Is it normal for a steering wheel to do this on a "stiff" car on certain roads?

[Cobra Jet]

Also to note:
Check your tire pressures (when cold) and make sure tire pressures are at optimum psi per the tire pressure decal on the driver side B-pillar (or per Tire Manufacturers recommended psi).

The S550, depending on option packages has a wider tire than some other non-sport cars or even older performance vehicles. The wider the tire, the more "jerkiness" will be felt and will be visibly noticed through steering wheel feedback. Tram lining is more present on roads with severe crowns or worn in ruts.

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[mediumrare]

What steering mode are you in (comfort, normal, sport)? If you want less movement and feedback, try sport.

normal, wouldn't sport steering be stiffer and therefore move more?

 

[njweatherman]

normal, wouldn't sport steering be stiffer and therefore move more?

I thought in sport mode it would not have a tendency to move as easy.

 

[Norm Peterson]

The way writers describe stuff is exactly the type of thing I thought of when I first experienced this, I expected some type of "road feedback" but wouldn't expect the actual wheel to move back and forth like that, just though it means feeling bumps and vibrations.

As far as I know, Ford's EPAS also features drift-pull and active nibble compensations, which are attempts at reducing how much steering input the driver needs to keep up with on, say, crowned roads or when there might be some minor wheel imbalance or steering/suspension/alignment asymmetries.

It was really bad in what IIRC was the 2011 Mustangs - completely intolerant of swapping polyurethane bushings into the front control arms, for example. I'm somewhat less than sure that it still doesn't get things right every time.


Norm

 

[Dfeeds]

normal, wouldn't sport steering be stiffer and therefore move more?

No. Sport artificially makes the wheel harder to turn but actually makes the steering numb, in my experience. I turn on sport when I'm on uneven terrain and am struggling to keep a straight line due to tramlining. You'll just have to try it yourself. Basically the car will be bouncing back and forth but the wheel doesn't budge. Turn on comfort and you now have a lot more feedback of the road. I drive in comfort most of the time, because of this. It also makes the car feel a bit more nimble, for obvious reasons.

 

[mediumrare]

No. Sport artificially makes the wheel harder to turn but actually makes the steering numb, in my experience. I turn on sport when I'm on uneven terrain and am struggling to keep a straight line due to tramlining. You'll just have to try it yourself. Basically the car will be bouncing back and forth but the wheel doesn't budge. Turn on comfort and you now have a lot more feedback of the road. I drive in comfort most of the time, because of this. It also makes the car feel a bit more nimble, for obvious reasons.

Are you turning comfort on every time you start the car? Do you know if there is a way to make comfort the default option for the normal drive mode?

 

[Zooks527]

Are you turning comfort on every time you start the car? Do you know if there is a way to make comfort the default option for the normal drive mode?

There isn't a way to make it the default, but if you use either MyMode or the steering button itself, it's two or three quick taps of a toggle. Do it on the same motion as pushing the start button and it'll be in Comfort before the idle even settles.

 

[bnightstar]

There isn't a way to make it the default, but if you use either MyMode or the steering button itself, it's two or three quick taps of a toggle. Do it on the same motion as pushing the start button and it'll be in Comfort before the idle even settles.

If I turn off my car when in Comfort mode for the steering it stays in Comfort mode when I turn it back on same if I switch to Sport+ and go back to Normal mode it will move the steering to Comfort. Maybe this is changed in newer MY's though.

 

[mediumrare]

Took the car to the dealer and apparently there are wheel spacers which I did not notice the previous owner installed and these are supposedly what is causing the steering wheel shake. Now do I just remove them, try to clean the surfaces or do I install nicer ones.

 

[Hillsndale]

It depends on what wheels you have. If they are aftermarket, you may or may not need spacers. You would have to verify fitment. Performance pack cars have bigger brake calipers to clear.

If you stay with spacers, it sounds like you need to replace those. Don't cheap out on them.

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