Cars with fantastic steering?

[billzeebub]

Porsche 968 best steering on a car that I've driven..definitely obtainable nowadays..maybe not stretching to a decent CS though..

[omgus]

I have got a mk1 focus ST170, if you think the normal focii steer well then it is sublime, although pretty much all fords from that era steer very well, i have had oodles of fun in a Ka as well.

+1 on the 106/AX/Saxos on skinny tyres and of course the RenaultSport stuff.

Although I had a mk1 Honda CRX and it moved like it was on rails.

[s3fella]

supersingle said:

In my experience small cars with skinny tyres and unassisted steering. Citroen AX and Peugeot 106 spring to mind. They certainly qualify as accessible!

Have you ever driven a 106 when they had no PAS..? Awful things, massive massive celf centering action, castor was well wrong. My missus had a 106 "escapade" diesel and it was the worst car I think I've ever had the dipleasure to drive.

[marcgti6]

I always liked the steering feel on my Mk2 Golf and 306 GTi-6. Much better than a lot of the newer, over assisted electronic stuff I've driven anyway.

[s m]

FisiP1 said:

They changed it and spoiled it at some point, the older 'new' ones are very very nice.

Yep, preferred the R53 to the later version. I remember a few mags even commenting that they'd lost some of the 'feel'

[VeeFour]

Mr E said:

Elise. One corner and you can forgive it pretty much anything.

VeeFour said:

Alfa 156, just over 2 turns lock to lock, so it's incredibly responsive, but also has plenty of feedback and not too much assistance.

I've got one of these as well. Of all the things it does well, steering isn't one of them.

For a FWD car, I think they're bloody good.

I've had or driven a lot of VWs and Fords in recent years, which have all had rubbish steering due to electric Assistance.

[supersingle]

s3fella said:

Have you ever driven a 106 when they had no PAS..? Awful things, massive massive celf centering action, castor was well wrong. My missus had a 106 "escapade" diesel and it was the worst car I think I've ever had the dipleasure to drive.

I've only driven petrols but yes, at low speed and tight corners they need a bit of muscle but once they're up to speed the steering lightens up and your left with lovely feel and responsiveness.

I drive a Berlingo van for work. It's a piece of piss to steer but is horribly vague and overassited. My old Berlingo van, which had the boat anchor engine, was sublime in comparison. Light and communicative at anything over 20mph. Below that you needed Popeye's biceps to turn the thing.

Progress eh?

[steviegunn]

Of the cars I've owned and friends I've driven:

MX-5 (Manual Rack MK1 & PAS MK2.5)
Puma 1.7
309 GTi
Almera GTi
MR2 (MK1)
Alfa 155 (Twin Spark Widebody)

[rumple]

old mini, wifey's mk1 focus, puma, my 330ci now ive got meyle hd bushes on, nissan 200sx s14 think of some more later

[cat220]

My DC2 has great feedback, you feel really involved with the car.

[fel71]

Peugeot 205 gti, without power steering.

[Dalto123]

944 S2 front engine, rwd with perfect weight distribution

[j123]

I think you folks should have a look see here:

http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2010/07/citroen-revea...

As Citroen has shown, it is possible to modify ones electric system to Hydraulic I believe as long as their is space enough. Sounds like the future to me. j

[Oilchange]

you can, however, improve it enormously by fitting a strut brace. makes a big difference and reduces tyre wear amongst other things.

Mr E said:

I've got one of these as well. Of all the things it does well, steering isn't one of them.

[VeeFour]

Oilchange said:

you can, however, improve it enormously by fitting a strut brace. makes a big difference and reduces tyre wear amongst other things.

Mr E said:

I've got one of these as well. Of all the things it does well, steering isn't one of them.

Biggest issue is people running around on bushes which pass an MOT but completely bugger the geometry and steering precision.

[kambites]

900T-R said:

kambites said:

Funny, I think the lack of steering feel is the weakest part of the way the MINI drives, from the few that I've driven.

Tried a basic R50 on 175/65s?

I've driven two basic spec R50 MINIs (although I didn't actually check the tyre size) and I don't rate the steering particularly highly. Yes, it's very accurate and decently weighted once you're moving, but it's too light at low speed and gives little feedback at any speed. To be fair I suppose it's amongst the better FWD hatchbacks of its generation, but it's a very, very long way from the best cars.

[kambites]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

I rate the earlier Boxsters with the old constant ratio rack a lot more highly than the later ones with the weird variable ratio system.

[Mr E]

VeeFour said:

Biggest issue is people running around on bushes which pass an MOT but completely bugger the geometry and steering precision.

Bushes are good. No brace. I suspect that 100kgs+ of pig iron in the nose and comparison with an elise are the problem...

[kambites]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

No, it's certainly not a world-beater, but it's still pretty good as relatively heavy mainstream cars go.

[s m]

kambites said:

I've driven two basic spec R50 MINIs (although I didn't actually check the tyre size) and I don't rate the steering particularly highly. Yes, it's very accurate and decently weighted once you're moving, but it's too light at low speed and gives little feedback at any speed. To be fair I suppose it's amongst the better FWD hatchbacks of its generation, but it's a very, very long way from the best cars.

Too light and little feedback? Sounds the total opposite to the R53 MCS I've driven

309gti mentioned earlier is a nice PAS system too