narain asked:
All BMW cars have a tight steering wheel. Even the higher-end 7 series version which is supposed to be a luxury car has a very tight steerign wheel. For people who prefer luxury cars, tight steering wheel is not a comfort. Lexus on the other hand have very smooth steering wheels, and there is no difference in how you can handle the car, as opposed to having a tight steering wheel? I totally do not understand, why sports cars need a tight steering wheel. What is the big advantage of having this, and what is the disadvantage of having a smooth steering wheel.
I do understand that a tighter steering wheel will give you a quicker response, which means you don’t have to turn the steering wheel as much to get the wheels to turn a given distance. But that doesnt mean that the steering wheel has to be real stiff. It can still be smooth (not stiff, i.e lesser effort to turn) to achieve the same responsiveness (lower gear ratio) as that of a sports car. Why does BMW have a stiff steering wheel? Why cant it be smoother and still have the lower gear ratio. The only thing that turns me off with a BMW is its stiff steering wheel (in all its models- cars, SUVs). Making it to be responsive doesnt mean, that it has to be so stiff. In day to day use in regular driving on streets, you find it very strenuos to be turning so hard, to achieve the same thing , that can be done a lot effortlessly with a smoother steering wheel. Believe me i’m not a rookie, and i do know what iam talking about. Please try to explain it to me at that level. I appreciate your time.
Filed under: Other - Car Makes
Quicker response fron the steering
supposedly a tighter steering wheel is supposed to give you a quicker response time between the turning of the steering wheel and the reaction of the wheels on the car. in other words, if you turn the steering wheel on a sports car a fraction of an inch, you will get a response from the car as in a slight wobble on the road.
I use to work for Lexus…..But even though BMW are luxury there main heritage is racing. For people who are more into the driving experince a tight sterring wheel allows you to feel the road and get more feedback from the car allowing one to drive the car to its maximum capabilities. Lexus was strictly built for luxury and a smooth steering wheel is more comfortable and easier to use. And when pushed there is a difference in handlinmg. The new IS series actually has a tight firm steering wheel because its a Sport sedan
its not very tight… have yuo researched and seen if they were ALL tight? plus, sport cars have tighter steering wheels because if you try to turn while going real fast, it slides and becomes a one-ton missile, and the brakes just slow it down a bit, and youve still slided around 50 feet. that could be a fifty foot death slide in a pedestrian area, or a HUGE wreck on the highway.
Dude, I’m not even sure what you are talking about. What IS a tight steering wheel???
Probably you’ve read some car reviews that refer to a cars steering as “tight”. If that’s what you mean then it’s a phraise that means there is no “slop” in the steering. In other words if you move the wheel just a little bit then the car changes directions. The term is meant to indicate the steering is responsive. It’s a good thing in ALL cars. Even luxury cars should have responsive steering.
I also have no idea what a smooth steering wheel is, again you probably mean smooth steering in general. Again this just described the “feeling” associated with steering the car.
Once you start driving this will make more sense.
Tighter steering wheels are for turning at high speeds the higher the speed require tighter steering. If you were driving at high speeds with a loose steering wheel you would be all over the place. Luxury cars weren’t made for driving at high speeds. Tighter steering helps keep your car in control at very high speeds.
so you can feel the road
no
Tight steering wheel gives you better handling when turning. It is usually found in sports car. A tighter steering wheel will give you a quicker response, which means you don’t have to turn the steering wheel as much to get the wheels to turn a given distance. This is ideal when you are driving a sports car at a high speed and making a turn. With a smooth steering wheel, usually found in SUVs and other large cars, you have to turn the steering wheel more to make a turn than with a tight steering wheel. Not many would race in an SUV because they are large, don’t have much speed and can be more dangerous than with a sports car (but I’m not saying that racing is not dangerous), so a tighter steering wheel may not be necessary. Even though BMW cars are luxury cars, some view them more as sports car than luxury cars.
The tight steering wheel is basically so one can do advanced and more precise turning. Duh!
I was reading through this when a thought hit me. How about Bentley’s and Rolls Royce’s? Their definetly purpose built luxury cars. But have performances that are impressive, both in terms of top speed and acceleration.
What’s an ideal steering configuration for something like that then?
The tight steering wheel is part of BMW’s standard. All of their cars are designed with the driver in mind as in the driver needs to feel the car well. The suspension itself is tight and it would benefit anyone that likes to drive precisely to own a BMW.
bmw makes cars for people who like bmw’s. the steering is effortless and controls the car very well at higher speeds, so drive faster, or don’t buy a bimmer until the day they invent an auto power steering assist level control for sportscars. the stiffness, enables more steering stability, and all that, but to do that, you have to design the power assist to assist the driver a bit less.by the way, bentlys steer like giant, battleship sized , bricks.
New BMWs 04 and dont have tight steering wheels. From the older tight steering wheels u get much faster response. U feel the cars suspension better.