JSG

Anyone know the number of turns lock-to-lock (from the specs)? And a comparison to other cars? I think the S2000 is 2.43.

wakeech

holy FREAKIN' crap... no wonder it would feel "sportier"...

most cars are ~3 turns lock-to-lock (+/- 1.5 turns from straight ahead), and i can't remember what the RX-8's range is...

BUT: let's not forget that the number of turns which it takes to fully articulate the wheels through their range of motion isn't directly comparable to the full radius the wheels can point (ie: it takes a bajillion turns of the wheel in a city bus, and they don't have the turning radius of a London cab, per se, it simply indicates how quickly the wheels can be moved through that radius with a constant hand speed... with the lower ratio the S2000 has, you can change the direction the wheels are pointing really quick, but takes more effort to do so (less gearing advantage) than it would if the ratio was closer to "normal" (all other things being equal).

RotorGeek

The steering ratio is 3 turns lock to lock

Turning circle is 34.8 feet

revhappy

Turns Lock to Lock:

RX8: 2.99
S2000: 2.43
EVO: 2.10

Steering Ratio:

RX8: 16.43:1
S2000: 13.9:1
EVO: 13.0:1

Turning Circle (Curb-Curb)
RX8: 34.8
S2000: 35.4
EVO: 38.7


This is one thing you can notice right away. I felt the difference between the S2K and the EVOs. Quick steering is not for everybody (can be a real pain on the highway), but if it is, you couldn't imagine anytrhing else. Personally, it was one of the big reasons I picked the EVO.

Edo

BMW have brought out some clever geared steering - at low speeds it does lock to lock in something ridiculous like less than one full turn, then goes back to normal when on the move...

gord boyd

Specifically, BMW is at 1.7 at Park and at 150 kms/hr
it goes to 5.0.
They want autobahn speeds to be very relaxing and not highly tuned.

Superfan

Anybody know what the L2L is on the FD. The EVO is like a gokart. A lane change at 100+ must be scary until you get a hang of it.

pelucidor

Available only on the new 5 series so far - a real technology wonderland if you put up with the looks. Reviewers have said the constantly changing steering ratio feels weird at first.

TerenceT

i guess with bmw your hands would never have to leave the "10 and 2" positiong

daedelgt

It really isn't (although I've been driving sports cars for a while now). Lane changing a front wheel drive car at 100 mph is much much worse. The FD is a dream at 100.

rxtreme

iTrader: (1)

Three turns lock to lock seems like alot. What other cars have around the same ratio that we can compare the RX-8 to.

RotorGeek

When you turn your steering wheel all the way to the left or right till it stops. Thats lock. Now turn it in the opposite direction three turns till it locks again.

Got it

wakeech

what?? no, that's pretty normal... in fact, many passenger cars have ratios which are 3.1, 3.2 or even more...

3 turns lock to lock would be like this:

starting all the way left, the wheel is upside down. 1.5 turns later (that's half so it's straight, then one whole turn right) you're pointing straigh ahead, with another 1.5 turns all the way to the right lock.

as revhappy has pointed out, the RX-8 has the tightest turning circle of the three cars he's illustrated, so just because it's 3 turns LTL doesn't mean the steering will be too slow, either.

cars like the EVO with 2.1 turns lock to lock would be rediculously twitchy at high speed... i've driven trucks with 3.5 turns (like, you can go 0.75 around that second time on either side)... but then you can't really feel the tyres at all, and it's drifting around the road... pointing those straight ahead is kinda tricky too (for a guy who likes to feel things through the steeringwheel :p)

MrWigggles

If they 3.0 of the RX-8 is not responsive enough for some people then a smaller steering wheel can bring more responsive feel to the car.

I am not a big fan of fancy electronics on things as critical as steering. According to consumer reports the German auto makers have medicore reliability with their electronics. They are behind American automakers and way behind Japanese automakers in this regard.

If something goes wrong with the steering, I want physical evidence to show that something broke prior to collison. I don't want to get into an accident because a computer glitch suddenly changes my steering ratio or my lock-to-lock from 5.0 to 1.7. Try getting your insurance company to believe you on that one.

It is one of those things that sounds great on paper, but is it worth the cost and additonal complexity to implement? I guess that's what it takes to be a luxury car these days.

-Mr. Wigggles

TerenceT

that's like asking what's good HP or good rate...

it depends on driver's preference
car's intended purpose
etc

i guess average is 3 turn +/- 0.5

drive more and you'll know your preference

the 8 seems to be on the high side possibly due to the fact it's RWD, if it has a 2.0, there might be too much spin out (would be great if you can drift tho) cuz it's too "nervous" or "twitch"

chenpin

I don't think we really have a "problem" here.

FD3S 1995 US Model

Steering Ratio: 16.6:1
Turns lock to lock : 2.9
Turning Radus: 35.4