Sport Mode and Steering Changes

[anon1000]

What exactly changes when you select Sport Mode in the steering? I am on a 2014 X5 F15 50i.

I have an issue were the car wanders on hwy speeds, requiring frequent correction and it just overall feels loose. It is almost like the tires are overly sensitive to minor road grooves and it keeps pulling, except the road surface is fine. In lower speeds everything seems fine. Alignment was recently done.

Turning the wheel back and forth in a parking lot, you can feel that the rotation/movement is not linear, it seems a little square and feels a tad bit odd, hard to characterize.

Seems to be better in the Sport mode, so curious what changes that makes the steering better.

My steering did bind and not return to neutral and the rack was replaced, the steering has felt worse in terms of this instability than before, just wondering if the fawlty rack was actually giving a better feel and this is normal for this vehicle.

[BimmerTy]

It's electric steering. Sport Mode tightens up the steering feedback as well as chassis/suspension if you have M Adaptive or DHP. Can also adjust how long the transmission holds gears and throttle response if you have that selected. I think steering is a little loose in comfort too.

Frequent correcting on the highway is most likely due to the "ruts" "grooves" from thousands of cars traveling in the same path - our wide tires tend to "float" over these ruts/grooves. Try to test out on a freshly paved highway if you can. It should glide just fine without the need to correct if your alignment was recently done and tires are balanced and in good shape. Highways also have a slight grade to either side for water drainage.

[Maverik259]

Originally Posted by anon1000

What exactly changes when you select Sport Mode in the steering? I am on a 2014 X5 F15 50i.

I have an issue were the car wanders on hwy speeds, requiring frequent correction and it just overall feels loose. It is almost like the tires are overly sensitive to minor road grooves and it keeps pulling, except the road surface is fine. In lower speeds everything seems fine. Alignment was recently done.

Turning the wheel back and forth in a parking lot, you can feel that the rotation/movement is not linear, it seems a little square and feels a tad bit odd, hard to characterize.

Seems to be better in the Sport mode, so curious what changes that makes the steering better.

My steering did bind and not return to neutral and the rack was replaced, the steering has felt worse in terms of this instability than before, just wondering if the fawlty rack was actually giving a better feel and this is normal for this vehicle.

Do you have adaptive steering. This would cause your steering to change from parking lot to hwy speeds.

Also yes our steering sucks. It's impossible to keep center which causes my wife to constantly feel like she needs to critique my driving.

[anon1000]

Originally Posted by BimmerTy

It's electric steering. Sport Mode tightens up the steering feedback as well as chassis/suspension if you have M Adaptive or DHP. Can also adjust how long the transmission holds gears and throttle response if you have that selected. I think steering is a little loose in comfort too.

Frequent correcting on the highway is most likely due to the "ruts" "grooves" from thousands of cars traveling in the same path - our wide tires tend to "float" over these ruts/grooves. Try to test out on a freshly paved highway if you can. It should glide just fine without the need to correct if your alignment was recently done and tires are balanced and in good shape. Highways also have a slight grade to either side for water drainage.

It feels like it is super windy out, but it is not, and I drive on the same roads with our A6 and in my GT3, the 911 has some wide rubber too and it does not waver one bit. It is the same behavior with the X5 just about every road now since the steering rack change, wonder if some reset process was not done right or something is loose.

[anon1000]

Originally Posted by Maverik259

Do you have adaptive steering. This would cause your steering to change from parking lot to hwy speeds.

Also yes our steering sucks. It's impossible to keep center which causes my wife to constantly feel like she needs to critique my driving.

It was floaty and not precise before, but after the rack was changed I keep thinking something is about to break.

[M302_imola]

Originally Posted by Maverik259

It's impossible to keep center which causes my wife to constantly feel like she needs to critique my driving.

Yours too huh?