Quote:
Originally Posted by The HACK
This has been the complete opposite of my experience. The front end on the Z4 M is about as tight as you'd ever want it to be compared to any other "modern" BMWs made after 2000, and anything after 2010 is only getting progressively worse.
It really comes down to what one describes as "tight" or "loose" or "precise." I once had a friend drive my Z4 M Coupe, as we met up and had a short drive up a local mountain road on a Saturday morning. He drives an F30 340i daily and was surprised at how quick the steering rack is, and struggled with placing MY car around some of the corners on said mountain road because every hundredth of a degree of movement on the steering wheel translates to action on the front wheels. It is by far one of the shortest lock to lock ratios BMW has produced, and also one of the tightest rack BMW has produced with virtually zero "dead" on center feel.
I've driven a WIDE variety of BMWs in the last 20 years as part of my weekend duties as an instructor for BMW CCA's Pacific Region HPDEs, and I wouldn't call any of the BMWs produced after 2010 with electronic steering "precise." Especially after having driven daily the Servotronic hydraulic steering. Yes, call me "boomer" all you want, but you really need to experience the Servotronic hydraulic power steering. It is one of the best implementation of power steering in the world, and for a long time, considered on par with the likes of SUPER CARS from Ferrari and Lambo. The E36 M3 rack, which the Z4 M rack is based on, was at one point considered the best steering rack in the world back in the late 90s, and believe you me, BMW steering rack feel has been on a very steady downhill ever since.
Now. If you were to say the front end of the Z4 M "pushes" with stock alignment on stock width tires, I'd probably agree. From the factory the Z4 M's geometry makes the front end grip limited, with a -0.7º and moderate toe-in to alleviate the quick rack and massive caster angle. On purely stock settings, the car will tend to push into a turn, which is exacerbated by the quick and precise steering, as the natural tendency to feed in more steering, even ever so slightly at just past corner entry, results in further loss of traction up front because small movements of the steering results in larger than relative movement of the wheels and tires. The Z4 M rewards precision and smoothness, and REQUIRES driver input to be accurate as intended. It doesn't bother to cover up your mistakes, it announces it to the world you'd done f**ked up on turn-in. Unlike newer BMWs where they make every attempt at hiding your mistakes and making you feel like a hero, the Z4 M rewards you for actually being a good driver.
Which isn't to say maybe there is something wrong with your Z4 M. But, my experience on this matter differ from yours. The Z4 M front end is a gem, and it's one of the best BMW has produced during a period when BMW had perfected the front end MacPherson Strut design.
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Interesting. Well first off thanks for the detailed response. I agree with everything you said about the steering feel and feedback but i have the roadster and AFAIK we have different racks, yours being quicker. I do not mean the car pushes at all or has a front end traction issue because it doesnt. and the only modern day bmw that i would call precise is my f80. I feel like I may be having trouble trying to get across what im trying to describe. What im trying to say is in a hypothetical scenario if I were a teenager hooligan trying to weave around traffic at highway speeds, I would feel significantly more confident doing it in my f80 compared to the z4m. The front just doesnt feel planted and therefore when im changing direction I feel like I do not 100% trust where the car is going to go as much as i trust my f80 for example.
I do not want to over-exaggerate what I'm feeling. its not so bad that I hate the car or anything its just something id like to improve because I think theres a lot of room for improvement. Maybe something is off in my car not sure. But ive been driving cars on KW coils for the last approx 8-9 years so maybe I've just gotten used to that?
I recall reading about other people who thought factory suspension front is way too soft in comparison to the rear but not sure