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      08-21-2014, 07:58 AM   #1
gsrbri
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Steering Feedback (no pun intended...)

Not to throw more gas on the Electric assist vs. Hydraulic assist steering debate, but those of you who previously owned E9X cars...and now drive F8X cars - what do you think?

I went directly from a E90 M3 w/about 35,000 miles and then hopped into my new F82. It's difficult to make an apples/apples comparison (tire wear, component wear, different chassis/tires/wheels, etc.) but my initial thoughts are below.

Both steering wheels (E90 and F8X) are the best in the business. Very happy BMW kept the fat-rimmed wheel. The software modes on the E90steering I never paid attention to. It seemed fine regardless, it a little light. The F82 software definitely affects the effort. Not sure which mode I like best, but sport is a nice, happy medium so far. Track...we'll see.

Accuracy of the E90 steering seemed somewhat better - at least my feel for steering input and the proper amount. Meaning, I swerved around a road obstacle the other day, and it felt a bit like I overcompensated because I didn't get the sharp response I was expecting. In fact I made an initial input, realized it wasn't adequate, and made a second one. The E90 was like a razor w/direct connection and I feel like I'd only have made one, small, sharp input. One caveat - I am splitting hairs a bit. F82 response is still excellent and it may just be the driver (me) adjusting to the car.

Also, the E90 steering wheel felt more "alive" in my hands. The F82 less so.

So, I have more miles to drive and observations to make. Also, this is only street driving. Track driving (I do about 12 events/year at various tracks) will be very telling.

Overall, I absolutely love the F82, but the steering is still up for some evaluation.

-Brian S.
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      08-21-2014, 09:17 AM   #2
jbraslins
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I went from E90 M3 to F80 M3. I think stock for stock, steering is just fine. Can't say which is better, they are both great.

I do find that Sport Plus steering mode is way to heavy for the street. I literally lost grip on the steering wheel once in one slow 90 degree corner, but I def was not holding it good (loose grip with one hand).

One thing to keep in mind, if you had different suspension or even alignment on your E9x, I think that would make a huge difference in perception of how quick steering response is. A lot of the "quick/sharp" feel you get comes from alignment, especially turn-in, high speed obstacle avoidance.

F80 with stock alignment feels very nice to me. E90 in my opinion did not feel that great until you gave it a little more camber and less toe-in.

Overall, definitely hard to compare not driving cars back to back.
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      08-21-2014, 09:23 AM   #3
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One more thing to add, I had steering software mod for E90 (less overall assist, and I believe no assist over 25..30mph), and that felt great on track.

Sport Plus might be awesome on track. I think reason why some reviewers preferred softer setting on track is due to wanting to get the car sideways often. A lot more steering input needed there. I think under most conditions on track where you actually shooting for lap times, sport plus steering might be of benefit.
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Last edited by jbraslins; 08-21-2014 at 09:52 AM..
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      08-21-2014, 09:49 AM   #4
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+1 on the alignment. Good point...I had more camber dialed-in and zeroed the toe.
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      08-21-2014, 02:31 PM   #5
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What's nice about the elect steering is no leaking hydraulic steering fluid during tracking! I think the new steering ratio is better. I found fine adjustments in and out of corners could get hairy with the old rack. And let's be real, the E9X cars weren't the greatest in feed back.
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      08-21-2014, 02:48 PM   #6
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Good point! And the Pentosin fluid is also highly flammable. Amen to that!
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      09-09-2014, 05:37 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jbraslins View Post
I went from E90 M3 to F80 M3. I think stock for stock, steering is just fine. Can't say which is better, they are both great.

I do find that Sport Plus steering mode is way to heavy for the street. I literally lost grip on the steering wheel once in one slow 90 degree corner, but I def was not holding it good (loose grip with one hand).

One thing to keep in mind, if you had different suspension or even alignment on your E9x, I think that would make a huge difference in perception of how quick steering response is. A lot of the "quick/sharp" feel you get comes from alignment, especially turn-in, high speed obstacle avoidance.

F80 with stock alignment feels very nice to me. E90 in my opinion did not feel that great until you gave it a little more camber and less toe-in.

Overall, definitely hard to compare not driving cars back to back.
If I recall correctly, my F80 had -1 of camber up front, but I can't remember what the rear is until I get the car back in the shop and measure it again. Toe is 1/16" total in on both front and the rear. That alignment setting is way more aggressive than the E9x M3 for sure.
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