Steering Feel

[ShadesOfBloo]

If you have a PP GT, the answer is NO.

Yeah, I suspected as much.

Important to note that a better/bigger improvement to the steering came with new springs, dampers, camber plates, and camber of 1.7°. More money and bigger improvement.

Is that 1.7° all around?

You could, however, replace the Tension link and install a 4-point G-Track brace.

I've installed a similar brace in my 240SX and was quite happy with the results.
For that car, I was also able to buy a steering rack with a quicker ratio than the original.
Judging by what I've read of Ford's "Boss 302R" steering rack, the improvement over any other S197 was almost entirely in the software.
So, I wonder if Ford is working on a software improvement for the S550, or if they just don't care enough to try.

The issue is price versus improvement.

Yes.

Will you be doing the work yourself?

Nope.
I'm not a mechanic. If I decide to go to my base "hobby shop" to rent a lift and install that brace myself, at my slow-ass amateur pace I'm worried I'd have to leave the car at the shop overnight, and pay accordingly.

The part of this that the OP might want to consider:
Getting a Performance Pack car means you start out with above-average steering feel for a Mustang. I'm going to look at it as saving me money on aftermarket parts because so much stuff out there is only as good as what my car has from the factory.
The steering feel may not be as good as a Camaro (largely because Chevy had a head start in developing EPAS) but to me the deciding factors were that the Mustang gave me a better field of view, was a little easier to get in and out of, and it was WAY nicer to look at.

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[Vlad Soare]

So, I wonder if Ford is working on a software improvement for the S550, or if they just don't care enough to try.

I'm sure they care, and I'm sure they do try. But the problem is, they don't try to make it attractive to a handful of driving enthusiasts. They want to make it attractive to the majority of the potential buyers. And what those really want is to be as isolated as possible from the road, to feel as if they were floating above the road. For them the EPAS is bliss. Ask ten people how they feel about the EPAS, and nine of them will say they adore it.

What I don't quite get is why an EPAS feels numb, while a hydraulic power steering system doesn't. I don't think it's just the amount of assistance, because I've seen hydraulic racks which were at least as light as some of the electric ones. It must be something else.

 

[ShadesOfBloo]

What I don't quite get is why an EPAS feels numb, while a hydraulic power steering system doesn't. I don't think it's just the amount of assistance, because I've seen hydraulic racks which were at least as light as some of the electric ones. It must be something else.

I'm not sure of the reason, either, but industry-wide they know it's a thing.

I've heard and read reviewers mention the EPAS in a Camaro as having feedback almost as good as a hydraulic system. (And if Camaro buyers like that, I think it's strange that Mustang buyers supposedly don't.)

There was a video (I think on Motor Trend TV) where the hosts said they were resigned to most cars having electric power assist on the steering, and the nicest thing they ever said about it was if it felt almost as good as hydraulic power assist.
...Then they introduced the car they were reviewing and said McLaren was keeping hydraulic power steering, and they were really happy about that because it was the better system for a driver's car.

McLaren's change is that they're making the pump electric, and now its pumping effort isn't dependent on engine RPM.

 

[Järn]

Is that 1.7° all around?

1.7° Front, 1.5° Rear

 

[M-Driver]

I bought my 2016 GT EU Model with a Asch V1 Suspension and a sporty camber adjustment. The steering was very direct and fun to drive but unrelaxed on longer runs as you had to hold the steering wheel tight. I switched to a pedders suspension with a more neutral adjustment and the steering went from direct to numb. I guess you can get a more direct steering in trade of less directional stability by just fine tuning the adjustment of the suspension.

 

[Vlad Soare]

I bought my 2016 GT EU Model with a Asch V1 Suspension and a sporty camber adjustment. The steering was very direct and fun to drive but unrelaxed on longer runs as you had to hold the steering wheel tight. I switched to a pedders suspension with a more neutral adjustment and the steering went from direct to numb. I guess you can get a more direct steering in trade of less directional stability by just fine tuning the adjustment of the suspension.

I think you may be on to something. I suspect that the high amount of assistance that an EPAS is capable of allows the engineers to get away with extreme alignment angles, which weren't possible before. That may also explain why an electrically assisted stering rack is next to impossible to use when the assistance fails, unlike a hydraulic or a non-assisted one.

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