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Im glad its not just me! Yes always EPS equipped cars ive never really come across it on hydraulic racks. For example over the weekend I use my car less, after its been sitting a few days I notice the steering feels lighter and the car feels more keen. After an hour or two of driving it goes back to feeling heavier with less acceleration. Id say this is a problem but ive definitely encountered this on the past 4 EPS racked cars I owned.

Hi WIM I thought id post this here as you guys are experts with this type of thing. Its a bit of a nerdy question but was a query as to something ive noticed on all cars with EPS that i have owned. With EPS i wondered why a lot of them occasionally vary in weight from time to time when you are driving them. It’s something im quite sensitive to annoyingly but noticed that on some days the steering will feel accurate and evenly weighted and sometimes it will feel quite a bit heavier to one side (not necessarily after a heavy lunch!) and turn in more difficult, so it feels like understeer?. I currently have this on an BMW E82 with M sport suspension but i think its too much of a coincidence to be a problem as ive had this often on other eps equipped cars (admittedly it is on runflats which doesnt help.) Could this be something that tyres to contribute to? Even on a dry day in warm conditions? One thing i have wondered is if it caused by when the car pulls engine timing back for whatever reason so you dont get as much toe out on acceleration. I have tended to go for cars with sportier set ups, fiesta st and mx5 to name a few so possibly this is something that those set ups are more prone to when on uneven roads. As i have not noticed this on cars with regular set ups and lighter steering. Weird question but would be interested to know the factors that would cause this on electric steering.

Thanks Tony, when things permit I will switch the tyres and see how it goes. Interesting reading further into how some tyres are constructed and cause pulling problems, ive heard even poor fitment can cause this too....

Sorry to hijack this thread again but just wanted to share an observation. Other commitments havent allowed me the time to switch the tyres around but I did notice recently that when I filled up the car with a tank of petrol that the original symptoms like the OP posted were greatly reduced. I also noticed that the characteristics vary greatly depending on what roads are driven on. eg much less pull on narrow country roads. I also noticed that when the weather is colder its much more obvious too, still leading me to believe its tyres too but unsure if it hints towards anything else that needs adjusting.

Mine very low profile! Id image if they are directional tyres, then the best option would be to move from front to rear or visa versa

Mine has 4 tyres but different wear on all 4. Ones brand new, which would explain a lot. I guess some cars are also tyre sensitive. The ST has very direct steering so any difference is felt straight away

Especially if alignment seems ok. If gets worse will get you guys to look if you feel its worth it but as long as your happy with current figures of alignment. I dont trust factory alignments unfortunately. The car is pretty much new so doubt there is anything mechanical to worry over either.

Releasing a little pressure from the front NS helps, of course has more tread than OS so sort of evens out. May be the tyres cause a little pull maybe. Ive heard other car models can pull with the Bridgestones Potenzas installed.

Thanks, so doesn't appear to be any major concerns. May possibly be down to tyres possibly or Ford maybe aligning with incorrect fuel load then. Probably doesn't help that I have different tread depths on my two front tyres after I had to replace the front ns after a puncture

Ok, thought that might be case. I seem to get a slight drift to the right. But unsure if that caused by thrust angle, would 0.07' have a major impact. With the toe figure out of spec at the back, ive heard shims or releasing the axle and re aligning can fix this. Is this something youd recommend. Thanks

Heres the printout I received of current condition. No sign of SAI or KPI figures

Have -1.11' front near side and -0.45' offside, like the OP No signs of any impact and no suspension noises, leaks ect. For some reason (might just be me) but there seems to be less space on drivers side wheel arch making ride appear lower on that side.

Sorry to revive an old thread. Was just curious if the issue was resolved in the end? I have a new fiesta ST with the same symptoms and alignment figures, all bar the steering wheel condition. I understand the camber isnt adjustable, im wondering what would cause such difference in camber figures at the front.

Thanks, I never knew the ECU could govern this....If i am right in thinking though, reading into it, I thought the NC uses hydraulic power steering as opposed to electric. Unless its the same system as the RX8 which I think does use EPS.

Thanks Tony, I am in agreeance with you ther over the EPS. All tyres are good makes. Have Kuhmo Ecsta HS51's upfront. The steering funnily feels better some days than others. Id imagine this'll be costly to fix aswell I think part of the issue may be however is that most of the time I have been driving I have driven mainly FWD cars and maybe the switch to RWD may require some getting used to. While I can see how RWD has its benefits, I do sometimes miss the weighter feel and resistance you get from the Front drivers. I drove a new Fiesta ST recently and even though it is electrical assisted steering, It did feel alot more accurate and confident inspiring, dont get me wrong the MX5 is a great car but I was very impressed with the feedback it provided over my MX5.

Yeah it did seem much better before. It started to get worse around winter time, i just blamed on tyres and broken drop links. Since then ive had new drop links, new dampers and new tyres fitted.

No not at all. Doesnt seem to pull or tramline so much. New tyres saw to that. Its just that deadspot that doesnt seem right

Sorry, also just to add. The steering doesnt seem to self centre too well either. Especially after exiting a bend when powering out.

Absolutely fine. However i do notive there is a slight rubbing noise. Its a weird sound but can only best describe it as a stretching rubbing sound. And its definately not the tyres. I have also played around with tyre pressures too with no luck. But is definitely better in the psi's in the lower 20's. The steering just feels vague and not very sporty like off centre.

Hi WIM I have had a couple alignment set ups through you guys throughout the work i have done to my car to get it where i want it. Overall they have helped massively but there always seems to be one reoccurring problem which is the steering. The steering seems to feel overly assisted and floaty around 10 - 2 on the wheel. Despite new tyres, lowering alignment and new shocks it still feels about the same. My thoughts are its something mechanical. The guys at WIM had a quick once over my car to check for any steering play when i had the fast road setup. Any thoughts on what could be causing this....my guess is the power steering system. Thanks

Thanks Tony, i will book a visit soon. Thanks for your help WIM

Thanks for the info. So looks as if it was incorrectly fitted before! Ill try and book another visit for geo to be done if the new drop links look ok. Would you guys be able to check the install of the droplinks on the day, just want to be sure the garage fitted correctly. Thanks.

Apparently they are same brand. Garage said they just used a different brand to the ones that snapped. I did look to see if they are same length. Looks as if they are. The ride is better with these as opposed to the previous ones that had to be replaced - although I reckon those were fitted the wrong way around! Oddly the steering feel was slighty better that way?? They were at an extereme angle before. Heres one after it snapped!!

Hi WIM I wondered if you could help me. I recently had the front droplinks replaced on my MX5 Nc. Unfortunatley shortly afterwards one snapped. It looked as if it was installed incorrectly so the garage replaced both fronts free of charge again for me. On inspection they look to be correctly installed this time however they look to be different designs on each side?? Is this correct, I think I read somehere they are different on the left and right. Would this have a major affect on handling?, ride is improved but steering still feels a little light. I plan to have the Geo adjusted as I recently replaced my shocks aswell. Or would this be wasted efforts?....ive attached pics below. Any advice would be great.

Brought the car down again and after some fiddling car seems to behave much better - steering feels much more evenly weighted so great result. Turn in when turning left requires ever so much sightly more effort than right but tbh is probably me looking into it too much and probably just weight of me in the car or curve of the road. Overall the car feels smoother aswell - although was v impressed it had held its settings well since last time as roads in my area are shocking!! Was definatelyy looked after on the day until I was 100% happy. Will still keep an eye on it just incase it goes out again pointing to something more major. But so far pretty happy now I have a great handling Mazda. Thanks