"C. E. White" > wrote in message >...
> Mark wrote:
> >
> > Anyone else having problems getting use to the electric steering?
> > After just over a month it still seems odd. Harder to control then
> > regular steering at high speeds. It feels tight when you start to move
> > the wheel on the highway then after what seems like only a 1/4 inch
> > turn of the wheel the assist kicks in and the next thing you know your
> > a lane over unless you backoff on the amount of force you have on the
> > wheel. I guess that's the variable assist at work. I took the car back
> > to the dealer for 2 days, they tested and found nothing wrong. Three
> > guys drove it and felt nothing. All within spec's. I did drive a 2005
> > ion coupe and noticed it felt normal. Two differences is it was a
> > 2005, mine is 2004 and it had steel wheels and 14" tires, mine is the
> > alloy with 16 inch.
>
> Make sure your tire pressures are properly adjusted. Too
> high a pressure and things get squirrely.
>
> Regards,
>
> Ed White


Tire pressure is at 32psi. The conclusion I have come to is; it's just
the nature of the beast. The variable steering beast that is! Around
town you couldn't ask for any better steering. Turning ease is
fantastic in parking lots and around the streets. But above 40 on a 2
lane road and on the highway...yicks it's a different story. I feel it
takes too much effert to turn the steering wheel and it take very
little turn of the wheel to get the car to move left or right. So what
happens is a little oversteering one way then the other until the car
is back in the center of the lane. Just doesn't feel comfortable. I
didn't feel this in the 2005 Ion Coupe, but then it had the smaller
tires and steel wheels. Mine has the higher performance Firestones and
alloys. Tires are wider and lower profile so that might be adding some
to the feeling. Also maybe too many years of driving hydralic steering
that operats at one level of assist all the time.