My steering rack is starting to go, so I've been curious about deleting power steering as 1.) It will make the rack last longer, 2.) Increased road feel, and 3.) I have never been a fan of how light the e30's steering is.. There are a lot of mixed reviews on here about removing PS for street use so I thought I'd write up my own opinions.
Me:
First of all, I am not a strong guy by any means, I can bench approx 60lb dumbells and do standing curls with ~35lbs to give you some reference (I'm a computer science guy).
Car:
My car is a 325e, stock rack, tires are BFG TractionAT 195 65 r14 (they grip fairly well in my opinion, but I've not ridden in an e30 with something super nice).
Review:
My opinions: Definitely worth it so hard at least. Road feel when taking a hard corner is a lot better, and the firmness doesn't really bother me. For medium-high speed all it really feels like is the wheel wants to center itself. Parking isn't the most enjoyable task, but I park like 4 times a day MAX so I don't really care if those 4 times suck for 20 seconds when the rest of my driving experience is improved.
If you want a more laid back ride comfortable ride, this may not be for you. If you like your ride to be a bit more aggressive, PS delete might be the ticket for you.
I'm going to go drive around some more, it's addicting haha.
Me:
First of all, I am not a strong guy by any means, I can bench approx 60lb dumbells and do standing curls with ~35lbs to give you some reference (I'm a computer science guy).
Car:
My car is a 325e, stock rack, tires are BFG TractionAT 195 65 r14 (they grip fairly well in my opinion, but I've not ridden in an e30 with something super nice).
Review:
- At a stop: Definitely harder to turn the wheel. It's not super hard, and I honestly don't see the big deal. I did some practice parking and it wasn't bad at all. Besides, pretty much the only time you will ever be required to turn your wheel at a complete stop is parking, and if you are like me you don't spend 5 hours straight parking so it shouldn't be an issue.
- Slow roll (under 10mph): Steering is firm, it is way easier to turn then when at a complete stop, but still requires a decent amount of force. I can turn the wheel with 1 hand, but it's more comfortable to turn with 2 hands (when you do this the wheel just feels firm, not hard). The more your turn the harder it is to turn, if you are going to make a very sharp turn you will want 2 hands on the wheel as it does require some force, but it really isn't a workout - it's just harder to turn the wheel.
- Medium speed (10mph-30mph): You do not really feel the wheel being any more firm then with powersteering unless turning sharply, but you get a good amount more feed back from the road. The sharper you turn the harder the wheel is to turn. It feels comfortable taking a 90 degree left turn at an intersection with 1 hand on the wheel going ~15-20mph.
- High speed (anything over 30mph): Don't notice the lack of power steering unless you are cornering, and it is not hard to corner at all, it feels WAY better then with power steering in my opinion.
My opinions: Definitely worth it so hard at least. Road feel when taking a hard corner is a lot better, and the firmness doesn't really bother me. For medium-high speed all it really feels like is the wheel wants to center itself. Parking isn't the most enjoyable task, but I park like 4 times a day MAX so I don't really care if those 4 times suck for 20 seconds when the rest of my driving experience is improved.
If you want a more laid back ride comfortable ride, this may not be for you. If you like your ride to be a bit more aggressive, PS delete might be the ticket for you.
I'm going to go drive around some more, it's addicting haha.
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