Comprehensive Steering Information Thread

[Radekxpl]

Thank you for confirming. I added the picture to post #3.



You can reuse the outer tie rods on you car unless you're looking to refresh them in which case I'd pick up a set of outer tie rods from FCP Euro and have a lifetime replacement warranty on them in case you ever fail a tie rod ball joint or bend one somehow.

Glad to contribute to this awesome informational thread 👍😊


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[S3diment]

Been reading through this and don’t have a definitive answer on what a viable steering upgrade would be for a 2002/MK20 car. Anyone provide insight?

[Thoglan]

S3diment 2002 mk20 car here, if you have a rhd car a solid steering coupler could be nice. Installed on mine but yet to drive with it. I also have a purple tag rack, no issues with it but yet to take it on track with the new rack nor do I run an aggressive wheel set up (yet).

[Obioban]

Been reading through this and don’t have a definitive answer on what a viable steering upgrade would be for a 2002/MK20 car. Anyone provide insight?

If you drive with DSC on, stay with the stock rack. You could bump up feel and heft a bit by shimming the regulator.

[ChipperM3]

Us MK20 guys need to pool some money together to throw at whoever can figure this out. This NEEDS to happen.

The DSC unit uses the output of the steering column rotation sensor to calculate which direction the wheels are pointed. Changing to a quicker rack will cause the DSC unit to assume less steering angle than is actually applied, and will not match the lateral G measured by the yaw sensor, so the car may think something is wrong and cut power / apply brakes as it thinks necessary.

The MK60 can be toggled to the ZCP steering settings when 50 mm/rev rack is installed and everything will work perfectly. I'm not aware of any such setting on the MK20.

There was someone on the old M3 Forum working on a dualCAN gateway that could be plugged in between the steering column sensor and DSC unit, to intercept the column sensor signal and scale it as necessary to maintain proper DSC function. Unfortunately, I don't remember his username. If anyone else has the skills to do it, the trick is to scale the column sensor output as follows:

[column sensor output] * [new rack mm/rev] / [stock rack mm/rev] * [stock knuckle steering arm length] / [new knuckle steering arm length]

[Volke]

I wish I could remember his forum handle. I know he was from Norway or Sweden or something like that. He posted in the DME threads a bit, and drove a 318ti or 325ti compact. Terraphantm might remember him.

Us MK20 guys need to pool some money together to throw at whoever can figure this out. This NEEDS to happen.

[S3diment]

S3diment 2002 mk20 car here, if you have a rhd car a solid steering coupler could be nice. Installed on mine but yet to drive with it. I also have a purple tag rack, no issues with it but yet to take it on track with the new rack nor do I run an aggressive wheel set up (yet).

Any issues so far with purple tag?

[Thoglan]

Any issues so far with purple tag?

Nope, my m3 is out of commission atm rebuilding the motor. Never ran into issues prior though. Set of square 9.5 wheels arriving mid March so will see if that starts causing issues. I am not a very aggressive driver on the street however, so my experience could be different.

That being said, I kept my original rack so if it started playing up I'd just put the old one back in. The difference between the two racks was not that huge.

[lvm3sm46]

How difficult is the shim install with the pump on the car? Also will I have to replace all the fluid?

[Obioban]

How difficult is the shim install with the pump on the car? Also will I have to replace all the fluid?

Not difficult.

Most of the fluid will leak out.

[bullet0770]

I hear sound while turning my car and steering fluid is leaking from the boot, most probably steering rack gone bye bye? I don't track my car and daily it, should I go with stock or yellow?

[Mr.wReckless]

How difficult is the shim install with the pump on the car? Also will I have to replace all the fluid?

I've done it a couple of times, and fluid will leak out yes, be prepared to catch it as the reservoir will drain. The valve/piston itself needs some persuasion to come out of the pump, I use a couple of magnets to a small socket that fits inside the pump that I push in then quickly retract so the valve spring will help push the valve/piston out.

Regards

[old///MFanatic]

I hear sound while turning my car and steering fluid is leaking from the boot, most probably steering rack gone bye bye? I don't track my car and daily it, should I go with stock or yellow?

Well depending on your DME version (car build date) you might not want to mess with the ratio. You don’t have your info posted in user info.
If your version is unable to code to CSL/ZCP rack setting then don’t even mess with it imho. Stay stock.

[Thoglan]

Well depending on your DME version (car build date) you might not want to mess with the ratio. You don’t have your info posted in user info.
If your version is unable to code to CSL/ZCP rack setting then don’t even mess with it imho. Stay stock.

Is this a confirmed issue people have? I have a 2002 MK20 car, with a purple tag rack and square 9.5J (have seen some say front wheel size impacts it). I have never once had DSC intervene in strange ways. Even when intentionally driving the car hard.

[lapoune]

Is this a confirmed issue people have? I have a 2002 MK20 car, with a purple tag rack and square 9.5J (have seen some say front wheel size impacts it). I have never once had DSC intervene in strange ways. Even when intentionally driving the car hard.

No it works fine (have couple cars with mk20\zcp\z3 racks and a car with mk60). Worst case turn off, not like mk20 dsc is any good anyway.