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2019+ BMW 3 AND 4-SERIES FORUMS (G2x Generation) General G20 Sedan / G22 Coupe / G26 Gran Coupe Discussions M340i steering feels overly heavy

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      12-30-2019, 12:13 PM   #23
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I agree with the op. Same issue with the M2. I keep the steering set to comfort at all times. The sport setting feels artificially stiff and provides less feedback of the road and what the tires are doing.
For the M2, some have coded the M2CS steering which makes the sport setting lighter. I'm looking into to getting this done.
For M340 owners, perhaps you could code steering settings from M2CS to solve this issue?
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      12-30-2019, 12:57 PM   #24
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Also agree with OP based on my current 330 loaner.

However, even Comfort feels artificial to me. Basically I hate the electronic racks
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      12-30-2019, 01:06 PM   #25
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Al Bundy's Dodge View Post
Also agree with OP based on my current 330 loaner.

However, even Comfort feels artificial to me. Basically I hate the electronic racks
Comfort definitely feels artificial as well, but I think because of the heavier weight of the steering in Sport, it exaggerates the artificial-ness (not a word I know).
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      12-30-2019, 11:06 PM   #26
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Burrcold View Post
Does anybody feel like the heavy steering feel in Sport is artificially too heavy? I know it's a "BMW thing" but it's definitely taking a bit of time to get used to. I drive in Sport Individual (everything set to Sport with the exception of steering and dampening set to comfort). However, I keep changing the steering back to Sport as it has the sensation of being tighter handling, but I don't think it actually is...it honestly just feels heavier just for the sake of being heavy. Steering feel in Sport Individual (Comfort) seems to be just as precise but just lighter NOT any more loose which is a good thing.

Not sure if this is a question, comment, observation, etc but I would love to hear everyone's opinions on the steering feel (I'm thinking only on the M340i since the other models have a different steering rack if I'm not mistaken).
I'm coming out of a 2017 M3 comp pack and I always drove with the steering in sport, not sport plus where it seemed artificially heavy to me as well.

The nice thing about having a car that can be configured is you can drive it the way YOU like it. Don't worry about what others think. You need to like it.

I will make a suggestion. Drive it a solid week in one mode. Than try a solid week in the other. See which one feels best after driving a few days.

After getting out of my daily driver M car my '95 Porsche 993 feels slow at first. After a day of driving and altering my habits the older, analogue car feels SO much better than driving the 'digital' M3. Hop in the M and it feels loose and vague.... for a short while. Then it feels like a rocket and I'm driving like a hooligan, lol.

Give each mode some time. Its the only way you will find which is best for you. I find I like the steering the same always. Suspension and engine would change based on the type of driving I was doing.
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      12-31-2019, 01:24 AM   #27
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I think the steering and size is too heavy and big for my taste. That's why I custom set sport to have comfort steering. As for wheel thickness, oh well, I guess I have to live with that. Could be worse.
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      12-31-2019, 01:27 AM   #28
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I like the heaviest setting on the m340
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      12-31-2019, 03:38 AM   #29
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Just think it as an extra arm/bicep workout routine but while driving!
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      12-31-2019, 04:31 PM   #30
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Look Feed back is only necessary in extreme driving situations. I don't miss feed back at ALL. Constant correction on the road and you could feel the car tracking and it felt like pulling etc etc. As long as the steering has precision that's what most people care for. Feed back honestly in every day driving sucks.
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      12-31-2019, 04:47 PM   #31
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Alpine535Msport View Post
Look Feed back is only necessary in extreme driving situations. I don't miss feed back at ALL. Constant correction on the road and you could feel the car tracking and it felt like pulling etc etc. As long as the steering has precision that's what most people care for. Feed back honestly on every day driving sucks.
Is there not a way to dial in feedback in specific driving modes and then reduce it in others? Say comfort = numb and sport = communicative? I feel like that would be the easiest way of appeasing enthusiasts and everyday drivers, but I guess BMW would rather not try/spend the money.
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      12-31-2019, 05:42 PM   #32
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Quote:
Originally Posted by joshuastein55 View Post
Is there not a way to dial in feedback in specific driving modes and then reduce it in others? Say comfort = numb and sport = communicative? I feel like that would be the easiest way of appeasing enthusiasts and everyday drivers, but I guess BMW would rather not try/spend the money.
That's kind of how Audi is. Light and numb in comfort and slightly heavier and more precise in sport (Dynamic in Audi lingo). The problem with Audi steering is that most find it too light even in Dynamic. I honestly wish I could have the steering feel from my 2019 Lexus IS350 F Sport...it wasn't very heavy feeling but it wasn't numb whatsoever.
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      12-31-2019, 05:55 PM   #33
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Burrcold View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by joshuastein55 View Post
Is there not a way to dial in feedback in specific driving modes and then reduce it in others? Say comfort = numb and sport = communicative? I feel like that would be the easiest way of appeasing enthusiasts and everyday drivers, but I guess BMW would rather not try/spend the money.
That's kind of how Audi is. Light and numb in comfort and slightly heavier and more precise in sport (Dynamic in Audi lingo). The problem with Audi steering is that most find it too light even in Dynamic. I honestly wish I could have the steering feel from my 2019 Lexus IS350 F Sport...it wasn't very heavy feeling but it wasn't numb whatsoever.
Yes, honestly back in 2014 I drove a then-new IS350 and was shocked at how good it was, mainly because I associate Lexus with soft and cushy cars for the elderly and realtors - although I always forget about the first IS with the Supra's Inline-6 - but the IS350 honestly handled really well, the interior was a bit cramped but still comfy, the engine then was competitive enough despite not being turbocharged and it was Toyota reliable. The tech though was still s**t even then though. Sadly Lexus didn't really want to put any time or effort into updating the IS to keep it fresh, which is really a shame, cause it wasn't a bad car.
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      12-31-2019, 08:24 PM   #34
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Just change setting in sport Individual mode for the steering to be in comfort whenever you hit the sport plus button, problem solved.
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      12-31-2019, 10:20 PM   #35
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Quote:
Originally Posted by EXE46 View Post
Just change setting in sport Individual mode for the steering to be in comfort whenever you hit the sport plus button, problem solved.
That's what I do, but it's the dilemma of whether the steering feel is actually better in sport or comfort. Still undecided...
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      12-31-2019, 10:21 PM   #36
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Quote:
Originally Posted by joshuastein55 View Post
Yes, honestly back in 2014 I drove a then-new IS350 and was shocked at how good it was, mainly because I associate Lexus with soft and cushy cars for the elderly and realtors - although I always forget about the first IS with the Supra's Inline-6 - but the IS350 honestly handled really well, the interior was a bit cramped but still comfy, the engine then was competitive enough despite not being turbocharged and it was Toyota reliable. The tech though was still s**t even then though. Sadly Lexus didn't really want to put any time or effort into updating the IS to keep it fresh, which is really a shame, cause it wasn't a bad car.
100% agree. Tech and transmission kills the IS.
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      01-01-2020, 06:20 AM   #37
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Burrcold View Post
That's what I do, but it's the dilemma of whether the steering feel is actually better in sport or comfort. Still undecided...
The fact you are still undecided, does indicate there isn't much difference in feel or feedback, in either mode. More a preference for a lighter more sensitive feel, or a heavier more damped feeling.
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      01-01-2020, 06:23 AM   #38
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Just a thought, on this "feels overly heavy" steering.

How does it compare to the 'weight or heft' we were used to, in say the I6 E9x models? Anyone running both to compare?
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      01-01-2020, 10:36 AM   #39
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HighlandPete View Post
Just a thought, on this "feels overly heavy" steering.

How does it compare to the 'weight or heft' we were used to, in say the I6 E9x models? Anyone running both to compare?
I think it’s still much lighter in sport compared to standard E90 setup. The E90’s heavy steering obviously felt quite different being hydraulic. Instead of an artificial disconnected heavy, it felt more like the weight of the front tires connected to you and you could make micro adjustments with total predictability. G20 in sport feels heavy but vague. This is prob an exaggeration but remember I used to change lanes on a highway by just moving the steering wheel a millimeter. It’s prob closer to an inch now with the G20. Anyone who’s driven the e46/e90 can maybe describe that feeling better. It was super heavy yet effortless. And also, that heavy feeling felt more like it was resistance from the tires trying to straighten out and return the steering to center if that makes sense. In summary- I guess the heavy feeling didn’t feel fake or artificial bc I could feel the weight of turning the front tires. Now I just feel weight but not sure why. I don’t think EPS and weight go well together.

Now the big question- in day to day driving- which is better? I'm so conflicted about this. On one hand i miss the E90 steering so much but then i remember the pain of maneuvering through city traffic. With EPS i can dart through traffic using my pinky. We can debate this forever but i think the G20 has good balance-best of both worlds(in comfort setting). Decent weight/feel for corners and high speed but with easy maneuvering for day to day.

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      01-15-2020, 08:05 PM   #40
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Quote:
Originally Posted by alpinewhite3 View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by HighlandPete View Post
Just a thought, on this "feels overly heavy" steering.

How does it compare to the 'weight or heft' we were used to, in say the I6 E9x models? Anyone running both to compare?
I think it's still much lighter in sport compared to standard E90 setup. The E90's heavy steering obviously felt quite different being hydraulic. Instead of an artificial disconnected heavy, it felt more like the weight of the front tires connected to you and you could make micro adjustments with total predictability. G20 in sport feels heavy but vague. This is prob an exaggeration but remember I used to change lanes on a highway by just moving the steering wheel a millimeter. It's prob closer to an inch now with the G20. Anyone who's driven the e46/e90 can maybe describe that feeling better. It was super heavy yet effortless. And also, that heavy feeling felt more like it was resistance from the tires trying to straighten out and return the steering to center if that makes sense. In summary- I guess the heavy feeling didn't feel fake or artificial bc I could feel the weight of turning the front tires. Now I just feel weight but not sure why. I don't think EPS and weight go well together.

Now the big question- in day to day driving- which is better? I'm so conflicted about this. On one hand i miss the E90 steering so much but then i remember the pain of maneuvering through city traffic. With EPS i can dart through traffic using my pinky. We can debate this forever but i think the G20 has good balance-best of both worlds(in comfort setting). Decent weight/feel for corners and high speed but with easy maneuvering for day to day.
Just had my E90 in for service and was given a 330i loaner. Nearly crash trying to steer out being so use to heavy steering.

I agree with the not so connected feeling coming from an E90. Felt like I was playing an arcade game while driving while in comfort mode. As far as sport mode, there is adequate heft. Definitely not E90 heft but you feel more connected versus comfort. Would have been better feeling if the steering wheel wasn't so thick. Still have cramps in my hand.
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      01-15-2020, 08:11 PM   #41
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As an update, since I started this post, I've exclusively driven with sport steering. While still a little too heavy and artificial at low speeds, at moderate speeds it feels sharper (not sure if it's the heft that I've just gotten used to?). Anyways, one of the biggest sticking points has been higher speed highway driving. In comfort it's far too loose and darty. I feel like I'm always making micro corrections to keep tracking straight. In sport I feel like it's more taught and less movement...resulting in better on center feel and stability.
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      01-15-2020, 09:50 PM   #42
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Burrcold View Post
As an update, since I started this post, I've exclusively driven with sport steering. While still a little too heavy and artificial at low speeds, at moderate speeds it feels sharper (not sure if it's the heft that I've just gotten used to?). Anyways, one of the biggest sticking points has been higher speed highway driving. In comfort it's far too loose and darty. I feel like I'm always making micro corrections to keep tracking straight. In sport I feel like it's more taught and less movement...resulting in better on center feel and stability.
I agree with this. Feels much more planted in sport steering at higher speeds.
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      01-15-2020, 11:56 PM   #43
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My old e90 and current hellcat and Corvette have hydraulic steering, for the visceral feeling of steering with your arms and feeling everything from the road through the wheel there's no substitute for that... but it has it's disadvantages too.

While the m340i steering is better than the f30 340i steering it replaced it of course still tells you its electric as theres some artificial resistance happening in all modes and the steering system feels disconnected from the front axle and what it's doing.

That feeling isn't all bad, I find the EPS to further aid the isolation of comfort/smoothness in a car and its tolerably agitating when driving spirited as your brain knows hydraulic and what the wheel should feel like in resistance and in response to the road surface... for a daily driver I think I prefer the EPS overall.
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      01-16-2020, 12:32 AM   #44
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Burrcold View Post
As an update, since I started this post, I've exclusively driven with sport steering. While still a little too heavy and artificial at low speeds, at moderate speeds it feels sharper (not sure if it's the heft that I've just gotten used to?). Anyways, one of the biggest sticking points has been higher speed highway driving. In comfort it's far too loose and darty. I feel like I'm always making micro corrections to keep tracking straight. In sport I feel like it's more taught and less movement...resulting in better on center feel and stability.
Same update from me too! Just took a two hour trip (mostly empty Highway) while I love the comfort setting for day to day driving -at speeds above 80mph, it starts getting weird and twitchy. Car feels wobbly/darty and I have to constantly make micro corrections. It’s more pronounced the faster you go.

I decided to put the steering in sport and it was night and day. Car tracks straight ahead and steering weighs a ton. Dare I say - very similar to the E90. Car feels so solid. Again this is at speeds above 80-90 mph. Almost like it was tailored for autobahn driving. The sport steering mode is really growing on me. After driving it that long I didn’t like going back into the comfort mode. Go figure.
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