Steering?

[BUG4LIFE]

Hope all this makes sense?!

Is it me or does the steering on my 325 Motorsport cab feel a little dead just a few degrees left and right? Example; I'm driving in a straight line, steering wheel dead centre, then start moving the wheel to the left and then to the right, back to the left...etc etc. The car doesn't really react that fast, it feels a little lazy - kind of like you need to turn the steering wheel a good amount for the car to actually change direction, and then it feels slow [turn the steeering wheel...pause...car turns]? Its not a major thing, and something I've only noticed since driving my mates Civic Type-R and my Mums Ford Puma - both having razor-sharp steering!

Could this just be a old car thing - due to modern power steering systems being better? And of course than my Beemer a convertible, meaning its for cruising?

[kam-325i]

Thats the E30 barge effect, The standard steering rack on the E30 does have a rep for being "Lazy".......even the power ass'td version...

[E30BeemerLad]

maybe worth doing a flush of the PAS fluid and see if that makes any difference, also check for play on the UJ on the column and just other components that wear such as track rod ends etc, but if they were shagged you would maybe be seing other unruly behaviour like self steering, wheel wobble etc.

E30 steering is not exactly pin sharp though in my opinion.

[Jhonno]

its a known thing on the e30, dead just off centre

[BUG4LIFE]

I do get wheel wobble [and vibrations through the brake pedal] when I brake - could that maybe be warped [I spell that wrong?] discs though? My Beemer being looked at Wednesday and hopefully getting this sorted.

I also gotta steer a little to the right [another reason my car off to the garage] to make the car go striaght, more so than just the natural angle of the road and never feels 100% planted...what do you mean 'self steering' BeemerLad?

Good to know lazy steering is an E30 trait though [sort of]!

[Demlotcrew]

TBH i dont get it on my car, it has new everything tho.

Andrew

[kam-325i]

The warped disk theorie is a bit myth, its more likely to be baked on brake pad material on the disk causing the vibration under braking.....

[BUG4LIFE]

Ah right kam, cheers for that - I can say that to the garage so it sounds like I know what I'm talking about!

[Cava]

Not sure if i agree on the warp disc theory - I got the same problem after changing the complete set of pads and discs so I have swapped them for a whole new set to sort it out but it still vibrated under braking - currently got the car back in the garage trying to work out what the hell is going on!

The car has had new control arm bushes and a replacement caliper, just changed the other caliper in the hope of sorting this out...

[kam-325i]

I think the vibration/wobble is most likey caused by play in any of the suspension or steering joints/linkages....

[Brianmoooore]

Could this just be a old car thing - due to modern power steering systems being better? And of course than my Beemer a convertible, meaning its for cruising?

Rubbish. For correct steering geometry, the steering rack has to be in front of the wheels,as it is in an E30.
Most "modern" cars have the rack behind the axle, purely for cheapness and ease of mounting, and the steering suffers as a result.

[E30BeemerLad]

I also gotta steer a little to the right [another reason my car off to the garage] to make the car go striaght, more so than just the natural angle of the road and never feels 100% planted...what do you mean 'self steering' BeemerLad?

Good to know lazy steering is an E30 trait though [sort of]!

By self-steering I refer to my experience of my rear subframe bushes being shagged, causing the rear wheels to be not pointing dead ahead as I assume the whole rear bed twists (maybe Brian can correct me on this) so until I parked my car up, for the last couple of weeks, thankfully just town driving, my car would wonder considerably and if you did get onto any sort of motorway, you were constantly having to make corrections to keep it straight, but you will know for sure if the rear end has a life of it's own trust me. I could go around slight corners by turning the wheel a bit and then the back end would steer, so I would straighten the wheel to dead ahead yet still be turning slightly
a 4 wheel steer E30, not pleasant!

[kam-325i]

I am getting the same effect with mine, mainly on islands, just on the apex, the back end suddenly tightens up.

Cant change rear bushe's till end of month.......

[E30BeemerLad]

I first of all thought i had broken a rear spring as the first time I noticed someting afoot was going around a large smooth roundabout at a fair old rate of knots, the back end just felt saggy on the N/S/R and at the same time I was giving it a bit of opposite lock without it actually sliding.

Happened just after putting some better quality rear tyres on, after getting rid of the Nankang horrors which were happy to break away

[kam-325i]

Happened just after putting some better quality rear tyres on, after getting rid of the Nankang horrors which were happy to break away

I have also just changed from Nankangs NS1's!!!!!

[Brianmoooore]

I also gotta steer a little to the right [another reason my car off to the garage] to make the car go striaght, more so than just the natural angle of the road and never feels 100% planted...what do you mean 'self steering' BeemerLad?

Good to know lazy steering is an E30 trait though [sort of]!

By self-steering I refer to my experience of my rear subframe bushes being shagged, causing the rear wheels to be not pointing dead ahead as I assume the whole rear bed twists (maybe Brian can correct me on this) so until I parked my car up, for the last couple of weeks, thankfully just town driving, my car would wonder considerably and if you did get onto any sort of motorway, you were constantly having to make corrections to keep it straight, but you will know for sure if the rear end has a life of it's own trust me. I could go around slight corners by turning the wheel a bit and then the back end would steer, so I would straighten the wheel to dead ahead yet still be turning slightly
a 4 wheel steer E30, not pleasant!

Rear subframe bushes are designed to give a small degree of rear steer, but when they wear you'll find the back end moving all over the place.

[glenn]

to be honest 'bug', if my steering didn't feel right,
i'd be underneath it straight away looking for something that isn't right.
i dont think i'd be waiting until wednesday for it to be looked at.
i'd at least check to makesure that every bolt was tight