02-19-2017, 06:44 AM | #2 |
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Not really, but you may get use to the light steering and prefer it, like I did. After having 2 E60's and one E70 with what I feel like now was extraordinary heavy steering, I feel like the F15 steering is perfect and precise.
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02-19-2017, 12:14 PM | #3 |
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F15 definitely does not have precise steering.
wish there was a software way to make it tigheter. even the sport mode is soft and wobbly, lacking feedback.... E70 was precise like a swiss watch |
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02-20-2017, 02:33 AM | #6 |
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I purchased a 2015 50i at the beginning of the year with 9500 miles on it. Loving the car. But I have to agree that I haven't gotten used to the feel of the light steering wheel. My wife has a 2015 X1, which I believe was one of the last models to have hydraulic steering. I love the way the car handles, you can really feel the road, and was hoping for something similar with the X5. It reminds a bit too much of the "power steering" of cars like my grandfather's 1973 Plymouth Duster.
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02-20-2017, 08:20 AM | #7 |
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Can we be a little more specific with details when we describe steering wheel feel? Road feel is very different with 20" and summer rubber than 19" and taller skinnier tires. My 20's with Dunlop summer performance run flat tires feel precise and accurate. I hated the heavy unnecessary steering at low parking lot speeds on the E70's and I will admit that highway speeds were good, but the F15 with the above specs at highway speeds are pretty good as well.
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02-20-2017, 10:55 AM | #8 |
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I actually don't mind the steering feel on the F15, not sure I would want it any tighter. My E82 has a heavy wheel, which I like in that type of car.
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02-20-2017, 05:02 PM | #9 |
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I agree the steering feels a little too light and would prefer to have it feel tighter and heavier. I will admit it got a little better after I lowered the car..but not by that much
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02-20-2017, 07:04 PM | #10 |
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When I bought the car it had the original RF Bridgestone Duellers (20" staggered set-up). I swapped these out for Winter: Non-Run Flat Blizzak DM-V2 (20" squared set-up).
The Blizzak's feel very different--the ride is less harsh and the tracking is better. However, the steering is equally light. By light, I mean the wheel turns very easily, the feeling is that you are gliding rather that getting a positive, responsive feedback back from the road. I didn't receive my PhD in automotive phenomenology, but that's how I experience it. It feels quite different from others cars I have driven, especially my wife's X1. In an article from Car & Driver they put it like this: "EPS-equipped cars, we’ve found them lacking in feel, poorly tuned, and sometimes simply weird in comparison with the hydraulic-assist setups that have benefited from more than half a century of development. This matters because steering is the driver’s main line of communication with the car; distortion in the guidance channel makes every other perception more difficult to comprehend." And, "Measuring what’s going on with the tires and the suspension indirectly amounts to intelligent guesswork, but it’s the best we have today to minimize EPS’s limitations. No wonder we found hydraulic better than electric assist in our subjective Feedback analysis." http://www.caranddriver.com/features...n-test-feature |
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02-21-2017, 01:55 AM | #11 |
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Another article thst helps to explain the experience:
http://www.motorauthority.com/news/1081363_electric-power-steering-we-ask-an-insider-where-its-headed " In the initial days, it was a very rudimentary system. Somebody nailed together the parts and came up with some control strategies that seemed to work—left was left, right was right—and you could adjust the assist level. But nobody really put a lot of thought into the idea of what are you missing from a hydraulic system, that you need in order to make it feel more natural. And to be honest, I think some vehicles today are lacking some of that in their systems. It all comes down to being able to generate or transmit a feel in the steering wheel that fits your mental perception of what the vehicle is doing. So specifically, a lot of times what you'll see is that you have systems that lack damping. You turn into the corner and it feels okay turning in, but coming out, it just wants to fall back to center, and your natural motion is that you turn in, you have a certain effort progression, it needs to be a linear progression of effort and response. Today what happens with those ‘bad’ systems is that you go up on a good torque curve, and coming back you either have too much or too little damping. Some of the worst systems require a good amount of force going into the corner, then the torque just falls away and the steering gear just wants to slam back to center. Subjectively, you want to feel like you go right up an effort curve and then back down the same curve—it needs to feel the same loading and unloading. Anything else is unnatural." |
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02-21-2017, 03:04 PM | #12 |
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well written simply zero feedback from the wheels back to the driver - if you are in to driving and drive more and different than to your local supermarket..... the Bmw pedigree and enginenpower is simply not it balance with the "soccer mom" type of steering setup/ response
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02-21-2017, 06:07 PM | #13 |
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Driving my wife's MB E350 brings back the days of driving my E70.....road feel and precision. I can't imagine how BMW engineers get the F15 steering so wrong. I really like my F15 but just don't like the way it steers.
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02-22-2017, 07:10 AM | #14 |
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I was very concerned about the light steering.
After a day of spirited driving, I've no concerns left. I actually like it very much. Would I tighten it if I could? Yes, just a bit. But I'm good the way it is. |
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02-22-2017, 08:48 AM | #15 | |
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Quote:
The X5's steering isn't inaccurate per se, but the stock steering definitely can give one a sense that there's a bit of play between the wheel and the front tires. It's simply not confidence inspiring in stock form. High speed sweeping turns require constant adjustments to hold a line because there's not enough steering effort to help the driver keep the wheels at a constant angle. If you feel an example of good steering, drive an older sports car if you get a chance. I had an E46 M3 and a 911 and the steering in those cars was absolutely alive. Appropriate weighting and effort made it feel like you were holding onto the front wheels directly and every bump, change in road surface, or change in traction levels was transmitted back through the wheel into your hands. Good steering lets you know exactly what's going on at the point of contact with the road. Of course, the benefits of a more analogue feeling steering setup usually come at the expense of comfort and this is why lighter steering that requires less steering effort and and provides less feedback is preferable for the luxo-barge/cruiser set. Much more comfortable to drive, especially at low speeds or over longer distances. Unfortunately, this is the crowd that BMW is now chasing to steal share from Mercedes. On the plus side, it seems to be working for them in terms of total sales. On the down side, the moniker "Ultimate Driving Machine" may not be totally relevant anymore. |
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02-22-2017, 09:13 AM | #16 |
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I've driven cars with no assisted steering for along time before and other older cars to understand what you are saying. However I just have to disagree... when I want to drive aggressively, I want to be able to turn the steering wheel with less effort and quicker than the traditional hydraulic wheels. With my current steering, I can feel as much road feel as I did with my E70 and E60 cars... Maybe the tire type has to do with it... only difference is that my wife can now drive in parking lot speeds and park the car without looking like a wrestler.
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02-22-2017, 12:59 PM | #17 | |
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Upgraded/modified tires/wheels/suspension should absolutely have an impact on steering feel but I don't think anybody would refute that the steering setup on the X5 in stock form is a bit lackluster. Anybody who says it's actually good (in stock form) likely hasn't yet driven a car with really good steering to compare. |
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02-22-2017, 01:13 PM | #18 |
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yes, trade your car in for a E70
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