Cars with best steering wheel feedback
Discussion
I'm surprised people are saying pas is the killer. steering feedback encompasses suspension, tyres, tyre pressure, size of wheel and where the engine is over the front axle.
I've had a few cars without pas that were st and others with that were good. it also depends on power through the wheels too.
good to me, golf gti mk2, pas, audi a4 3.0 ps pretty st..et
I've had a few cars without pas that were st and others with that were good. it also depends on power through the wheels too.
good to me, golf gti mk2, pas, audi a4 3.0 ps pretty st..et
Problem is 99.9% of power steering systems out there require there to be some slop built into the shuttle to allow the torque sensing for the ram to occur, so generally anything with power steering (with one or two exceptions perhaps) is worse than the equivelant without.
The ram itself adds considerable damping too.
The ram itself adds considerable damping too.
Of the cars I've driven.
S1 Elise
MK1 MX5
MK2 MX5
Peugeot 306 GTI6
BMW E46
I've driven an awful lot of more modern and expensive cars, I suppose they don't make them like they used to
Although my E90 3 Series was pretty good, and my Z4M isn't bad but is a touch heavy which numbs it a bit IMO.
S1 Elise
MK1 MX5
MK2 MX5
Peugeot 306 GTI6
BMW E46
I've driven an awful lot of more modern and expensive cars, I suppose they don't make them like they used to
Although my E90 3 Series was pretty good, and my Z4M isn't bad but is a touch heavy which numbs it a bit IMO.
Edited by Urban Sports on Wednesday 12th September 19:43
To me the best was the mk1 MR2...so sharp and gokart-like.
NLB said:
Out of modern (-ish) "ordinary" cars, my ST220 is really very good - better, to my taste than the 530 Sport it replaced, despite being front drive...
I replaced my 330ci sport with an ST220 and feel the same way about the Ford's advantages. As you say, FWD doesn't get in the way of steering feel. I prefer the ST's engine too (more sporty noise and little bit more get up and go for picking up speed between corners as long as you're in the right gear) which probably helps with the sensations when chucking it around...wow at the couple of people saying that I shouldnt be on the road if i failed a couple of times.
Ill give one reason why I failed, basically forgot that a road went from 50 to 40 an the 40 sign was round a corner, so by the time I had slowed I was past the sign.
you obviously have never ever broken the speedlimit or made a mistake in your driving.
Ill give one reason why I failed, basically forgot that a road went from 50 to 40 an the 40 sign was round a corner, so by the time I had slowed I was past the sign.
you obviously have never ever broken the speedlimit or made a mistake in your driving.
NateWM said:
Can I nominate my Accord?
It truly is sublime! You can feel every little bump and pebble in the road, and you get so much feedback from it. You can tell exactly what the front wheels are doing, and it allows you to go round corners with amazing precision. The Lexus in comparision, while weighty, has almost no feel at all, to be expected of a Lexus I guess?
Ironically, my friend prefers the way his dull as dish water Golf feels. "I don't like the way I can feel the bumps through my hands!" - He isn't much of a petrolhead.
I really disagree, I've driven a sixth gen accord (around some nice b-roads and around town) and whilst the steering wasn't bad it wasn't that special either; a bit too light, very numb around the centre and not enough feedback; quite alot of bump steer as well. Didn't like it's position in relation to the seat either, even after adjusting it. It's certainly better than alot of other cars but I wouldn't rave about it, and compared to the equivelant mondeo/3er it's slightly sub-par.It truly is sublime! You can feel every little bump and pebble in the road, and you get so much feedback from it. You can tell exactly what the front wheels are doing, and it allows you to go round corners with amazing precision. The Lexus in comparision, while weighty, has almost no feel at all, to be expected of a Lexus I guess?
Ironically, my friend prefers the way his dull as dish water Golf feels. "I don't like the way I can feel the bumps through my hands!" - He isn't much of a petrolhead.
Jimmy No Hands said:
My 944 is brilliant for steering feel. Then again the Clio 200 isn't bad either!
Note to Porsche: Please bring back the a modern 944, a small front engine car to slide about in. Probably too simple a design brief for them. Ok instead how about a twin diesel engined panamera with rear wheel steer and a double decker two floor configuration, now thats Posche these days. b
DanielJames said:
BMW E46 in my opinion.
Mine was a sport if that makes a difference
Can only imagine what the M3 would be like.
Not only excellent feedback, but the wheel was lovely soft touch leather too
Go and drive an Elise / Caterham. You have a blinkered outlook on steering feel if that's your best opinion ? The E46 M3 didn't have the best feel anyway !Mine was a sport if that makes a difference
Can only imagine what the M3 would be like.
Not only excellent feedback, but the wheel was lovely soft touch leather too
I'm possibly setting myself up for a flaming here but in terms off communication through the wheel, nothing I have driven beats my classic Beetle. And it has a steering box!
My Porsche 924 was quite pointy and generally felt nice but was too heavy at low speeds. Mk2 Golf GTI hydraulic power steering felt sure footed to me compared to modern electromechanical systems I have experienced.
My Porsche 924 was quite pointy and generally felt nice but was too heavy at low speeds. Mk2 Golf GTI hydraulic power steering felt sure footed to me compared to modern electromechanical systems I have experienced.
renrut said:
nottyash said:
renrut said:
nottyash said:
renrut said:
MR2 mk1. Amazing. I'd imagine an Elise would be very similar but better.
I miss mine
I reckon the mk3 was slightly better, even with electric power steering. It's about as close to a go kart as I have owned.I miss mine
My take on the difference definitely isn't as clear cut as one of other being better, they both are fantastic cars that each excel in different ways.
As this is a thread about steering feel I should probably start with that. The PAS seems to make the crucial difference here, in the mk3 you are always completely aware of what the car is doing and are certainly never at a loss for information from the wheel, but when it wasn't letting you know about something important the wheel was happy to stay fairly quiet. By contrast the mk1's steering is the life of the party, chattering away at you about every element of the road, commenting on each track and sinew. Either one would qualify for having great steering feel, but for my money the mk1 feels just a fraction more special. It really is a close thing though.
Then there's the handling to consider - the main difference here is how forgiving the chassis is. In the mk1 you definitely know you're in a mid-engined car, there's that distinct knife-edge feel as you thread a road. It's an exhilarating experience using all that steering feel to balance the car right at the edge of grip, with a strong insinuation of the car wanting to bite if you step over. In contrast to the mk1's sharp edges the mk3 feels quite malleable at the limit, over steer is signalled and corrected before you even think about it. Everything about the mk3 feels a bit more playful and accessible - I've never taken either car on the track, but I'd imagine if you did the mk3 would be a lot easier to hooligan around sideways.
Funnily enough, thinking back it seems that with the MR2 you really can judge the car by it's styling. The MK1's sharp edges and mini-Ferrari styling quite nicely reflect the hints of something rather special on the road and the precise driving style it asks for; the MK3 looks far more rounded and playful, almost toy like, which is clearly reflected in the softer handling and tuned back feel.
Both are fantastic cars. For my money, and all else being equal, I'd pick the MK1 every time. However, with the way prices are going on both of them at the moment it would be hard to ignore the greater reliability of the newer MK3 for potentially less money.
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