Hi,after taking my TW VRX on a long freeway run i must say i am quiet amazed at the amount of road feedback that is being transmitted into the steering wheel at highway speeds and urban speeds,is this normal,it certainly isnt vibrations,just feedback,but the amount of shock through the wheel is enough to give you "dead" hands if you hold it normally,i resorted to holding the base during my 700km road trip,other cars dont have it ie my bros TH magna,what can be the cause,The car has only 49,000kms on the clock,brand new balanced tyres,new rotors etc,whats your take? (any owners)

Steve

my car doesnt give me 'dead hands' on road trips - but then again, im always taking them off the wheel to adjust things - ac / audio, light smokes etc so that may be why i dont feel that problem.

out of lazyness - when i do have both hands on the wheel, il hold it at the base, coz i can just stick my hand in the lower gap and dont have to worry about holding it.

hmm.. im a bad driver it seems - i dont hold onto the wheel correctly to maintain good control!

however, before i started smoking in the car, i never noticed it either.

i always thought there to be a good amount of feedback through the wheel, not too much - if anything a little on the dead side at times.

im still running stock height and stock rims & tyres too (but that shall change :) )

soz im not much help - but i have driven the car a few times up and down the coast from Gold coast to mackay and up to townsville, and the roads up here are pretty shocking at times and i never go dead hands from it :S

i have more feedback through my KL steering then I ever did in my TH.
I believe when the TL/KL series was designed they virtually redisigned the steering to be more sensitive and accurate so you know what the front end is doing.
I for one like it though it is just a tad to sensitive.
I'd rarther a sensitive wheel to a dead one.

I drove Type40's TL last night and the steering definitely felt more communicative than the steering in my KJ.

If it really was just a different power steering pump between the TJ/KJ and the TL/KL then i might have to source one from a wrecker i think.

Mohit, I remember reading that it was more than just a different PS pump, the pinion was redesigned to be more sensitive +- 10 degrees off-centre?

Yeh, I remembered reading here someone thought that TL-TW series used the Ralliart power steering, which would explain a lot...

Ollie

Cheers boys,I agree,it has a better "feel",ie weight etc than the previous steering setups on the earlier magnas,but it isnt the feel im talking about really,its more the shock from the road and bumps etc that vibrate the wheel,i find it bloody annoying to be honest,i run the tyres at 40psi hot,but i have tried them at 35 etc,with no difference,odd,id like to test another VRX to see if its normal

steve

40 is waaaay too hard dude. I just dropped mine from 40 to 35 and the difference is quite amazing. Tramlining and pot-hole shock now gone

nah,i tried alot of different pressures and find 40 front and 38 back to be the best for handling and i actually think it absorbs bumps better at 40 then at the lower pressures,a little jiggly on close set bumps,but shock absortion is quick and over and done with over sharp stuff IMO

Steve

Steering is considerably better in my TL compared to my KH, the KH always felt dead and way way way too light, the TL has so much more feel. I definitely prefer the weightiness in it. I've heard the thing about the Ralliart rack as well.

out of lazyness - when i do have both hands on the wheel, il hold it at the base, coz i can just stick my hand in the lower gap and dont have to worry about holding it.

hmm.. im a bad driver it seems - i dont hold onto the wheel correctly to maintain good control!

i just lower the steering wheel and steer with my knee with the cruise on lol

but i reckon maybe change the back tyres to the front cause i have seen some tyres even after there balanced vibrate

No problems with the VR-X on this end

The Power steering pumps in the TL/Ws is the same as the Ralliart, there are a few other differences between the setups but i think the pump itself is what has the most effect, i can comment on that more when i install a TL pump into my TF.

Kieran

after going on a mini roadtrip yesturday, i can add a helpfull post here now lol

drove to airlie, and there was a lil wheel vibration, but it was just the cruddy roads as it got worse and then good again depending on the road surface i was hurtling over.

on the way back, i bumped the tyre pressure up to 40psi (hot) front and back, and the vibration was even less the whole way back.

i even kept my hands on the wheel more than usual for the 'test'.
suspension seemed to like the higher tyre pressure as well tho - the car didnt 'wallow around' as much over the ruts and bumps in the road, but i put that down to std verada luxo barge soft suspension - or at least part of it.

Around 40 psi is great for these cars. I wouldn't say the steering has too much feedback, I think they've actually done a great job for a powerful FWD chassis actually.
I've owned cars with waaaay more feedback that did not give me dead hands.
Maybe gripping the wheel too tightly?

Regards, Andrew.

My vr-x is pretty good have no problems.

I do at least 1,000 kms a week I find it has no problems at all.

I think i run my tyres at about 38psi.

Currently my car has hit the old 222,000 kms

I know I don't have a TL etc but after reading this thread I pumped up my tyres to 40psi today from the high 20s and found a huge difference in my steering feel (lighter and more feedback), car reacts faster when turning and a dramatic reduction in tramlining. There is obviously a trade off in terms of ride quality but it's worth it.

I know I don't have a TL etc but after reading this thread I pumped up my tyres to 40psi today from the high 20s and found a huge difference in my steering feel (lighter and more feedback), car reacts faster when turning and a dramatic reduction in tramlining. There is obviously a trade off in terms of ride quality but it's worth it.

You'll notice a difference in fuel usage as well. Pumping it up reduces rolling resistance and hence uses less fuel. The problem with the pre TL steering (besides ralliart) is more pronounced on highways where it requires constant adjustment to keep centred. Its an issue a lot of motor journos have picked up on and complained.

Agreed, the steering is definitely the weakest link and I've never really found my car to be all that pleasant to drive at freeway speeds due to the constant adjustment needed.

If you are having issues with constant adjustments at highway speeds, a simple fix that often works is asking for a tiny amount more toe in when getting an alignment done. 2mm more toe in will make a huge difference. It'll cut down tramlining and torque steer under power as well. In fact, it's not hard to give it a go yourself, just give each tie rod a quarter turn out (you want to make the rod longer) and see how it goes.
I wouldn't be surprised if teh factory toe setting is wrong, it wouldn't be the first time a factory has released the wrong info, or changed teh compliance of a bushing pre production and not changed specs. Descriptions of steering getting wandery at highway speeds indicates a bushing with a lot of compliance to me, I wonder if later cars use a different part number radius rod or control arm bush?
I've had many a car that I've specced more toe in when getting alignments done.

Regards, Andrew.

Well I've just covered about 7500k's in my KL traveling to and from Melbourne from Townsville and I have to say the steering was very good.
There was the feedback from the road telling me excactly what the front was up to and very little in the way of corrections.
Most of the time I only had a finger on the wheel.
When I did need to correct it would only be the once and the car would go where you pointed it.
Also on another note the front pews were the comfiest of any I've sat in. I could drive for hours and not be stiff and sore getting out.