[decollect]

Something I've thought of is somehow rigging the PS pump to operate off an electromagnetic clutch and either a vehicle speed switch or a manual switch on the dash to operate it in such a way that when the speed of the car falls below, say, 10mph, the clutch engages assuming parking or low-speed maneuvering. I know some of the Buick's already have an electromagnetic assist and the Vibe (I believe) has electric assist only, but this is something that wouldn't require too much fabwork.
Nothing I'll be able to tackle myself due to the fact I work more or less all the time and still can't find money to fund my little brainstorms, but its fun to think about.[/quote]


Cadgear, I hear ya on the last paragraph! You should see the similar idea I have for A/C clutches. What would be wrong with a variable speed clutch for the A/C? That way when you're on the gas, it can run the A/C at low speed/low load, but when you're coasting-decellerating it spins the A/C at high speed/high load? Back it up with a program in the main CPU and I bet you can tweak it to use half the engine power a traditional A/C system uses and offer little, if any, loss in cooling performance.