[sakib92]

Hi, I have a weird issue with my steering where it feels light/normal (which I prefer) when the weather is hot but gets noticeably heavier once it is colder outside, this applies to all driving modes. Can anyone shed some light on this please it’s driving me insane. It’s a 2015 F30 335i w/ Adaptive Suspension. It’s worth mentioning that a friend of mine has the exact same car but without adaptive suspension and his steering feels so much better (feels like mine does in hot weather) regardless of the temperature outside. TIA

[jhm5]

Effort is speed sensitive, light for slow like parking. More effort required in sport than comfort setting. I've never noticed weather effecting steering effort or weight as you call it. If you are comparing to a comparably equipped vehicle, might need a tech to check it out.

[sakib92]

Originally Posted by jhm5

Effort is speed sensitive, light for slow like parking. More effort required in sport than comfort setting. I've never noticed weather effecting steering effort or weight as you call it. If you are comparing to a comparably equipped vehicle, might need a tech to check it out.

It’s only light for slow speed maneuvers when the weather is hot lol that’s my issue, when it’s cold it requires slightly but noticeably more effort to turn. Happens accross all driving modes so when the weathers hot then it’s light in comfort mode and slightly heavier in sport, and when the weathers cold it’s slightly heavier in comfort and even heavier in sport, if you know what I mean.

[jhm5]

Well, car has 5 weeks left on warranty, so I'll be visiting the dealer.
What I've always hated about the camera, and apparently this is normal, it remains on after you start driving forward for maybe 20ft. Ridiculous.

[F32Fleet]

Originally Posted by jhm5

Well, car has 5 weeks left on warranty, so I'll be visiting the dealer.
What I've always hated about the camera, and apparently this is normal, it remains on after you start driving forward for maybe 20ft. Ridiculous.

The camera behaves the same on my wife's Mercedes

[LA1Z24]

Originally Posted by jhm5

Well, car has 5 weeks left on warranty, so I'll be visiting the dealer.
What I've always hated about the camera, and apparently this is normal, it remains on after you start driving forward for maybe 20ft. Ridiculous.

You can set the speed at which it turns off with E-Sys. Set it to 1mph and it should go off as soon as you move forward.

[johnung]

Originally Posted by sakib92

Hi, I have a weird issue with my steering where it feels light/normal (which I prefer) when the weather is hot but gets noticeably heavier once it is colder outside, this applies to all driving modes. Can anyone shed some light on this please it’s driving me insane. It’s a 2015 F30 335i w/ Adaptive Suspension. It’s worth mentioning that a friend of mine has the exact same car but without adaptive suspension and his steering feels so much better (feels like mine does in hot weather) regardless of the temperature outside. TIA

I wouldn't waste time speculating. Get under the car and see if there is anything loose, anything leaking, bolts all in place and torqued properly.

Don't just focus on steering rack. Check play in control arm bushings. Make sure that big upper control arm bushing hasn't leaked out its fluid. Would feel that in steering and could possibly be effected by temperature.

Hope this helps!

[kjx]

Originally Posted by sakib92

It’s only light for slow speed maneuvers when the weather is hot lol that’s my issue, when it’s cold it requires slightly but noticeably more effort to turn. Happens accross all driving modes so when the weathers hot then it’s light in comfort mode and slightly heavier in sport, and when the weathers cold it’s slightly heavier in comfort and even heavier in sport, if you know what I mean.

When it's hot outside, I feel a bunch of things - the steering is a tiny bit lighter at slow speeds in comfort mode, the transmission shifts smoother sooner, the tires feel a little softer/quieter, the tire pressure can feel a bit higher (I can tell you the approximate pressure by how the car handles). I think all of this is normal - note that steering feel is affected by tires more than most people may think.

[sakib92]

Originally Posted by johnung

I wouldn't waste time speculating. Get under the car and see if there is anything loose, anything leaking, bolts all in place and torqued properly.

Don't just focus on steering rack. Check play in control arm bushings. Make sure that big upper control arm bushing hasn't leaked out its fluid. Would feel that in steering and could possibly be effected by temperature.

Hope this helps!

Thank you mate, gives me some hope it ain’t a faulty rack. On a related note, I’ve got a slight shake in the steering at 50mph, all 4 wheels have been Hunter Road Force balanced but it still persists, could this be a symptom of worn bushing too? I understand it’s hard to diagnose over a forum lol, will get it booked in at an indy and report back.

[sakib92]

Originally Posted by kjx

When it's hot outside, I feel a bunch of things - the steering is a tiny bit lighter at slow speeds in comfort mode, the transmission shifts smoother sooner, the tires feel a little softer/quieter, the tire pressure can feel a bit higher (I can tell you the approximate pressure by how the car handles). I think all of this is normal - note that steering feel is affected by tires more than most people may think.

I hear what you’re saying, did kinda think it was normal until I drove my mates one which is the exact same year and model so should have the same steering gear etc, but his just feels much better.

[thakid22]

Originally Posted by sakib92

I hear what you’re saying, did kinda think it was normal until I drove my mates one which is the exact same year and model so should have the same steering gear etc, but his just feels much better.

Does your buddy have the same type of tires too?
They can make a big difference. Some tires are "softer" than others, changing the feel.
Tire psi changes the feel too.

In addition, everyone seems to hate runflats, but when you remove them the steering gets:
Lighter
Less precise (especially on center)
And becomes less responsive to small/medium inputs.

Furthermore, Bmw often changes part numbers for the steering rack in the F30.
Your cars may look identical, but it's quite possible they have different steering racks. Some model years the F30 had 3 or 4 different racks, depending on build date.

Lastly, BMW loves to adjust/refine the EPS steering through software updates. If you two are not on the same software version for the steering, that'll be a difference too.

Booking your car in for an software update may help alleviate your issues, if you cannot find any mechanical problems.

Having said all of this, I do notice slightly lighter steering at higher temperatures and a bit more firmness when cooler. Hot bushings lose durometer (get softer). In cooler weather, all of that rubber gets stiffer, producing a stiffer ride and steering weight. That alone may explain some of the difference.

[johnung]

Originally Posted by sakib92

Thank you mate, gives me some hope it ain’t a faulty rack. On a related note, I’ve got a slight shake in the steering at 50mph, all 4 wheels have been Hunter Road Force balanced but it still persists, could this be a symptom of worn bushing too? I understand it’s hard to diagnose over a forum lol, will get it booked in at an indy and report back.

If you look at the big cylindrical bushing at the top of the attached photo. That's the upper control arm bushing. It's a big rubber bushing with chambers inside and it contains fluid. When it wears and goes bad, it tends to leak fluid so look for that. If so, best to replace both upper control arms since they come with new ball joints too. Lemforder and TRW make reasonable cost replacements.

Control arm bushings have a much bigger effect on steering than people realize. It's still a long shot but worth keeping on your checklist as you attempt to diagnose your problem. Good luck!

[culpability]

Honestly, after reading a few of the other posts in here, it occurs to me that your problem is most likely just related to the changing tire pressures. In the heat the tire pressure gets much higher which is likely what is giving you increased performance in the summer. In the winter, your base line tire pressure won't warm up to get as high as in the summer, resulting in a heavier, more dead tire feel.

I'd just check your tire pressures after a day of driving that you were satisfied with the wheel feel. Then in the winter when you think it feels heavy, check your pressures again. Add in an extra 2-3 psi in the winter and take it back out in the summer and you'll probably be happier.

[sakib92]

Originally Posted by culpability

Honestly, after reading a few of the other posts in here, it occurs to me that your problem is most likely just related to the changing tire pressures. In the heat the tire pressure gets much higher which is likely what is giving you increased performance in the summer. In the winter, your base line tire pressure won't warm up to get as high as in the summer, resulting in a heavier, more dead tire feel.

I'd just check your tire pressures after a day of driving that you were satisfied with the wheel feel. Then in the winter when you think it feels heavy, check your pressures again. Add in an extra 2-3 psi in the winter and take it back out in the summer and you'll probably be happier.

I’ve put in 2.6 bar all round as per the recommendation and the pressures vary from 2.3-2.7 depending on temps, can a few psi really make that much of a difference? Also it’s not just a seasonal thing, for example, I left for work at 5am this morning when it was about 13 degrees celsius outside and the steering felt slightly heavy, once I finished at 2pm it was around 19 celsius, I got in and noticed the difference straight away, much lighter.

[culpability]

To put it simply - absolutely, even 1-2 psi CAN give a noticeable difference, depending on the tires and alignment etc. IMO it is worth at least checking the pressures to see if there is a significant correlation.

seems to me to be much more likely than some actual mechanical problem that is exacerbated by temperature.