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Thinking back, I can remember countless posts in which I included the phrase "I'm still praying for a steering retrofit". I almost can't believe that it's actually happened. So, of course, I want to profusely thank to BMWNA for offering this retrofit and making it available at no charge (I wanted it bad enough that I was willing to pay). I guess one could argue that had BMW not messed up the steering in the first place, this wouldn't have been necessary. But I cannot think of any other example of a corporate entity admitting to a screw-up and as willingly making amends. Thank you BMWNA.
I had to work late tonight, so my wife picked up the car and then, later, picked me up at the subway station (I don't commute via car anymore - it just doesn't make sense for going into downtown DC). So my "test drive" only began around 9pm eastern. That's probably for the better as traffic finally had a chance to clear.
Before I start, for those who don't know, my car is a June production 330i, 5-spd with SP. It's been modified with upgraded anti-sway bars from UUC. Many of my observations have already been observed in other reviews of the retrofit steering. I, too, noticed the difference immediately. I didn't have to drive 10 feet before the change was obvious. Effort is significantly higher, especially at low speeds. But that weight remains as speeds increase. The most significant change, IMO, is the retrofit steering's desire to return to center, a trait very much missing in the original post-June steering. As others had noted, with the original post-June steering, you felt as though you were only one sneeze away from ending up in the next lane over. I really felt uncomfortable with the car's inherent lane discipline and that has been completely addressed.
I took the car out to the nearest stretch of challenging road. I live in a rather urban area so the stretch is not significantly long nor challenging, but it was more than enough to give me a number of observations. I know that I will not be able to fully appreciate or assess it until that familiarity develops, but that only develops over time. Basically, it drives like a totally different car. Taking some more aggressive curves, the confidence that was so lacking previously is back. You do feel like you know what the car is going to do. The disconnect has been re-connected. As a result, I felt myself pushing the car a bit more than I would before, and enjoying it a lot more. The additional weight is felt at all speeds, but it's welcome. Basically, this is the car I thought I was getting 9 1/2 months ago (when I took delivery).
My wife's comments were similar. Before I drove it myself, I asked her what she thought. She had to think a minute before answering that she hadn't noticed the steering. She went on to say that that was significant as she had always noticed it before in the sense that it just didn't feel right. Now it felt right and, hence, wasn't noticed. After driving it, I have to agree.
I found myself thinking that the steering now felt as heavy as I recalled my wife's E36's steering feeling. But that seemed was impossible, so I decided to take it out next. My wife's car is a 1999 (E36) 323iC, 5-spd SP. After putting the top down (it's a damn nice night here in DC), I immediately noticed a huge amount of similarity and quite a few differences. Of course, the cars are built on entirely difference chassis and reflect two generations of 3-series so there's just no way that there won't be differences.
The first thing I thought I noticed was that the E36 required LESS steering effort at low speeds. By a noticeable margin. Really. And, after a mile or so, there's no escaping that the E36 is still a far more balanced platform. The steering still feels more neutral and the overall handling feels more balanced. I know that the E46 can pull better skidpad numbers, but the E36 has better feel. It just feels like a natural extension of you as the driver while the E46 still feels a bit more deliberate. At speed, the weighting feels indistinguishable between the two, although the E46 still tends to tramline more. I blame the lower profile tires (both cars wear 225s up front, but the E46's are on 17 inch wheels while the E36's are on 16s).
I wanted to confirm this unexpected observation about the low speed weight, so I hopped back into the 330. Yup. The steering is heavier and, well it's still just not as balanced. And the E46 still has a lot more play at center than the E36.
But don't get me wrong, on all counts it's now much closer to the feel of the E36. Truly surprisingly so. (I'm definitely surprised.) And the contrast between it and the car it was when I dropped it off this morning is night and day. It's now actually what I was expecting to get when I bought it back in July. I knew that the E46 meant a few compromises, more luxury and less performance orientation than the E36, but still possessing the same general attitude. Well that now describes it perfectly. This single change has altered the character of the whole car. I am honestly thrilled.
One word of caution however, I also can honestly see how this change would not be for everyone. It is a dramatic change. My advice to anyone asking if they should get it will be- If you have to ask, you should probably pass or at least make sure to drive it first.
BTW, my service ticket specifically states "Replaced steering rack, set alignment." and the service was charged to "warranty".
That's it. Add another happy customer to the list. Thanks again BMWNA.
I'm going to bed now but I'll respond to questions in the AM.
Tom
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