mazda3 steering feel

[Roywhitep5]

is it just me or does the mazda3 have a really numb steering feel compared to the p5?

[Mazda3]

Its just you.

[Dre]

Yup, just you.

I much prefer the 3 steering wheel to the P5's. When I drive my girlfriend's P5 it feels wierd.

[KpaBap]

It's all relative.

To me, EVERY car has a dead steering feel, but one :D

Then again, Mazda did put those secret brain plugs in their seatbacks.

[Roywhitep5]

Originally posted by Dre
Yup, just you.

I much prefer the 3 steering wheel to the P5's. When I drive my girlfriend's P5 it feels wierd.

i think it was the cars weight that was throwing me off

[LeeLee]

I used to confuse NVH with good steering/road feedback. But then I drove a Prelude and realized that NVH is just NVH and that good steering feedback is something else entirely.

The P5 definitely has more NVH than the 3 from what I hear, but having driven a wide selection of cars, not to mention rentals, I think the 3's steering is very well done. The last P5 I drove was from July, and I don't really remember enough from that experience to draw a valid comparison.

[Equinox]

the mazda 3 has an electronic steering rack

[jaymode]

excuse me for being an idot but what is NVH?

[scott42]

^^I second that (I'm thinking, Noise, Vibration, H______?)

[orange330]

When I drove the 3 I thought it sucked compared to my pro 5. just felt to much like my wife's jetta, very soft. maybe it was the tires, wheels etc, dunno. the salesman asked when i was going to trade up to the three and i just laughed and said NEVER. it's supposed to be stiffer than the p5 but i wasn't feeling it.

[Equinox]

Originally posted by orange330
When I drove the 3 I thought it sucked compared to my pro 5. just felt to much like my wife's jetta, very soft. maybe it was the tires, wheels etc, dunno. the salesman asked when i was going to trade up to the three and i just laughed and said NEVER. it's supposed to be stiffer than the p5 but i wasn't feeling it.

unfortunately the mz3 handles the skid pad better, so it /is/ stiffer =/

[Dre]

Originally posted by scott42
^^I second that (I'm thinking, Noise, Vibration, H______?)

Noise Vibration Harshness

[Dre]

Originally posted by orange330
it's supposed to be stiffer than the p5 but i wasn't feeling it.

The car is stiffer, not the steering.

[RHAGEL]

Originally posted by Dre
Noise Vibration Harshness
I actually think that it is Harmonics which has to do with the noise that is made my vibrations in the car.

[RHAGEL]

....I think

[Dre]

http://www.acronymfinder.com/af-query.asp?p=dict&String=exact&Acronym=NVH

http://www.nvhmaterials.com/

http://www.sae.org/automag/nvh_challenges/

I can go on ;)

[RHAGEL]

Its all good, I was wrong. I just heard that from one of my buddies, now I can be the smartass and show them up.:p

[leungwingkei]

better tires also increase skidpad grip.

[StreetPreacher]

Originally posted by leungwingkei
better tires also increase skidpad grip.

Wouldn't the larger wheels (17") on the 3 also help in that respect?

I've driven my brothers 3, and I agree that the steering does feel softer. The response just isn't as immediate as it is in my P5, and that's what i consider 'good' steering. In the p5 I can give it a little jerk of the wheel and the car immediately responds to change lanes. In the 3 you jerk the wheel, wait a second, then the car reacts.

At least that was my impression.

-Sp

[leungwingkei]

exactly. and people claim the matrix handles better than the p5 because it has a higher skidpad number.