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Please rate vehicles that have the best steering response/feel that you have driven.


hpfiend

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2008 Mazda3: B+, very light; good tactical feedback/immediacy

2008 Mazdaspeed3: B, feels heavy/solid, less feedback

1999/2001 Miata: A, it's a Miata

2004 BMW 530i: B+, excellent example of well balanced steering

2003 BMW X3 2.5i: C+, more feeling than a lot of other cars on this list

2007 BMW 335i: C+, meh.

2011 BMW 135i M-Sport: D+, BMW really dropped the ball with this one, artificially heavy, numb, and unpredictable.

2007 350Z: B+, felt appropriately "sporty"

2004 S2000: A, obvious, RWD + lightweight

2010 Gen Coupe: B, felt good, no gripes or complaints

2005 Accord V6: C, weighted up unnaturally, lacked a true feeling of turn-in

2008 E350 4-MATIC: B, very smooth around, only receives "good" feedback while cornering, easy to set the car into the line

2002 RSX-S: A, excellent feel and communication

 

I left out a few cars, but that will give you a good feeling to where I stand.

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2010 Mazdaspeed 3 - A- (out of boost), D (in boost)

2002 WS6 - C - handled well but did not want to

2009 Volvo C70 - C+ - better than I expected

2005 Cadillac CTSv - B - good blend of sport / luxury

2002 Suburban Z71 - N/A - it has no steering feel

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2013 CTS-V Wagon - I would give this car an A, one of the best handling cars I have driven. Turn in is sharp and crisp and it can take the toughest of turns effortlessly.

 

2009 Pontiac G8 GT - I give this car a B-. Handled great but could tell that it was more tuned for comfort than performance. After I added sway bars though I would bump the rating to a B+, still soft but the bars definitely helped keep the car flatter in the turns.

 

2006 Pontiac GTO - This car was a B, better feel than the G8, turn in was good but not great.

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OEM Equipped-just a couple that first come to mind

 

A's to Evo's, RSX, IS300, S2000, MR2 Spyder, TT-RS, NSX

B's MKII MR2, Air cooled 911's, Saab 9-2X, Acura TL, Mini S

C's G35, Audi A6, Acura RDX, FC RX7, Honda Fit

D's Air Cooled VW's, MKIII Jetta's, Most econo boxes fit here.

F's Most vehicles that fall into this category for me are worn out older cars that were probably better, I don't think very much falls into this for me. Not much that is this bad.

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92' SC300 (with fresh tie rod ends/Rack bushings): A- (without said maintenance like a C at best)

'01 Audi A4: B

'93 (Pristine) Infinity J30 (RWD): B

Misc. Other FWD Bullshit: C

2002 Lincoln Continental (FWD) :F

Edited by acklac7
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Best handling car (that I pushed hard) was a miata.. But it was extremely slow to make up for it's cornering.. Mediocre is betweeen my c6 (with aftermarket suspension and my street tire set up) and a mr2... .. I rate the worst cornering car... 2010 camaro ss... And 10 mustang cobra...myZ51 c6 seemed to hug a corner better than the a stockish s2000.. The 87 supra was a fat bitch and body roll hard..I was extremely young then and didn't try to race it really.. Ford probe gt was better than the Pontiac gt.... It's hard to tell when you limit the characteristics of the vehicle.. Sports cars,muscle cars,econo cars,race cars and such... Obvisly weight is the biggest factor in cornering... Next is how well that weight is distributed...Tires, suspension is a big factor as well
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2003 BMW 530i Sport: A- steering, hampered only by a completely numb electronic throttle that gives you no ability to rotate the car predictably with your feet.

 

1995 BMW M3: A The car gives feedback just the way you'd want a track car to, even to the point where you can hear it scream "I'M TOO FREAKING HEAVY, TAKE OUT MY BACK SEATS"

 

2012 BMW 135i Sport: Someone said it before, I'll upgrade it to a C. Numb.

 

2013 Audi Q5: D+ I just freaking hate that car.

 

2004 Acura MDX: D+ my mom bought this over a Lexus RX and I still don't know why.

 

2006 Hyundai Santa Fe: D Worst car ever made.

 

1997 Toyota Celica ST: B One of the most marvelous cars I've owned for handling, all it would've needed was a slightly stiffer suspension setup. The response through the wheel was great.

 

1959 Chevy Apache: F Literally felt like driving a UPS truck, and it was probably 4 turns of the wheel lock-to-lock.

 

1999 Ford Explorer Sport: B- I'll say this, the responsiveness of the steering in that truck saved my ass more than a few times in snowy VT.

 

Friend's cars:

 

Chrysler Crossfire: C- Basically an SLK they managed to further ruin the weight balance of. Totally pointless car.

 

Acura RSX Type-S: B+ Great handling but the back end really hampers these cars. Feels disconnected and unpredictable.

 

Honda S2K: A- Who cares about the steering wheel, steer with your right foot. Plenty of response there as long as you keep it over 6000 RPM.

 

2005 Audi A4: B+ Pig.

 

FIAT 500: B- Electric steering good for street driving but less predictable at high speed cornering.

 

FIAT 500 Abarth: A- Corners predictably, super light back end not as squirrely as RSX Type-S but still loose under TTO.

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OEM Equipped-just a couple that first come to mind

 

A's to Evo's, RSX, IS300, S2000, MR2 Spyder, TT-RS, NSX

B's MKII MR2, Air cooled 911's, Saab 9-2X, Acura TL, Mini S

C's G35, Audi A6, Acura RDX, FC RX7, Honda Fit

D's Air Cooled VW's, MKIII Jetta's, Most econo boxes fit here.

F's Most vehicles that fall into this category for me are worn out older cars that were probably better, I don't think very much falls into this for me. Not much that is this bad.

 

Sean where do the 914, 924, 944/51 rate for you?

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Thanks for all of the replies so far! I am glad others think the rsx-s had good steering as well- apparently it has the same steering wheel as the s2000 and is only 350 mm (13.7")- My c5z wheel is 15" Edited by hpfiend
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E36 M3's have pretty good feel and communication but the slow ratio rack in the early cars ('95's) kills the whole experience for me. Later e36'd had a little better ratio.

 

I'd give steering feel in my old e46 a solid b+. That car was a little slow to react but it wasn't the steering it was the heft of the car resisting direction change.

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Handling and ride are different from steering feel/dynamics.

 

I should have mentioned earlier that improvements to suspension & chassis of the Solstice are irrelevant to steering dynamics.

 

I'm going to disagree, everything has an effect on what happens when you turn the wheel. From alignment to suspension stiffness, I cannot for the life of me find a way of agreeing with your post. Of course definitions are open to interpretation, but my interpretation is that of feel when turning in and through a corner hence why everything impacts my opinion.

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I'm going to disagree, everything has an effect on what happens when you turn the wheel. From alignment to suspension stiffness, I cannot for the life of me find a way of agreeing with your post. Of course definitions are open to interpretation, but my interpretation is that of feel when turning in and through a corner hence why everything impacts my opinion.

 

The feel of a steering wheel of a car depends on how the steering system is constructed. Recirculating ball is a good way to isolate the feel and rack & pinion is better at transmitting what front tires are doing. Add dampers (hydraulic, electric assist, or simply a "rag joint") will take away the feedback to some degree. Add steering by wire and I can't imagine how that feels; I read about "synthesized" feel but that can't be good.

 

The improvements to chassis rigidity and suspension setup (including alignment) affect the feel of the whole car while going through a corner, over a bump, or their combination.

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The feel of a steering wheel of a car depends on how the steering system is constructed. Recirculating ball is a good way to isolate the feel and rack & pinion is better at transmitting what front tires are doing. Add dampers (hydraulic, electric assist, or simply a "rag joint") will take away the feedback to some degree. Add steering by wire and I can't imagine how that feels; I read about "synthesized" feel but that can't be good.

 

The improvements to chassis rigidity and suspension setup (including alignment) affect the feel of the whole car while going through a corner, over a bump, or their combination.

I agree completely. You can have the fastest, best handling car in the world with the worst steering feel, or vice versa.

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A+ for a 93 FD, coil-overs, worked over suspension, fat tires, no power steering, that thing was glued to the road, great feedback and still light enough to turn the wheel when parking.

 

B+ for a CTS-V and Ram SRT(lowered), fairly crisp and responsive, predictable transfer, especially when you take into account the size and heft of both vehicles.

 

F- Unsatisfactory for an 87 Turbo Regal, it handled like a shrimp boat in a hurricane. Of course was set up for drag racing and was clearly the most fun in a straight line.

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