So, just how good is the steering feedback?

[midenginebias]

Originally Posted by Strive-2-B-A-Driver

^^ HAHAHA I bet the IS could definitely benefit with tires that ARENT 420 treadwear and lowering springs. When her back is turned I may try to install some Swift Springs with their minor 1" drop O_O

and when these damn 225 and 255 tires finally wear out, maybe go for some 245 265 action with Hankook RS-3. lol

I think when the IS was built, steering feel didn't come to mind. Otherwise, there would be different tire choices.

The F-Sport suspension package has been out for awhile now, but steering feel comes with base BMWs, Porsches, and Lotuses naturally, even before the upgraded suspensions are checked off the list.

It's difficult to change what has already been engineered into the system.

[Strive-2-B-A-Driver]

i used to be a valet driver, but I think bmws after the E46 or mid-2000s era kinda lost it. They just feel heavy now, but heavy doesnt do much but make me work more. hahaha

for the lexus, stock already feels okay to me, a little change will be just enough to make it a really fun car.. i hope

[gbhstrat]

I just posted my experience driving a FRS at the track last Saturday and the steering was great. I think the tires and lack of camber were the biggest drawback (for track use). The car had aftermarket wheels (19’) and street radials so when the tires got hot I could feel it and could compensate for the tires very nicely. We still did some great laps as I had a full 30 minute session in the car. The car belonged to the Toyota event team manager who happened to show up when our club was doing a lapping day

[Surok]

it feels really good

[CBR600RR]

It feels really good - I would say just as good as my 1989 CRX which didn't have power steering.

Anyone who has driven a CRX knows how fvcking awesome those cars were to rip around corners. Probably one of the best FWD platforms to date. (I had an integra GRS engine in mine, but it still utilized the stock rack and pinion, etc...)

[_hollywood]

It feels like a rwd ITR, ...to some of you that will make sense

[JWA]

I've owned three Lotus Elises since 2005 and now own an Exige Sport 260 and I have zero complaints with the steering in my new BRZ. It's plain good.

[TuxedoCartman]

Quick ratioed and accurate, but kinda numb and vague on feedback. Doesn't remotely compare to my FD3S, NB Miata, or first gen Boxster S; much better than a mid 90's Mustang Cobra or Corvette (any generation); about on par (though still kinda different from) an R53 Cooper S. Actually, now that I think of it, it really reminds me a lot of the steering from an E46 M3. More like a very, very good video game controller than a properly set up hydraulic system on a real-world sports car.

In short, I've seen better, but I've also seen much worse.

[Vracer111]

The steering is very good, with precise and accurate movement. Though it does lack some feel, the awesome chassis/suspension (with manual transmission) makes up for it and lets you know EXACTLY what the car is doing where you can ride the edge of grip and manage it constantly 100% of the time if you wish... that's why I love this car! I don't need 'ultimate steering feel' to feel connected to a car, just properly weighted accurate and precise steering with a correctly setup chassis - and the FR-S has a proper steering setup with an awesome chassis/suspension setup. Let the chassis movement and tire noise be your guide, not the steering wheel 'information'....

[Strive-2-B-A-Driver]

I just drove an 05' RSX Type S today with 100,000 miles, fully stock with a fresh alignment. Wow it was so much better! FR-S lacks in feedback, it only feels tight.. The only way I could explain it. The RSX felt involving and alive

[Bristecom]

Originally Posted by Texas FR-S

I can only speak for my previous history of cars, so I'd probably rank the few of them this way:

1. '10 RX-8 R3 / Evo IX MR (tie)
2. '11 MX-5 Miata
3. '13 FR-S
4. '09 e90 M3

As you already probably know, my wife and I also have a '10 TSX. Steering feel isn't great in that car (as you mentioned already), but it's a solid car in most all other respects.

There aren't very many good sports cars to choose from (especially at this price-point), therefore it may be a challenge to choose something with more overall FEEL than the FR-S / BRZ.

One aspect I do have to mention is that the steering feel in my FR-S improves with the harder I push the car (at the track).

Good luck, and hope this helps a bit.

I agree. The Evo IX had the best steering feel I've ever experienced. My Eclipse GSX isn't too bad either. You just don't feel as much on the FR-S but it's still better than any other new car I've tried - even slightly better than the Evo X I think.

[midenginebias]

Originally Posted by Strive-2-B-A-Driver

I just drove an 05' RSX Type S today with 100,000 miles, fully stock with a fresh alignment. Wow it was so much better! FR-S lacks in feedback, it only feels tight.. The only way I could explain it. The RSX felt involving and alive

I agree, but it also helps that the axles are up front along with the hydraulic system to amplify feel into the wheel.

[BuBlake]

I can relate the steering feel of this car more to my Fanatec racing wheel than anything else I have driven. The feedback of the steering wheel is so subtle and deadened that it almost feels like it's being simulated and the "force feedback" is only set to a low setting.

Where the car really excels is the feel of the chassis under you... The steering feedback is deadened, but there is so much feedback from the car itself that it more than makes up for it ten fold.

The first time I put this car in a slide, I wasn't nervous at all, because despite sliding at a sub 45 degree angle, the car was still giving me so much feedback from the chassis that there was simply no guesswork involved in maintaining or ending the slide.

[BuBlake]

Originally Posted by Vracer111

The steering is very good, with precise and accurate movement. Though it does lack some feel, the awesome chassis/suspension (with manual transmission) makes up for it and lets you know EXACTLY what the car is doing where you can ride the edge of grip and manage it constantly 100% of the time if you wish... that's why I love this car! I don't need 'ultimate steering feel' to feel connected to a car, just properly weighted accurate and precise steering with a correctly setup chassis - and the FR-S has a proper steering setup with an awesome chassis/suspension setup. Let the chassis movement and tire noise be your guide, not the steering wheel 'information'....

I read this after posting and it's pretty much exactly the same point i'm trying to get across. Well said! This finely tuned car makes most others feel like boats or half-assed collaborations of parts.