Servotronic...I don't like this thing, and here's what I'm doing with it!

[spiderspider]

So...the steering on this car has never felt right to me. It's just way too light. I also own an e46 330i and an e90 328i and preferred the steering feel on both those cars to the M3. I like the feeling of resistance and weight in the steering wheel. So last night, I pulled the plug...literally, on the servotronic in an effort to de-Audi-fy my car. What a difference! I'm not sure it's for everyone, but it sure makes the beefy steering wheel feel more appropriate. I'll be keeping it like this from now on. The car feels so much more solid now. Parking lot maneuvering obviously requires more effort, but I did not buy this car for its ease in parking. Anyone can try this out in however long it takes you to jack up the car, remove the front drivers side wheel and unplug the connector (and tape it up with electrical tape). No dashboard lights are triggered, though I'm sure a scanner would pick something up.

If anyone else tries this, let me know your opinion.

[nholmes]

That .gif though

[Rainer M]

Not sure about disconnecting something.
But if this works for you then you might be able to wire a switch in instead of just disconnecting.
This way you could turn it of during driving and on for the times when you are slow like parking.

[IIAp3x]

That's how I felt about my EDC, except instead of throwing it out the window I paid a guy $50 to code it out and delete it...

You may be able to code it out instead?

[spiderspider]

Good suggestions guys. I do know the servotronic can be coded. But honestly, i'm stoked with how it is right now completely uplugged, and I can't see any issues with doing so. No dash codes at least. Again, the car just feels right to me now. The tightness of the steering with the stiffness of the chassis and the big beefy steering wheel, all with the instant throttle reponse. It's car heaven. The gummi pflege did away with all the squeaks, so when i go over bumps the car is dead silent and not disrupted at all. Feels like old school BMW.

[RoshDawg]

Originally Posted by spiderspider

Good suggestions guys. I do know the servotronic can be coded. But honestly, i'm stoked with how it is right now completely uplugged, and I can't see any issues with doing so. No dash codes at least. Again, the car just feels right to me now. The tightness of the steering with the stiffness of the chassis and the big beefy steering wheel, all with the instant throttle reponse. It's car heaven. The gummi pflege did away with all the squeaks, so when i go over bumps the car is dead silent and not disrupted at all. Feels like old school BMW.

This is a huge game changer. Very interested in doing this but would definitely prefer a coded option too. Is it similar to having to power steering? I drove a 4C and at speed it felt perfect, but you really had to work it during parking. Will this be identical?

And what do you mean with 'gummi pflege'? What's that and what squeaking exactly does this remove?

[oolas3]

BPM allows for servotronic changes as part of the tune.

[spiderspider]

Originally Posted by RoshDawg

This is a huge game changer. Very interested in doing this but would definitely prefer a coded option too. Is it similar to having to power steering? I drove a 4C and at speed it felt perfect, but you really had to work it during parking. Will this be identical?

And what do you mean with 'gummi pflege'? What's that and what squeaking exactly does this remove?

You do have to work it while parking, which i don't mind and I'm getting accustomed to. It is heavier than my E46 and E90.

I had pretty bad squeaking from my door seals, over every bump or uneven surface when there was some flex. Gummi pflege is a lubricant/conditioner applied to the rubber seals (after washing them with soap and water I might add) that eliminates these squeaks.

[BPMSport]

Better to get a proper tune and have the servotronic remapped to your liking

[6mtguy]

+1 for BPM tune, Servotronic Steering Changes

[STooK]

Hmm didn't know you could do this. I also had a e92 335i and loved the heavy steering at first. But after getting the m3, I never looked back. the m3 steering is actually one of my favorite parts of the car, it's not unnecessarily heavy like the 335 at low speeds but at high speeds it's like a rock. Not sure why anyone would want to go back to the 335 steering feel.

[Alex Lipowich]

Can someone confirm that the plug shown visible in the photo is the plug that goes to the base of the steering rack?

Assuming it's to a solenoid or valve on th neck of the rack?

[thakid22]

My 5 Series with servotronic allows for the tuning to be coded.
You can program the steering assist at specific speeds. I coded a bit of assist at rest.
From 10mph up, I steeply reduced the assist, eventually arriving at zero boost at 30 mph.
Feels phenomenal. Nice in the parking lot, but beastly on the road.

[davesaddiction]

+2 for BPM Servo tune

[Aleksandar]

I pulled the connector today too..Cause I have a clunk from steering rack when turning fast steering wheel left-right especially after drive.

The knock is 90% gone but the steering is brutally heavy Too heavy for DD and slow traffic. At first I thought did I lose my servo lol

I mean yeah I like it this way it feels like some old Viper haha but I think it's bad for steering rack ( because you need 3x force and especially for tie rods and U joint (steering shaft) cause its too much force on this 3 parts now.

[NTAC]

+another for the BPM servo tune. Added some heaviness but not too much.