Steering too heavy?
 

Can you parallel park or pull in and out of parking lots with one handed steering? I can't! My steering feels heavy. Is this normal?

2005 X5 3.0
144K

I drove a 06 4.8 and with the wide tires, it felt lighter than mine.

Steering too heavy?
 

Very very normal. We joke about It in e53 circles that's how we get a workout. Apparently BMW didn't add variable boost into X5 until E70.

If you hear moans when steeing especially when cold then it might be low. Also with prescribe you can one hand steer. Maybe I'll make a tutorial. I use a trick I learned with my Z28 where I could steer from center to lock without moving my hand. I've transferred that knowledge to e53 and if helps a lot.

It's possible the 06 did have variable boost steering I'm not sure when that became an option. I do know that everybody that drives my car is pretty sure the power steering is broken.

I love it because it gives me great road feed back taking 270 off ramps at 50. It's fun watching sport sedans disappear from my rear view when they started on my bumper.

I too thought that the power steering was under gunned for the X. I just replaced the reservoir and bled the system clean and went to synthetic fluid. It totally helped.

Ok Good to know. I thought our e92 was heavy but it's got nothin' on our e53 :)

The 3.0 and 4.4 have engine speed sensitive steering while the 4.6 and 4.8 have speed sensitive steering.

There we go. That perfectly explains the OP experience.

try adding some 'cleanup' additive in there like seafoam, and then flush out the old fluid and add synthetic ATF... usually can clean up some varnish off the pump and control circuits.. gives a little more flow and power

:D So you do that too Andrew. Mine is the cloverleaf exit from I20 Westbound to Cooper Street Southbound in Arlington. I love having a pickup truck sniffing my bumper when we enter the turn and hearing his ABS kick in. :thumbup: And then there's the CEO's 428i in "sport" mode :wow:



2002 X5 3.0 383,800 miles
2014 428i 72,000 miles


2004 325i sold at 123,600 miles
2001 325i sold at 66,000 miles


1970 Pontiac Firebird Under restoration (and waiting for its turn on the cloverleaf)

AFAIK Servotronic (steering assistance adjusted according to vehicle speed) was available from the start of E53 production on every variant.

What Synthetic ATF do you recommend?

Thanks.

If you flush change the fluid you can go to Pentosin CHF 11/S (or equivalent).

Steering too heavy?
 

I added at-205 in mine when it was acting up. Instant fix. It's designed to refurbish the seals people use it almost anywhere. Read the bottle to see the max ratio. I was low a couple oz. So I just used it to top off. Fixed the cold start moaning instantly

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...8389dd44b1.jpg

One of my favorite!

The engineers screwed up a bit so the radios of the ramp doesn't actually align with the exit lane but if you know where to cross the fog line I can take the tighter initial arc 45. Have to go 40 if tool boxes in the wrong configuration. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...83de7d1f76.jpg

Notice that the ramp can be smoothed into two perfect arcs. No need to steer. People that are OCD about staying centered in the lane will lose 10 mph. I think that offramp is rated 25.

The fun part is that when you get through that initial Sharpwe arc at 40 to 45, the c300 That was behind you is nowhere to be seen by the time you get to the straight. at that point I’m already going 5 to 10 miles an hour faster than the speed limit on the cross road So I just stay going 35 or 40 through that gentle curve on the exit. It is still what my wife calls a "Love curve" because it squeezes all the passengers together.


It’s convenient to merge when you’re going slightly faster than the traffic on the Cross Road.

Oh Chicago land a lot of the on ramps are S shaped. They tend to have about six or 7 feet of safety lane with the flags drive very far from the grass. I find that if I cheat the ffog stripe one and a half feet I can go at least 8 to 10 miles an hour faster.

when I had my Z 28 with the eagle GSC tires In 20+ years before there was a thing called a smart phone with a GeForce app on it I would use the poor mans G meter known as a soda bottle half full. Firmly planted in the center console. I would regularly get the angle in the fluid over 45°. that of course is the magic number for 1G. With the bank on 1/8 mile radius 270 I’m pretty sure I would take those at about 1.2 G.

Funny thing is that with my fully loaded 5500 pound gross X5 Once there is the slightest bit of moisture on the road I can actually corner harder in the X5 then I could in the Z 28.

I learned a trick that when I have a Z 28 how to maximize your speed and curves that had a constant radiusAnd that is to hold your left knee against the steering wheel. On the X5 the steering wheel is a little too high and I hold my left knee into the bottom of my left hand. The steering wheel does not move at all it’s much more comfortable for your passenger is not getting jiggle left and right and you can add at least two or 3 mph around the curve.

That trick works as well at 45 on a 270 offramp as it does at 90-95 on a sweeping curve designed to go 80.

The other trick to making curves smooth and fast is to write out a minor judgment call that’s inaccurate. In other words if you turn in too soon and you’re going to go one or 2 feet over the fog line just let it happen.

Drivers that don’t know that rule actually give me a stomach ache when they drive.

With winter coming I am going to start a thread that describes a couple winter driving techniques that can very much keep a car on the road otherwise wouldn’t. I learned to drive in 1971 Chevy impala in Wisconsin. I remember one day with freezing rain the road was so slippery the rear one wheel started turning as soon as I put the car in gear and took my foot off the brake.

One of the tricks I figured out myself how to keep that car on the road and slippery spots I was quite amazed to discover the same exact trick works in the X5.

Caveat on the fog stripe rule; sometimes they put the rumble strip two or 3 inches past the fog stripe in that case It will not make it a smooth curve.

yes, that's a great product and is worth trying

The cap to the power steering reservoir should list the correct fluid. If it list Pentosin, don't put in ATF fluid. The two fluids are not compatible.

Above somebody said you can swap if you remove all the fluid. I don't know how you would and would not be worth it unless you were replacing the pump and rack I'm thinking

The steering wheel on my e39 530i is harder than my 4.8is.

That's interesting. My e39 drove like a dream. The steering was the best feeling, in terms of feedback, in any of our bimmers. It was a MT m52 with the M sport package and was a stage 2 Dinan car. And a slick top! Totally regret selling that car.:(

My X handles quite well for such a porker. We have a super windy road that goes over the mountain from one community to another and my daughter and I drive it often for fun and to go to our mechanic. She's in an e46 coupe and I stay right on her. And she can drive. She's 25 and has been driving a bimmer since her 16th birthday! I was pretty damn surprised after I got the feel for the X and what it's limits are. Although I haven't really tested it's limits. Yet.....

The feedback is great on it. It's just heavy. BTW, I just got it. Loved the first one I had (1998 528i) and decided I will own another one e39.