986S vs 987S steering feel

[eslai]

I test drove a 2004 986S before I bought my 2005 987S. One of the reasons I didn't buy a 986 was because the steering feel was so slow and numb. The 987 felt "right", which was factored into my decision.

[musicboy]

Tire size and type also make a huge difference. When I bought my 02 it had 18" with well worn Pirellis and I thought it felt like a truck (a very pretty truck). I switched to 16" with Michelins and it was MUCH better, but I was getting some tire squeal and slip in low speed cornering. Finally went to 17" Bridgestones and this, for me, is the best compromise. Feeling is not quite as enjoyable as with the 16", but tons and tons of grip in corners.

[Perfectlap]

^ yeah I've had the same experience in every car whose wheels I upgraded to bigger. The one swap that wasn't as diluted was going to larger but lighter wheels. I think its got more to do with the weight than the wheel size. Tire weight is even more of an impact. I had R-comp Toyo RA-1s and my 20 pound wheels felt like 28 pound OEMs. But man are those some durable puppies for a barely legal tire and they work in the rain.

[Jacques79]

Originally Posted by eslai

I test drove a 2004 986S before I bought my 2005 987S. One of the reasons I didn't buy a 986 was because the steering feel was so slow and numb. The 987 felt "right", which was factored into my decision.

That's funny because I test drove a Lotus Elise today and I didn't think it had that much better steering feel than my stock 2000 Boxster S.

And the Lotus Elise is considered THE best car in the world in terms of steering feel.

Aside from a Lotus Elise I haven't driven a current production car that have better steering feedback.

So you're saying the 987S communicates more road surface changes through vibrations in the steering wheel than the 986S?

I'm veryyyy curious to test drive one tomorrow if that's the case.

[eslai]

Originally Posted by Jacques79

So you're saying the 987S communicates more road surface changes through vibrations in the steering wheel than the 986S?

Well, really what I cared most about was the responsiveness of the rack. Sure, they're all fairly dead these days as far as road feel goes--but you get enough feel either way.

The 987 felt more "telegraphic" if you know what I mean. It felt toed-out, almost. The 986 felt like it took many more degrees of input before the car woke up.

Hope that's descriptive enough.

[Hops]

Originally Posted by Jacques79

So you're saying the 987S communicates more road surface changes through vibrations in the steering wheel than the 986S?

I don't think that is true. If anything, I think the 987S communicates less to you. But, as I mentioned in my last post, it is as if the 987S suspension takes care of more for you and doesn't bother to tell you about things you don't need to know. It's kind of like an agent acting on your behalf.

However, as the previous posted noted, the 987S is more responsive to driver input. So, the car is telling you less about the little details of the road, but it is very perceptive to the instructions you are telling it.

A car with higher limits and lower feedback ordinarily is a dangerous combination, especially in a mid-engine design, but the 987S gives you clear messages when things are getting close to the edge, and I have found that it isn't too hard to control near the limit. I've only had PSM kick in once, and it was by choice. I intentionally pushed it past the limit on an on-ramp with lots of room for error.

[Jacques79]

Originally Posted by Hops

I don't think that is true. If anything, I think the 987S communicates less to you. But, as I mentioned in my last post, it is as if the 987S suspension takes care of more for you and doesn't bother to tell you about things you don't need to know. It's kind of like an agent acting on your behalf.

However, as the previous posted noted, the 987S is more responsive to driver input. So, the car is telling you less about the little details of the road, but it is very perceptive to the instructions you are telling it.

A car with higher limits and lower feedback ordinarily is a dangerous combination, especially in a mid-engine design, but the 987S gives you clear messages when things are getting close to the edge, and I have found that it isn't too hard to control near the limit. I've only had PSM kick in once, and it was by choice. I intentionally pushed it past the limit on an on-ramp with lots of room for error.

So basically:

986S= Better steering feel, steering wheel follows the road more and doesn't go back to center automatically: more like an E30 M3

987S= Better steering response, quicker turn in, but steering feels more numb and isolated from the road: more like a Honda S2000

[Hops]

I haven't driven the S2000, but from what I've read, the 987S is more similar to the later model S2000, which are less apt to bite the driver for mistakes in weight transfer. The point being that the early S2000 models didn't communicate problems well enough. In comparison the 987S is often held up as a car that is easy to push hard. There is probably some truth to your comparison.

Comparing M3 vs. Boxster is tough because they are very different cars. I guess if you try to isolate steering feel, I agree with your comment. So many other factors make that a tough thing to isolate. To me, M3 is all about the engine, with the suspension and handling intended to manage the power. The Boxster is a car that frankly "overhandles" compared to the power it makes. It could easily stand up to 350-375 HP without getting tough to manage. In general, the mid-engined Boxster seems to have much better balance. Making these general comments just to explain that I do not find the M3 an easy comparison...