What are peoples opinions on variable effort power steering (VEPS)?

How does VEPS work exactly? Does it make the steering lighter at low speeds and heavier at high speeds? Is it a two stage mode (light or heavy), or is it infinitely varible dependant on speed?

I have a standard EL Fairmont (12/96) which doesn't have VEPS, but the wrecked EL Fairmont Ghia i have, does. I have a spare electrical socket in the wiring loom next to the oxygen sensor in the engine bay, but looking at the Ghia it has been taken by, obviously, the valving for the VEPS.

Now im assuming it will be a straight forward plug and play. I have recently swapped the ECU's over from a standard ECU (6DBB) to the Ghia unit (6DJA) and when i had my car in for a gearbox service an error code was discovered and identified as an error with the VEPS (obviously, as the VEPS rack was not present), which gives me the idea that it will all be plug-and-play.

If anyone has any answers to the above questions, it would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers - Matt

el fairmont ghia's should have SSPS,
may have been replaced with a stocko at one stage?

SSPS sucks.
I found in my old mans EL Ghia, it was still way to light even at 60-100km/h. I personally would not bother with it. If i had it, i would get it removed.

Your standard ECU (6DBB) will run SSPS also, and will show the same error code when SSPS is not present.

I cant decide, i drove my brothers AU2 Falcon for a week while mine was at the pannel beaters and I really dod't mind not having it. Now I've got mine back, i cant decide. Its really handy for around town and carparks but on the free way i find it too light like EL XR8 and definantly hasnt got as much 'feel' to it

You will need to change the rack and the power steering lines, thats all that is different.

The wiring is all there, and as snap said, your existing Fairmont ECU would have run it. Fairmont ECU's are the same as a Fairlane.

While most people hate it, driving an EL with ticky alignment specs and bigger/wider tyres, its a godsend. Driving an EL with standard size wheels its very light, but stick a 17 x 8" rim on there, it firms up so its mid way between stock Ghia and non Ghia steering.

Hmm strange, when i had the stock ECU there were no error codes at all .

Thanks for the help and suggestions guys!

I just realised, your original ECU wasn't a Fairmont ECU. It would have been a GLi. Fairmont/Fairlane/Wagon ECU's are a 6DDx.

You never had a problem with shift points did you?