Sensivity to wind

[MikeS]

Hi 110commuter,

perhaps this will sound as obvious bordering on the superfluous: you really do get used to it. At least I did... Still: I would have preferred the steering to be more like a 3 series (or the like) as well.

Regards, Steven

I agree. The i3s steering is very RESPONSIVE but I got used to it very quickly and don’t notice it any more. My wife drove the car for the first time yesterday an her first comment was how twitchy the car felt. However, after the day’s driving she then felt it was just light and responsive. I find it a good balance and that it feels very ‘connected’.

 

[jadnashuanh]

I don't find it a problem. I do notice how 'slow' the steering is on other cars now when I drive one, but it doesn't take long to adapt. Personally, I don't think making it less responsive is actually going to make it better. It is what it is and it works. Compared to people learning to drive in Germany, the average driver in the USA is woefully less qualified, both in knowledge of the rules of the road, actually following them, and in some real skill levels. IOW, we have some really bad habits enabled by our relatively large, wide, open roads, often, with little traffic. Driving is your first and most important task when behind the wheel. Yes, I know some people actually are decent drivers, but they are definitely in the minority. It was a joy driving in Germany where you could actually expect people to follow the rules, stay in lane, signal, yield when appropriate. Most things that are just ignored here. The car reflects the German attitude - driving is a privilege and requires skill, and the car should reward you for using it appropriately...I do not consider it unsafe after about 3-months of varied driving conditions.

 

[i3Alan]

I too find the steering a bit too responsive on the highway. I love the steering speed around town. But it has very little self centering action. If you set the wheel in a turn and take your hands off there is minimal pull the recenter the wheel. This combined with the fast steering response makes the highway cruise a bit less laid back.

I believe the steering problem is too much hysteresis in the control (sensors, software or mechanical linkage?). While the wheel never feels loose, when doing 50 MPH or more down a straight and level road with no side wind, there is about half an inch of play in the steering wheel around center that has zero input affecting the steering. You can feel where the steering wheel linkage connects with the steering control, but just barely. You can feel this with the car stopped, too.

I have played with various tire pressures, up to within a few PSI of the tire max, and this does not help. I showed this to a service tech at my dealer, and he said he had no problem feeling what I was talking about, and he only had to drive the car 1 mile to do so. He agreed this was not good. He said it felt similar to a wheel toe-in alignment problem, except not exactly the same with other toe-in issues not being felt. However, he had no idea what was the cause, and when he contacted BMW NA, they told him this was normal for the i3.

My guess is that the problem is in the electronic power steering assist programming. My Lexus ES hybrid also has electronic power steering, and its steering is much slower than the i3 due to both a longer wheelbase and to a lower steering ratio. However, in the Lexus, maintaining straight, or making slight corrections at speed can be done with hardly any steering wheel movement at all; it is more like thinking about the correction than actually moving the steering wheel! The i3 behaves exactly like this when in a curve, as its steering is even more sensitive, except it has ZERO sensitivity right around straight ahead. A passenger staring at the steering wheel in my Lexus when it is heading straight down the road will hardly ever see any steering wheel movement, while the passenger watching my i3 steering wheel in the same drive will see more than half an inch of movement for every frequent, tiny steering correction. Conversely, the passenger will see much more wheel turning when the Lexus is navigating a 50 MPH curve, where there is hardly any additional movement in the i3 for such a curve. As the driver, I did not notice the steering wheel needed so much movement until I intentionally watched for it.

I have had other cars that had faster steering than the i3 with less center play than my Lexus, but they were all hydraulic power assist, and it may not bet fair to compare the two different types of assists.

I have also heard that some found their steering much better after the i3 software was upgraded, and mine has not been touched since delivery almost two months ago. I'm not sure by "better" the same issue is what was fixed, but I hope it is, and hope the SW upgrade that will accompany my new KLE will fix my steering. I am having no charging issues at all, so am in no rush for the replacement KLE except to see if it will improve the center steering issue.

 

[Dee123]

I had an i3 for a four day extended test drive with day one being a very windy Scottish day. Let's just say I felt like I was on a pirate ship with all the sideways motion. :? I eventually stuck to around 60mph as that was the max I could go on the motorway and feel safe. Funny enough, once I got on to country roads, everything seemed super...

Still buying the i3 but I know I have to really slow down on a windy day. 60mph isn't too bad given the gains

 

[Boatguy]

I don't find it a problem. I do notice how 'slow' the steering is on other cars now when I drive one, but it doesn't take long to adapt. Personally, I don't think making it less responsive is actually going to make it better. It is what it is and it works. Compared to people learning to drive in Germany, the average driver in the USA is woefully less qualified, both in knowledge of the rules of the road, actually following them, and in some real skill levels. IOW, we have some really bad habits enabled by our relatively large, wide, open roads, often, with little traffic. Driving is your first and most important task when behind the wheel. Yes, I know some people actually are decent drivers, but they are definitely in the minority. It was a joy driving in Germany where you could actually expect people to follow the rules, stay in lane, signal, yield when appropriate. Most things that are just ignored here. The car reflects the German attitude - driving is a privilege and requires skill, and the car should reward you for using it appropriately...I do not consider it unsafe after about 3-months of varied driving conditions.

My other car is a Mercedes and I've owned multiple BMWs, Porsches and Audis. The i3 steering is nothing like any BMW, Mercedes, Porsche or Audi I've ever owned or driven. The notion that the i3 steering is designed for better German drivers implies that all the other German cars have steering designed to accommodate "woefully less qualified " US drivers; it's a weak hypothesis.

I certainly also enjoy driving on the autobahn, but it has no bearing on the i3 steering.

 

[jadnashuanh]

I had an i3 for a four day extended test drive with day one being a very windy Scottish day. Let's just say I felt like I was on a pirate ship with all the sideways motion. :? I eventually stuck to around 60mph as that was the max I could go on the motorway and feel safe. Funny enough, once I got on to country roads, everything seemed super...

Still buying the i3 but I know I have to really slow down on a windy day. 60mph isn't too bad given the gains

It's been my experience that once you've had the vehicle for a short time, this becomes less and less of an issue, at least it has been for me.

Out of curiosity, anyone tried this with both wheel options? What about the square setup verses the staggered F/R? Mine has the Giga wheel/tire stock option which is staggered 19" and is a BEV. I think all of the 20" choices are staggered (wider rear than front). I wonder if a REx, with the 300 pounds or so of extra stuff way at the rear may affect things - it certainly would appear to move the center of gravity, at least a bit. There's a little bit more weight up front (fuel tank), but that is minor in comparison with the motor in the back.

My experience is that the vehicle lists in the wind more than changes direction. That can elicit a natural reaction of turning the steering wheel which may not be warranted. With the quick ratio turning, it doesn't take much.

As an aside, I have a recumbent trike...first timers trying it out say they can't keep it going straight. After a few miles, I quickly learned all I had to do was relax, and sort of think my way along. Trying to correct just made the thing weave - it would go straight with almost no user input - just light pressure on the handle bars - gripping them made it turn. To me, it seems that the i3 is very similar in reaction to steering inputs.

 

[uktechie]

First real bit of wind in UK with the remains of Gonzalo this week so did notice a bit more sensitive than my previous car, but all plus points still got me over any negatives so well :mrgreen: :lol:

 

[tiburonh]

First real bit of wind in UK with the remains of Gonzalo this week so did notice a bit more sensitive than my previous car, but all plus points still got me over any negatives so well :mrgreen: :lol:

I had become accustomed to the over-sensitivity of the wheel on my BEV (19"wheels), and then this past weekend I checked my tire pressure for the first time (I've had the car for two months now) and discovered that when the dealer prepped my car they had majorly overinflated the front tires: they are supposed to be at 33PSI but they were actually at 43PSI ! Once I brought the pressure down to 33, I discovered that the steering became much more controlled, that the previous skittishness had all but disappeared. I'm not an auto mechanical or tech expert, but it seems to me that at the high inflation the front tires were perhaps too hard and sort of bouncing off the surface of the pavement rather than melding in and grabbing the pavement as they probably ought to.

As always, YMMV.

 

[Boatguy]

I had become accustomed to the over-sensitivity of the wheel on my BEV (19"wheels), and then this past weekend I checked my tire pressure for the first time (I've had the car for two months now) and discovered that when the dealer prepped my car they had majorly overinflated the front tires: they are supposed to be at 33PSI but they were actually at 43PSI ! Once I brought the pressure down to 33, I discovered that the steering became much more controlled, that the previous skittishness had all but disappeared. I'm not an auto mechanical or tech expert, but it seems to me that at the high inflation the front tires were perhaps too hard and sort of bouncing off the surface of the pavement rather than melding in and grabbing the pavement as they probably ought to.

I saw this post and wondered about my pressures. I had assumed that since the car was just delivered two months ago, and was in for service a week later for the software upgrade to fix the AC, that the pressures were ok. Wow, was I wrong! Another demerit for my dealer's service.

I checked this morning and they were totally wonky. Fronts were high, rears were low and left right were off by 4-5psi! I set them to the factory settings (33/41) and what a difference!

The car now tracks much better on the freeway and rides noticeably more comfortably through bumps, potholes and driveways. Driving on the freeway today in a significant amount of wind the car held the road much better. The steering is much more calm and less twitchy. I've typically run higher pressures for better handling in my other cars, but the factory settings really make the i3 drive much better.