Am I going mad or is this correct and I have been spoiled

[KJNGTi]

Recently I have had my GTi in for various suspension repairs eg bushes, arms and four wheel alignment. All of this has cured the issues I had but I can’t help think something isn’t right.

For the past six years I have had a string of new BMW’s etc but with a new set of objectives I decided to buy something a bit older and own it out right. The mk5 is great fun, I love it but at motorway speeds it reminds me of an old e46 330i I used to have. You can really feel the road and the car pulling through the steering wheel which is something I’m not used feeling with electric steering found in BMW’s even though I’m sure they used to follow a rut or camber etc. So am I going crazy in thinking my mk5 isn’t set up right or is it actually correct  and the steering feel I feel is common... it just seems like I am constantly resisting the steering wheel pulling left or right when going straight, much like tramlining but at a lesser level more an annoyance.

[bobby_fodge]

The mk5 has electric power steering. Mine doesn't require to me Keep it in a straight line on the motorway. I find the light nicely weighted and precise.

[KJNGTi]

Ha ha don’t know that, I know it’s assisted but it definitely communicates more than new cars do which are typically very light with little resistance.

I have a mk7 golf for a long journey tomorrow and I must admit on the way home tonight it felt newer but had many the same characteristics as my mk5. I think I may be looking into it a little too much, OCD kicking in

[pudding]

That's what they are like I'm afraid.  Twitchy and unsettled.  I don't mean having to constantly tweak the steering with any degree of effort, but just the odd nudge here and there to keep it straight. 

Yep, MK7s are exactly the same, which surprised me to be honest.

I know what you mean about the E46.  I had an M3 a long time ago, and that was twitchy as hell on worn out dual carriageways.  An E39 M5 is a lot better with it's recirculating ball steering though.  Maybe it doesn't transmit kick back to wheel as much as rack and pinion?

[KJNGTi]

Thanks pudding

After a longggggg drive today in the mk7 which was about 5 hours I can confirm that these do indeed wander about and are as pudding describes above. The mk7 do it less than my mk5 but then I think this is probably a combination of tyre brands on each (mine had Dunlop’s, mk7 on Michelin’s) and the newer mk7 having much less steering feel and therefore lighter steering making it easier to alter straight line driving. Mine is also on 17’s compared to the mk7 being on 16’s.

Phew, I am sane.... :)

[shail]

I find mine is very sensitive to tyre pressures.  A few psi down and the front seems a lot less rock solid, needs steering input every now and then to stay straight .  Cars recently had new shocks, springs, bushes, bearings etc... It also had a new rack last year, so it's the nearest thing to 'new' it's ever been.  Thinking about it now, this only stated after the suspension refresh.  I assume the slop in the old set up 'helped'!

[pudding]

Thanks pudding

After a longggggg drive today in the mk7 which was about 5 hours I can confirm that these do indeed wander about and are as pudding describes above. The mk7 do it less than my mk5 but then I think this is probably a combination of tyre brands on each (mine had Dunlop’s, mk7 on Michelin’s) and the newer mk7 having much less steering feel and therefore lighter steering making it easier to alter straight line driving. Mine is also on 17’s compared to the mk7 being on 16’s.

Phew, I am sane.... :)

Interesting the MK7 wandered on 16s!  I'd expect that of 18s and 19s, but not little 16s.  Well then it can only be the state of the roads as the primary cause then.  You can't always see lorry ruts from the driver's seat, but they are definitely there on the majority of A & M roads.

It was the MK7 GTI and GTD (both on 18s) I noticed was twitchier than my MK5.  The MK7 has gone back to an older style of wishbone bush from the MK2-MK4, so that could be the secondary cause.

Tyre sidewall stiffness will be another cause, to a less degree.   You're right about the steering feel in MK7s, or complete lack there of.  I do like the variable steering rack in them though.

[BigstickytoffeeGTI30]

Tyre type?

Also I do find the golf is the most sensitive car to tyre pressures than any other I've had.

[KJNGTi]

Yes, the mk7 on 16’s shared many of the same steering characteristics of my mk5. At one point on the m25 the mk7 with no steering input wandered right and left and the right again before I needed to stop it.

It’s definitely annoying but reassuring my mk5 is acting like a brand new car.

I was thinking of ditching the 17’s in favour of some 18’s fitted with some Michelin’s. I take it Michelin’s are the standard and best all round tyre for mk5’s?

[pudding]

As unlikely as it sounds, the best hatchback I've ever owned for steering feel and straight line stability was....a Rover 25!  The Golf slithers around on the road like an eel compared to that car.  Shame the rest of the car was rubbish!

Maybe the MK7 has some kind of wandering/side wind/torque steer counter measures and is tweaking the power assistance, making it feel like the front wheels have a mind of their own? 

Yeah the Pilot Sport 4 is highly regarded, grips really well, even down to zero degrees!  Pretty stiff sidewalls though, which won't help with the wandering or ride quality.

[Chesto18]

Try having the steering rack replaced and not being able to upload the GTi profile. It’s driving me nuts! Like driving a Honda Jazz.

Steering on the Alfa 159 sportwagen I had prior to the GTi was epic.