[cooolone2]

It's hard to be fair as I've only clocked a little over 500 miles so far on my M240i Xdrive. I haven't noticed any dead space in steering response, but I'm still playing with everything, lol.

But my selection of the M240 was precisely to have a "street" version of an M2. I do not, nor did I expect it to be one (M Competition Track Car). That said, I've found the EPS interesting, direct and we'll, pretty OK. As noted by others, my E46 (330xi) is "heavier" in feel, not sure if that men's any better. Effortless steering isn't necessarily a bad thing, and yes, though the so called disconnected feeling can give a bit of Video Game feel. What's most important to me is response and precision... Both seem to be well enough for "street" driving. I live with many hills and twisty roads, even without opening it up full boar, the ride has been plenty aggressive enough to handle the twists & turns so far with little unpredictability.

I would surmise though that the only real way to get the "feel" some may be looking for would be swapping out the "rack" itself, (no?), as control arm changes are really only masking the effect. And for the record in humorous comparatives, try an old GM, supercharged 3.8 pushing 400hp front wheel drive car weighing in at over 2 tons and you'll know what terrible steering is (without major work), lol

[Rocky58]

I live with many hills and twisty roads, even without opening it up full boar, the ride has been plenty aggressive enough to handle the twists & turns so far with little unpredictability.
I like opening it up "full boar"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyYOrjpHH2g

[ssrriivv]

Did anyone figure this out? It's driving me insane on my car. And the dealer SAs and techs think I'm insane. I only really started to notice it after the 35k mile brake bleed that they did. (I've owned it since new and I'm now at around 44k miles)

[gosi]

When I switched from my e92 to the M240i my cornering speeds reduced by 50%. On my old car I could feel when the tires were getting close to their limits and I knew I had a good margin of safety. With the f22 it’s grip grip grip oh crap I’m in a ditch.

Maybe it’s because the M240i is significantly faster than my old car, but still I’m certain I take corners slower in it.

[cooolone2]

Anyone try swapping the steering rack from an M2 into a lower models, ie, 235/240? This is where your steering "response" will be most affected. Curious...?

Rocky58, that was hilarious!

[Dylan86]

LCA/TS Bushings or replacement F8x arms w/steel, alignment, tires/wheels, M2 CS EPS software flash.

Guarantee after that you won't have anything to complain about!

D

EDIT: CS steering flash not GTS

[230iZTR]

Originally Posted by Dylan86

GTS EPS software flash.

How would I go about doing that? Is it a setting that the dealership can activate?

[Dylan86]

Originally Posted by 230iZTR

How would I go about doing that? Is it a setting that the dealership can activate?

My coding guy offered it the last time I did some tweaks, feels great.. Essentially it's just a bit tighter in all the right situations.

[BimBimM2]

Originally Posted by Dylan86

My coding guy offered it the last time I did some tweaks, feels great.. Essentially it's just a bit tighter in all the right situations.

Hey Dylan thanks for your informative posts! Who is your coding guy?

Also, I have an M240i xdrive so any mod recommendations for me?

[230iZTR]

Originally Posted by Dylan86

My coding guy offered it the last time I did some tweaks [...]

Is this via Bimmercode or Bootmod3 or something? Please PM me some deets.

[Dylan86]

Originally Posted by 230iZTR

Is this via Bimmercode or Bootmod3 or something? Please PM me some deets.

I'm gonna ask him which software he uses, but he's a local guy I met through a FB group. I didn't even know it existed until he was going through the car and asking if I wanted "X Y & Z" done. I was like, "CS steering??" he said apparently it's the M2 CS steering map software, it did make a difference most noticeable at high speed entering corners, a bit heavier...

Originally Posted by 230iZTR

Is this via Bimmercode or Bootmod3 or something? Please PM me some deets.

I'll get in touch with him and let you guys know!

[spiritson]

Originally Posted by Dylan86

LCA/TS Bushings or replacement F8x arms w/steel, alignment, tires/wheels, GTS EPS software flash.

Guarantee after that you won't have anything to complain about!

D

Thanks man for the suggestion. I have the exact steering feel issue and that has been the only complaint. How long did you drive before installing these mods? Did you happen have to links to purchase the stuff you mentioned? 🙏

[Dylan86]

Originally Posted by spiritson

Thanks man for the suggestion. I have the exact steering feel issue and that has been the only complaint. How long did you drive before installing these mods? Did you happen have to links to purchase the stuff you mentioned? ��

I did the M4 LCA mod first, about two months after the Dinan springs were installed. Those alone made a significant impact to feel and handling. I then ended up wanting to squeeze more tire up front so I installed the M4 TS's to help pull the wheel back to it's original position.

I bought the arms from the dealer via my commercial account at work. Was still cheaper than the vendors and shipping/duties I would have incurred.

I believe Turner has a kit which includes both LCA and TS's along with the appropriate spacers to keep everything tight. Or you can always install adjustable monoball bushing replacements, they'll if anything give more feel, and have adjustability. Because my coilovers have camber plates I wasn't worried about adjustment at the bottom. The M arms are pretty, too lol

[Dylan86]

Originally Posted by 230iZTR

Is this via Bimmercode or Bootmod3 or something? Please PM me some deets.

He's using ESYS, and my fault it's the M2 CS steering flash, not M4 GTS..

Originally Posted by BimBimM2

Hey Dylan thanks for your informative posts! Who is your coding guy?

Also, I have an M240i xdrive so any mod recommendations for me?

Mono ball LCA bushings/ TS bushings would help a lot for steering feel and add some camber.

[Winemaker2]

Is this unique to the 240i? My 230i with THP has no play at all. I move the steering wheel a 1/4 inch and the car reacts. Tested this in comfort and sports + both on city streets and the freeway after reading all of the comments. I only have 15K on the car so hope it doesn't change once I get a few more miles on it.

[230iZTR]

Originally Posted by Winemaker2

My 230i with THP has no play at all. I move the steering wheel a 1/4 inch and the car reacts.

That's working as intended. The steering wheel has nearly no play at all. The criticism is usually that the steering wheel doesn't provide much tactile feedback through certain types of vibration or subtle changes in resistance in your hand that can indicate how the tires are interacting with the road. Instead we have to kind of guess based on the noise the tires are making because the electronic power assist and deflecting rubber bushings, etc overpowers a lot of those subtle tactile things.

In a go kart, Miata, Porsche, or Lotus (all cars renowned for their steering "feel") you can really tell what the tires are doing on the road. But in our cars, it seems the engineers intentionally set the electronic steering up to absorb or avoid a lot of that road feesback for a "more refined" commuting experience.

[Sportstick]

Originally Posted by Winemaker2

Is this unique to the 240i? My 230i with THP has no play at all. I move the steering wheel a 1/4 inch and the car reacts. Tested this in comfort and sports + both on city streets and the freeway after reading all of the comments. I only have 15K on the car so hope it doesn't change once I get a few more miles on it.

I think it's a matter of perspective. When I first got mine, also with THP, I also thought the steering was highly responsive, despite the lack of feel. I found that there is a new level of responsiveness that I am loving from the LCA swap. It is not at all darty or fatiguing to control. On center remains on center very nicely, but it feels like that 1/4 inch is no longer needed for a very pleasing reaction. I found zero downside and still consider this the most rewarding of all modifications done so far.

[Winemaker2]

Originally Posted by Sportstick

I think it's a matter of perspective. When I first got mine, also with THP, I also thought the steering was highly responsive, despite the lack of feel. I found that there is a new level of responsiveness that I am loving from the LCA swap. It is not at all darty or fatiguing to control. On center remains on center very nicely, but it feels like that 1/4 inch is no longer needed for a very pleasing reaction. I found zero downside and still consider this the most rewarding of all modifications done so far.

Agreed with the lack of feel...although a little more feel when selecting a mode where the steering firms up. I will definitely check into the LCA swap, especially if I continue to join a track day now and then, or for those great rides up and down the CA north coast.

[DistantTea]

Just an update on my car... it's the same after 12k miles. Very floating an uncentered at highway speeds. I took it to a BMW dealer where they proceeded to damage my car and piss me off. Since it's an xdrive I can't do that swap otherwise I would have already have done it. Honestly I think a good alignment from a performance shop might clear it up at least some. Maybe after we all die from the plague my zombie can get it checked out by an outside shop.

[Winemaker2]

Originally Posted by DistantTea

Just an update on my car... it's the same after 12k miles. Very floating an uncentered at highway speeds. I took it to a BMW dealer where they proceeded to damage my car and piss me off. Since it's an xdrive I can't do that swap otherwise I would have already have done it. Honestly I think a good alignment from a performance shop might clear it up at least some. Maybe after we all die from the plague my zombie can get it checked out by an outside shop.

Sorry to hear this. Even without the change, this should not happen. Two suggestions, 1) perform the 4 wheel alignment and 2) search out another dealer if your car is still under warranty. These cars should track perfectly without any discernible play but with the expected slight lack of feel because of the technological adds from what we experienced with older steering configurations.

[gosi]

So what does the LCA/TS mod actually do? Because it seems there are two groups of people here: some that say that the steering is not responsive enough and others that complain about steering feedback.

Some of these changes could negatively impact high speed stability. I’ve seen someone complain about that from doing the LCA mod. I suppose it’s important to know what you want.

I think 230iZTR explains it perfectly. With this car it’s hard to judge what the front tires are doing, you don’t get any sort of feedback from the wheel like older cars used to. Which mods would address this complaint?

[Sportstick]

Originally Posted by gosi

So what does the LCA/TS mod actually do? Because it seems there are two groups of people here: some that say that the steering is not responsive enough and others that complain about steering feedback.

Some of these changes could negatively impact high speed stability. I’ve seen someone complain about that from doing the LCA mod. I suppose it’s important to know what you want.

I think 230iZTR explains it perfectly. With this car it’s hard to judge what the front tires are doing, you don’t get any sort of feedback from the wheel like older cars used to. Which mods would address this complaint?

Responsiveness and feel are separate topics. The LCA notably improves responsiveness. I think I sense some improvement in feedback, but it's difficult to isolate. However, that is not the primary reason for this modification.

I am not a suspension engineer, so I cannot explain the specific physics, but the results are clear. Imagine you are looking head on at the car. The tops of the tires are very slightly (not really visible - not like some absurd "stance" vehicles) tilted inward with 0.5 degree of added negative camber. This slightly alters the tire contact patch relationship with the ground. It does quicken notably steering response, especially on-center. Also, as the car leans into a turn, it has the effect of having a larger contact patch on the front outside tire during the turn, which I understand accounts for the more "planted" feeling for improved cornering.

I cannot imagine how anyone feels this undermines high speed stability. This is the standard part on the M2, M3, etc. I've experienced this car with this mod at a variety of speeds and it remains stable throughout. I suspect someone who perhaps drives with one or two fingers from one hand hooked on a corner of the wheel hub finds they need to pay more attention as previous small wobble motions cruising on the highway that had little to no effect now have them changing lanes. But, I see no evidence whatsoever of any negative dynamic effect for an engaged driver.