P5 - Steering Response question

[6speed]

I recently bought my wife a P5, and due to other issues, have been driving it alot. In general, I love the car, especially the way it handles at low to mid speeds, the balance of the car, and the higher speed stability.

One issue I have been finding though seems to be the steering response, or rather the power steering and the level of feedback it suppresses from the road.

I have found that the higher the speeds, the more the feedback from the road moves the steering wheel and thus determines the line the car takes across the road, and sometimes drastically enough that I have had to cut back on speed by 10-20mph. Of course, with the highly sensitive brand-new brakes, that is risky as well, since they grab the wheels too hard for cornering, and increase the problem. I have tapped the brakes in a couple instances, (and i mean 'tapped', just a light touch) and have had the steering wheel jerk to one side, usually the inside of the turn.

Do anyone else have this problem? And if so, is there a common solution or fix? A higher power-assist level should dampen the effect, but not sure if this is the actual problem, or if it would be the correct solution.

One note that might matter, this is the first car I have ever driven with "Speed Sensitive Steering", and if this is the direct side-effect, then ... well, I don't like it.

 

[Douggie]

Actually we have the "RPM Sensitive Steering"

 

[KpaBap]

So you don't like it because you have to STEER the car as opposed to it steering itself?

Don't mean to flame you but steering response/feel is one of the great things about owning a Mazda. Feeling the road through the steering wheel is a good thing.

 

[Mike R]

It called crappy MD roads...Also the alignment, tires, and tire pressure have a lot to do with the way the car pulls. I never thought that mine pulled much. And I'm used to driving crown vics..

 

[Protege52003]

i think the steering in my P5 is great.......i actually like it better than a lot of the cars I have driven.....i like to feel the road.

 

[6speed]

Hehe, it takes alot to get me offended.

I guess the wording that I put the question doesn't really help it come across HOW MUCH feedback I am getting through the steering wheel.

I have driven 91, 94, and 02 Toyota Corollas, 91 Tercel, 92 Geo Tracker, 03 Avalon, 96 and 01 Cameros, 92 and 96 Grand Caravans, Military Humvees, Military 5-ton trucks... plus now the P5,

and of all of them, the P5 is the highest amount of feedback, to the point that frequently, regardless of the tightness of grip I have on the steering wheel, even bracing my arms to try to keep the wheel steady, the

crappy MD roads

STILL can yank the wheel enough to cause alot of problems.

I am not talking about a bit of feedback, letting me know how the tires are gripping the road, I am talking about certain roads I now completely avoid because if I drive on them I no longer have complete control over the car at normally reasonable speeds because the road surface chooses where the car drives, not me.

I love road feeback just as much as the next driver (that likes feedback) but this is a PROBLEM, not an inconvienient fact.

Hope that helps.

 

[6speed]

I should also point out that without power steering, the road feedback is at it's greatest, and half of the vehicles mentioned above didn't have power steering at all, and should have a higher amount of feedback than even the P5.

I say 'highest amount of feedback', though it would be more acurate to say, '2-3 times the level of feedback at least'

 

[RyanJayG]

its grooves in the road... you should feel it with an MP3 steering rack and 18" tires!!!

lol... it happens to motorcycles on the street, and bicycles during bike races. the end result can be bad too.

 

[garretts77]

An alignment might help. How many miles are on it?

 

[toucci]

are you talking about the steering wheel pulling to one side or what

your terminology isn't clear at all. I mean, brakes grabbing too hard for cornering? wtf?

 

[6speed]

Yes, the steering pulls left and right, depending on the lay of the road, but I know for certain it is not an alignment issue. Straight line driving is right-on. The steering wheel pulls (yanks is a more accurate term) to the inside of the turn when I have to start braking due to a factor that was not apparent or in existance when I entered the turn.

(before I continue, yes, I know that braking before turning, then accelerating through the turn is the best. I am refering to when I HAVE to brake in the corner due to traffic)

The follow should explain what I mean when I mention braking during cornering, and the brakes grabbing hard:

Entering a curve at around 50mph or so, not excessive speed, and then a car changes lanes or soemthing, meaning I then have to reduce speed further to avoid a collision, and applying light pressure on the brake pedal makes the brakes on the inside front tire grab much hard then they should (when compared to straight line braking) and the end result is the steering wheel gets yanked suddenly into the corner, and I feel the weight shift threatening to break the rear end loose, requiring quick and precise counter-steer for a split second to settle the weight back correctly balanced.

In order to avoid this I have been using the e-brake more and more when required, which does not have the grabbing effect. By grabbing, I mean the sudden excessive application of brake force between the rotors and pads, sooner and more suddenly than the amount of pedal pressure would suggest, identically to every car I have ever driven within 2K miles of putting brand new brake pads on.

Unless someone seems to understand what in the world I am actually talking about with the steering question, I am probably not going to respond anymore, since people don't seem to understand the question and explaining it more just leads to more off-topic questions.

Nothign against anyone here, I just can't find a good way to get a question about the 'feel' of the car across in black and white text.

 

[toucci]

go get an alignment done

 

[RyanJayG]

it almost sounds as if your brake bias is out of whack... check your rear rotors and pads for excessive wear. if they are not working properly then the fronts will have to do more work, and could cause the steering wheel lurching you are experiencing.

 

[NJP5Guy]

maybe you have a problem with a faulty part in your front end (maybe bent/damaged swaybar/link or control arm etc). since my tires have worn i notice they follow grooves more in the road....maybe a prob you are having (shrug) .

 

[NJP5Guy]

and you should never have to use the parking brake unless you are doing slides in the snow. maybe the pads were installed improperly or uneven rotors.

 

[Mike R]

The only time I had a similar effect was when my car had bad tires and needed an alignment. On rough roads I would have trouble keeping the car going in the direction I wanted. Maybe your struts or swaybars have a problem. Allowing more wieght to get lifted from the inside wheel. My car, in stock form can easily take turns at double the speed limit and I can slam the brakes on in the turn and all it does is gently slide the rear out. there might even be a brake issue with the fronts. But again, an alignment issue could lessen the traction on the inside wheel and give that effect.

 

[maxek]

As you can see nobody here has had problem like this. My car handles very good on the road. You have to have something wrong with your car. How many miles do you have on it? If it is under warranty why dont you bring it to Mazda dealer? They should be familiar with this problem or maybe not. Sorry I cant help. (shrug)

 

[MazdaDriverChic]

Have you brought your car to a dealer and have it checked?? Sounds almost like your steering column is messed up and/or your brakes are too tight.
Either way, I would get it checked out before you get hurt.

 

[6speed]

The only time I had a similar effect was when my car had bad tires and needed an alignment. On rough roads I would have trouble keeping the car going in the direction I wanted. Maybe your struts or swaybars have a problem. Allowing more wieght to get lifted from the inside wheel. My car, in stock form can easily take turns at double the speed limit and I can slam the brakes on in the turn and all it does is gently slide the rear out. there might even be a brake issue with the fronts. But again, an alignment issue could lessen the traction on the inside wheel and give that effect.

Thanks, this is exactly the type of response I was looking for.

No, I have not had it checked, since I was trying to figure out if it was a actually a problem or not. Yeah, I guessed it was, but wanted to confirm it with other P5 drivers.

I bought the car from a dealership 2 months ago, but used and the limited warranty has already run out from THEM, and I just crossed over 50K miles, so the original factory warranty might be out too. I will check around though and see what the issue is and what can be done about it.

Thanks guys. This last round of replies have been much more along the line of addressing the problem.

 

[xelderx]

Thanks, this is exactly the type of response I was looking for.

No, I have not had it checked, since I was trying to figure out if it was a actually a problem or not. Yeah, I guessed it was, but wanted to confirm it with other P5 drivers.

I bought the car from a dealership 2 months ago, but used and the limited warranty has already run out from THEM, and I just crossed over 50K miles, so the original factory warranty might be out too. I will check around though and see what the issue is and what can be done about it.

Thanks guys. This last round of replies have been much more along the line of addressing the problem.

I will second the response to get an alignment. Having the toe just a little out of whack could really make the front end do strange things. Also the other symptoms you are experiencing sound a lot like bumpsteer. This usually happens when the car is lowered too far, but if you are on stock suspension then it must be another isssue. If you bought the car used it may be that the car was lowered by the previous owner and then realigned to the new suspension. It might have been put back to stock before it was traded in, but not realigned. If the alignment doesn't solve the problem have your struts and front brakes checked out. Did the pads get replaced w/ stock pads? I run Hawk HP + on my front brakes and the initial bite is much greater than the stock pads. It takes a little getting used to. Also the way the Mazdas handle does require you to hang on to the wheel a little more in higher speed corners. It's just the nature of the beast since it was designed as a driver's car. I don't think that is what you are feeling though. Let us know what comes out of the alignment. I have a feeling there is something weird going on there.