I have been on this site for a few months now, and find it strange that things we have in Britain, you guys don't get on your smarts, and vice versa, we don't get the tire pressure sensors for one.
My smart Roadster has an ESP off button on the dash, it only disables the traction control so you can get wheelspin and do a bit of drifting, on a track of course, but you still have full ABS function, reading this thread, that is exactly what you guys are after, and there is no clear reason that I can see, why you could'nt have it as standard, they only need to put a disclaimer in the user manual, like they have done over here, that says you should never switch it off under normal circumstances, they don't actually tell you when you should switch it off
Anyway, here is a piccy of said switch.
tcs, please keep us updated. I'm not even a full week (or tank of gas) into my 451 and already dreading the Power Steering option on the highway. It feels like I'm constantly fighting the wheel, which always wants to be straight. I like to do ever-so-subtle course corrections, but really my arms just come out tired after about 5miles on the highway. And this is coming from a car that did NOT have power steering, so it isn't that my arms aren't up to the task, the task of fighting against the electric power steering SUCKS!!! I love it on the street and in parking lots, but not on the highway (stupid Active Steering Centering ).
Last edited by uberpanzer; 02-06-2009 at 08:02 PM.
. I'm not even a full week (or tank of gas) into my 451 and already dreading the Power Steering option on the highway. It feels like I'm constantly fighting the wheel, which always wants to be straight. I like to do ever-so-subtle course corrections, but really my arms just come out tired after about 5miles on the highway. ).
Sounds to me like you better visit your dealer and have your steering checked. I have driven mine on the NYC metro area interstates every work day for months and about 8500 miles. I've never felt like I've had to fight the power steering. With strong cross winds, I'll have to do a little correcting, but that's the wind, not the steering.
Last edited by mvaldes; 02-09-2009 at 04:51 PM.
Reason: typo
Sounds to me like you better visit your dealer and have your steering checked. I have driven mine on the NYC metro area interstates every work day for months and about 8500 miles. I've never felt like I've had to fight the power steering. With strong cross winds, I'll have to do a little correcting, but that's the wind, not the steering.
Nah, I'm just used to the steering of my other cars that do NOT actively try to center the wheel, well other than natural physics. It WANTS to stay centered more than the force of the car moving down the road. There is no reason that this car with power steering should be harder to steer at highway speeds than my car withOUT power steering, other than the Active Steering Centering. Don't get me wrong, it isn't that I CAN'T turn the wheel at those speeds, it is just that the effort that it takes to do the minor course corrections that driving on the highway in SoCal at about 80mph is more effort that it takes in my other cars. And once I get the wheel turned a little, it is also noticeable that the 'resistance' goes away and there is a little bit of a 'jump' to being a bit more steering input that I wanted to make. The EASY way out is to be able to switch off the power steering. The HARD way out is to get used to the car.
tcs, please keep us updated. I'm not even a full week (or tank of gas) into my 451 and already dreading the Power Steering option on the highway. It feels like I'm constantly fighting the wheel, which always wants to be straight. I like to do ever-so-subtle course corrections, but really my arms just come out tired after about 5miles on the highway. And this is coming from a car that did NOT have power steering, so it isn't that my arms aren't up to the task, the task of fighting against the electric power steering SUCKS!!! I love it on the street and in parking lots, but not on the highway (stupid Active Steering Centering ).
I have the electric power steering on my passion coupe, and I've never noticed a problem with it. It honestly sounds like you're maybe fighting the steering. I'm not going to say that this car steers itself on the highway, but it isn't going to run off the road, either. Not unless something significant causes it! If you can learn to just relax on the wheel and let the little corrections take care of themselves, I think you'll enjoy it a lot more. I've had mine since last May, and it's got about 9600 miles on it right now, and I drive interstate back and forth to work every day, and (trust me here), the interstate between my house and work is anything BUT smooth. Still, it's just not a problem. IMHO!
Last edited by bigcritter; 02-10-2009 at 05:27 PM.
I also have power steering and mine does not try to self center in any weird or overpowering way. You might try to compare yours to another and see if something is out of spec.
I have the power steering also, and I somewhat notice self-centering when I run through a heavily traveled road with ruts a mile deep, and the narrow wheelbase. If I can 'ride the hump' then everything's fine. New asphalt, low speed, no problems.
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I have driven mine on the NYC metro area interstates every work day for months and about 8500 miles. I've never felt like I've had to fight the power steering. With strong cross winds, I'll have to do a little correcting, but that's the wind, not the steering.
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