it be on that particular vehicle the PS belt also goes around the alternator?

[KU40]

Originally Posted by VetteOwner

yes they will spring back on sharp curves i was talking about changeing lanes, and in parking lots where your not moving the whole point is the power steering helps you turn the wheel once its turned it isnt needed much (some from varying the wheel a tad)

it springs back to straight from the way the suspention/alignment /tires. hence why if its in alignment you can generally set the car straight and let go of the wheel and it should stay straight for quite a distance. its designed to do that.

Isn't this also because the rear wheels are wanting to go straight?

[GasSavers_landon]

Originally Posted by KU40

Isn't this also because the rear wheels are wanting to go straight?

No, inanimate objects don't "want" to do anything. They just obey the laws of physics. It really has most to do with the amount of caster in your front suspension.

[KU40]

Originally Posted by landon

No, inanimate objects don't "want" to do anything. They just obey the laws of physics. It really has most to do with the amount of caster in your front suspension.

Physics is what I'm talking about. Due to inertia your car always wants to go straight once it is moving in a certain direction. The front wheels turning changes what it physically does, but with every snapshot during your turn, your car wants to go straight because of its forward momentum. Rotational movement is just the sum of all the infinite straight lines that tangent out from that circle. With things like a ball on a string that you twirl around, the string holds it to the pivot point- your hand. Without that connection (e.g. let go of the string), what does the ball do? Shoot straight out in the direction of one of those infinite tangent lines at that instant. It doesn't keep going in the circle. However, your car has no string holding it to the center pivot of the corner you're taking. So it wants to fly straight off every instant at the corresponding tangent. But the tires gripping the ground and the turning of the front wheels overcome that force.

I'm not saying the front end isn't part of it though.

[Lug_Nut]

Power steering uses LESS energy while turning the steering wheel. Holding the wheel in one position uses MORE energy.

The pump contains a relief valve. The pressure builds up until this relief setting and then the fluid pressure bleed off the excess above this setting. During the act of spinning the steering wheel some of this internal pressure is diverted to one side of the steering unit and trapped fluid on the other is allowed back to the reservoir. This diversion of pressure reduces the load on the pump until the steering wheel stops turning, no more fluid is added to one side nor drained from the other and the pump pressure rises again.
The faster the steering wheel can be twiddled from left to right, the more volume is needed from the pump to keep up with the flow rate and the lower the pressure drops. Spin the wheel from lock to lock quickly enough with the engine at idle and the volume change in the rack or recirculating ball assembly can be more than the pump's volumetric output at that engine rpm, no pressure for assist, but maximum flow rate (at that rpm) through the system.
A basic law of hydraulics (and pneumatics) is that pressure is resistance to flow. No flow conditions produce the maximum pressure. Holding the wheel in one position (driving straight or a constant turn) makes the pump work harder. That in turn puts more load on the belt driving it and the engine driving the belt.
Fuel savings? Find the relief valve setting on the pump and relax it. You'll need a bit more armstrong at parking speeds, but the reduction of wasted overpressurization at all other times will result in a fuel savings.