Parameter Steering

[ivegotcclass]

Anyone got this in the cars and can advise if it is any good?

Does it take away from the 'drive' of the car or add to the excitement?

I have a feeling I could either get annoyed with it or very used to it and want it in every car.

 

[SLinKyjoe]

I have. it makes the steering lighter at low speeds.

the previous SLK i had didnt have it and it was firm at low speeds. not heavy but firm. the new one is lighter. whether it is worth the money though is debateable. this in comparable with SLK's R171. on other vehicle types it may not be as noticeable.

you wont get annoyed with it. if you were infirm it would be helpful i suppose. i just have more money than sense.

 

[blassberg]

I like it so much that I forgot I had it! It came as standard on my model.

 

[jberks]

I've driven a car with it - you don't really notice its there until it dawns that it doesn't stiffen up when parking. Its a nice thing to have but as far as I know, it improves parking rather than affecting feel at speed. Think of it as an automatic version of the Fiat Girlie button!

 

[ivegotcclass]

It does sound good, I'm quite looking forward to trying it.

Does it affect tyre wear overall when 'dry steering' then?

 

[SLinKyjoe]

It does sound good, I'm quite looking forward to trying it.

Does it affect tyre wear overall when 'dry steering' then?

makes no difference. just makes the steering feel lighten as it boosts the power assistance at low speed. without it, your car will be power assisted for motoway driving as opposed to tight turns. so it feels firmer at lower speeds. som jap cars have very light steering but most german and english things will be similar in feel to mercs without parameter. at low speed it gets noticable lighter, nothing else. it isnt heavy tho.

BMW are having trouble shifting the £1700 option on the 5and 3 series with their direct steering thing. this means at low speed you only need to turn the steering wheel 1 lock and the wheels go from lock to lock but at speed it reduces the effect so you gain less movement of the wheels per turn as it were. seems troublesome according to reports.

not that i would wish to bring any issues about our competitors inferior products.

 

[ivegotcclass]

BMW are having trouble shifting the £1700 option on the 5and 3 series with their direct steering thing. this means at low speed you only need to turn the steering wheel 1 lock and the wheels go from lock to lock but at speed it reduces the effect so you gain less movement of the wheels per turn as it were. seems troublesome according to reports.

I was watching the old re-runs of Top Gear on UK People last night and I seen James May's road-test of the new (at the time) 5 series. He done a good job describing the B*W's version of Parameter Steering although did seem a little shocked that it cost so much as an extra.

I'm quite excited about what it feels like, can it be disabled or is it on all the time?

 

[blassberg]

can it be disabled or is it on all the time?

all the time as far as i know

 

[Rory]

I'm quite excited about what it feels like...

You might enjoy the E/S Class massaging seats option, then.

 

[ivegotcclass]

You might enjoy the E/S Class massaging seats option, then.

I think I will be that way without the massaging seats anyway!! It's a Merc for goodness sake! (is that being snobby?)

 

[SLinKyjoe]

all parameter steering is, is extra power assistance at low speeds. exactly the same as speed variable assistance. nothing else, it does not reduce the amount of turns lock to lock nor do anything flash. it justs boosts the assistance pressure at low speeds to reduce the work needed to steer the car. You will not notice it working. if you drive a car without it, it just feels a bit firmer in steering at low speeds. the sportier the car type the firmer the normal steering.

another way to look at it is, it reduces the assitance provided at higher speeds to give more feel. it is only new as it is fitted to the cars with Direct Steering, which is MB speak for rack and Pinion instead of the recirculating ball type.

the BMW device is attempt at finding the Holy Grail of Motoring Steering. in that it tries to make the car have one total lock to lock of the steering wheel to lock to lock of the steering wheels! at low speeds and more than one turn of the steering wheel to give you more control at high speeds. if you imagine driving at 70mph and then you change lanes, if you were to input the steering needed for lock to lock at 1 turn, you would be suprised by the cars reaction. of course if you get used to it but the power steering fails then at low speeds you would be unable to steer the car at all. In a BMW this is over come by standard power steering but the device senses low speeds and add fluid. so if the device itself fails then you get normal power steering, and if that fails you get heavier but normal steering. Mind you, last time i had power steering failed, I was driving a Volvo FL6.

BMW fitted an electric assistance device to over come this. so at low speeds it puts greater turn into the steering wheels (front) and reduces this at high speed. to give the impression you never need to take you hand off the steering wheel. Like F1 drivers. then they went and fitted a Manual gearbox and total destroys the effect they were after.

BMW have had speed variable assistance for years. thats exactly what they call it. I dont knwo the name of the new system. it will be refined and then most manufactures will introduce it in some guise. I assume.

 

[ARoosterinaRoadster]

I have. it makes the steering lighter at low speeds.

the previous SLK i had didnt have it and it was firm at low speeds. not heavy but firm. the new one is lighter. whether it is worth the money though is debateable. this in comparable with SLK's R171. on other vehicle types it may not be as noticeable.

you wont get annoyed with it. if you were infirm it would be helpful i suppose. i just have more money than sense.

Why does Mercedes Benz make such much more of simplistic features. This was quite simply always known as Speed Sensitive steering and was common enough on big Fords,Vauxhall,Jaguar and the like.
At parking speed it was light and did not induce Cardiac Failure in the older drivers and especially so when a female driver was behind the wheel but at regular road speed the steering became what most drivers of the day regarded as normal.

The worst experience that I had was driving a new Rover P6 with the 3.5 litre engine and Auto box.
The steering was so light at regular road speed it was insane ! and oversteer was not uncommon.

 

[sonic]

Early 90's I sold my VW Golf GTI 16V & bought a Vauxhall Nova 1.5TDI, so I could teach my son to drive.
No power steering & surprisingly wide 165 profile tyres, plus the heavy 1.5TDI over the front wheels.
The steering was really heavy particularly when the tyres were 80% worn.

 

[Blobcat]

Why does Mercedes Benz make such much more of simplistic features. This was quite simply always known as Speed Sensitive steering and was common enough on big Fords,Vauxhall,Jaguar and the like.
At parking speed it was light and did not induce Cardiac Failure in the older drivers and especially so when a female driver was behind the wheel but at regular road speed the steering became what most drivers of the day regarded as normal.

The worst experience that I had was driving a new Rover P6 with the 3.5 litre engine and Auto box.
The steering was so light at regular road speed it was insane ! and oversteer was not uncommon.

Because Rover listened to American research and included the “sneeze factor” into their steering so you could saw away at the wheel with little or no change in direction.

 

[ARoosterinaRoadster]

Because Rover listened to American research and included the “sneeze factor” into their steering so you could saw away at the wheel with little or no change in direction.

I assume that 'saw' was a typo and should have read snore !!

Perhaps the not so difficult to believe tale of the Winnebago driver that left the drivers seat in favour of letting 'Cruise Control' take over !!
It just shows that you do not need brains and intelligence to be comfortably well-off enough to afford one of those fuel gobbling monsters.

 

[brandwooddixon]

The concept of parameter steering being a new thing, all of the cars that I've owned have had it, Parametric Steering it was called. My first was a new W210 (such an early model that it hade the inline 6 petrol and not the V6).
Are the latest MBs still using hydraulic assistance or have they moved over to electric like a lot of other manufacturers?

 

[V6Matty]

We do all realise this is an 18 year old thread right?

 

[brandwooddixon]

I'll admit that I saw the post on the 4th June and didn't read further back! D'oh!