How to achieve tighter/stiffer steering?

[draza74]

I used to have an E46 M3 and loved the way that car drove.
The cars steering took less input to turn and it just felt .. like I said stiff or tight..
I assume things like coilovers/springs can have achieve this but what else can?
Sway bars?
But what else?
Or is it neither of those things?

 

[Faceman]

Stickier tires, especially at power speeds.

 

[jmason]

To achieve better response, you need to reduce compliance in the suspension and tires. However, one must be judicious with this approach if the car is primarily a DD. Go too stiff and the car will be hard to live with on public roads. So I'd recommend (in no particular order):

1. Stiffer bushings
2. Tires with stiffer sidewalls
3. Shock absorbers with higher than stock damping rates
4. Stiffer than stock springs

Another option is to increase caster. This will improve dynamic camber gain and feedback through the steering wheel. Doesn't do anything to reduce compliance however.

Finally, changing toe-in at the front and rear can improve response. There is no one right setting; it depends on the use of the car.

 

[geokilla]

You won't be able to come close to the E46 in terms of steering feel and tightness. BMWs of that era has one of the best hydraulic steering rack ever produced. I'm not an engineer but I'd imagine it all starts from the chassis and the fact it's a RWD platform.

 

[SouthFL_Mk7.5]

When I added the Superpro Lower Control Arms (which increase caster and negative camber) and the Superpro fixed camber strut tops, the overall increase of negative camber came in at -2. This improved turn in response and overall grip up front.

Steering “feel” improved also with the Tyrolsport Subframe deadset kit as this kit tightened up some slop up front overall.
Alongside the GTI I also own an untouched BMW 430i. I’d say the steering of the GTI as I have it currently is more communicative and responsive than the factory 430.

Did the above mentioned mods make the steering “tighter/stiffer?” No. I’d say more “communicative/responsive.”

 

[KevinC]

Electric power steering has improved dramatically in the last decade, but it will never feel as good as a nice old hydraulic-assist r&p rack like the old E46 had.

My Z4MC has a faster version of the rack in the E46. When I want more steering feel than my R offers, I just grab the other keys.

 

[jay745]

Add a caster kit

 

[MeltedSolid]

You won't be able to come close to the E46 in terms of steering feel and tightness. BMWs of that era has one of the best hydraulic steering rack ever produced. I'm not an engineer but I'd imagine it all starts from the chassis and the fact it's a RWD platform.

Maybe the e46 fixed the issues, but my e36's steering rack is a leaky piece of crap . Steering feel is pretty good on it though, especially after I put in the angle kit.

For the mk7, the biggest difference to steering feel for me was the rear sway bar, with coilovers and tires close behind. The rear sway bar is amazing how it completely transforms the feel of the car anywhere near the limit. I haven't understeered in years.

 

[Handguns4heaRTs]

My steering became noticeably tighter and more sensitive after installing b8 struts with aftermarket springs and superpro camber mounts

 

[yirayira]

Add caster and camber up front and stiffen the rear ?

 

[bentin]

Electric power steering has improved dramatically in the last decade, but it will never feel as good as a nice old hydraulic-assist r&p rack like the old E46 had.

My Z4MC has a faster version of the rack in the E46. When I want more steering feel than my R offers, I just grab the other keys.

Not really true. The NSX and S2000 both had EPS and it felt great. My M Coupe had glorious HPS, but our 135i has some of the worst I've ever felt. The E46 M3 always felt overboosted to me, but was still nice and provided tons of feedback. Our last BMW, an F30 was a complete mess, and that was the LCI with many "fixes" to the original setup.

I'm actually pleased with the GTI considering it's fwd and doesn't have a ton of torque steer. It would be nice to replace some of the rubber with elastomer, but I think the actual EPS is always going to damp some of the feel. I do plan on the APR or H&R rear sway to try to dial out a little of the understeer.

 

[odessa.filez]

Stiffer top mounts, especially metal on metal plates, stiffer lca bushings will improve steering response.

Have both, but doesn't come anywhere close to my e90.

 

[dosjockey]

Electric power steering has improved dramatically in the last decade, but it will never feel as good as a nice old hydraulic-assist r&p rack like the old E46 had.

My Z4MC has a faster version of the rack in the E46. When I want more steering feel than my R offers, I just grab the other keys.

I'm an old-school kind of guy, but I'm not too offended by the electric steering here. It's not bad; not hydraulic, but not bad.

From an engineering perspective, it's a much more elegant solution as long as it holds up over time.

 

[dosjockey]

I used to have an E46 M3 and loved the way that car drove.
The cars steering took less input to turn and it just felt .. like I said stiff or tight..
I assume things like coilovers/springs can have achieve this but what else can?
Sway bars?
But what else?
Or is it neither of those things?

As well as what's already been suggested, steering feel on any vehicle can be improved by removing flexible members from the linkage.

If there's a spherical rod end setup or similar, that's partway there; but anything to stiffen up the front end can help.

Tires are important, as well as the bushings connecting the shocks themselves, stiffer mounts, and so on... All that stuff helps. Steering feel involves the entire vehicle. Find where it's lacking as a result of meeting demand and price, and improve those parts; but don't go past the ability of the rest of the chassis to use it. When you firm up steering in this way, the wheel will become much more lively on harsh surfaces.

On a FWD car, that's a more notable change than it would be on another setup.

 

[Ridebjj]

I've done stiffer and lower springs, upgraded shocks, bigger rsb and ultra hi performance tires and its a pretty good improvement over stock. I've had powerflex bushings front and rear sitting around for 3 months waiting to go in.

I'm very interested to see how those turn out. But I've also got a new clutch and dmfw and rms to also install so I'm waiting to just do it all at once since the front arms get halfway disconnected anyway. I tell myself I am waiting for when the weather gets warmer and the days longer. But really it's mostly because the clutch looks like an annoying job so I've been putting it off.