[Spartarus]

I have owned both, and driven, and wrenched on many examples of both.

I now own an S2000 AP1 and no FRS

Stock for stock, the steering feel in the FRS is better.

Here's why. Take a look under the FRS and the S2000.

The design of the 2 electric power steering systems is fundamentally different. They both use column twist to determine input torque and required assist. This means if you let go completely, the required torque will always be zero, and the electric motor should f*ck off and let the wheel turn. That's where it ends.

The S has a motorized rack. It does power assist just fine, but dampens feedback. Every time there is road feedback, it has to move the motor assembly at the rack rate. It's a complex and heavy assembly, and the whole assembly acts as a damper. That's because the drive transfer is helical. For there to be a rotational load on the motor, there must be a proportionate thrust load on the rack.

The FRS has, for all intents and purposes, a manual rack. The Electronic power steering hardware is inside the cabin, attached to the same steering column the driver uses. When there's road feedback, the rack moves, and pushes the motor assembly with the mechanical advantage of the rack ratio. There's no complex helical ball bearing drive to apply a thrust load to the rack, just a ring, pinion, and motor. The drag is negligible.

The two have some differences in dynamic toe change on turn-in that I'm going to have to dig into a little more, because the S is decidedly more aggressive on turn-in. I can feel the outside wheel "toe in" when taking a set. I can also feel the worn out bushings flexing... 130k and 13 years is hard on rubber.

Anybody with insight on the differences in toe change...?