Quote:
Originally Posted by wdb
I have an E93 and I can't say I notice a big difference between that and my Z4MC in terms of steering feel. The E93 seems to have sharper response, but the cars are different weights and shod with different tires so that might be subjective.
As for the Cayman, well, just fuggedabodit. You're not going to get anywhere near that with a Z4. I have a 996 and the steering feel reminds me of my old MGBs and Minis (real ones not the BMWs). P-cars with hydraulic racks are in a class by themselves.
All of that said, I like my Z4MC steering just fine. I'd recommend replacing with stock parts first. If that's not enough you can always swap in something more aggressive. Just don't expect to match that Cayman.  |
While I found the feel of my E93 better, I still found the Z4M is more "responsive". The Z4 is a much lighter car and has a faster steering ratio with the same width front tires so there's more of a reaction from a smaller movement of the steering wheel. Both of my BMWs were completely stock suspension-wise. I did have cheaper tires (Firestone Firehawk Indy 500) on my E93 which I think are generally less refined than the PS4S on my E85 M. That may be part of it. I drove a mostly stock E92 M3 once and did find it got close to Porsche levels, especially in terms of road-feel on center. I might try the whiteline bushings since they're a less extreme (and less expensive) aftermarket option.
Also maybe I should have mentioned this but I owned an NC Miata between the E93 and the Z4M. Steering was a bit light for my taste and didn't load up like I want it to but those also have pretty good feel and great turn in. After having the Mazda an E9X M3 seemed so big and heavy and that's the reason I picked up an Z4MR instead.