Our steering is judged a "10"...

[Lago Blue]

Here's a little encouragement, by way of a reminder, of how satisfying these cars are to drive (or can be when everything's right). If you are toiling away on your car and wondering if it's all worth it, have no doubt that it is, it has been so judged (from an old Car & Driver magazine (from the USA), a bit fuzzy but see "Best Steering" near bottom center)...

Car & Driver magazines 10 best Features mid-eighties 2.png

[Fat Audi 80]

I have never understood some of the criticism of the S2 steering. My '93 ABY has a nice weightly feel and I really like it.

[Error404]

Lol, you’re a month late on April fools jokes

[david1980]

Its like saying the titanic had decent steering

[steve briance]

the biggest problem with the Titanic was that the ice warning on the outside temperature gauge was faulty

[Lago Blue]

(sound of Bosun's whistle) "Bridge to Engineering..."

Well, I'm sorry if you don't yet enjoy how yours may be performing. Alex, I know you've incorporated a good deal of mods to steering, some of which I hope to replicate on my own car. I do hope that you persevere and achieve some measure of, in your view a more desire-able result, may I call it a "Club Sport" solution; before you abandon ship. I do maintain that our back-wards 911's are certainly deserving of our continued ministrations towards improved sea-worthiness.

I think my own recipe for satisfaction here is pretty mild by comparison, but also I am only seeking an excellent touring car in its' response:
- Stock size wheels and tires;
- Front suspension height is a) very near stock, or b) slightly higher (A-arms still point generously down-wards), rear in both cars is a little lower (all main-springs have plastic isolators top and bottom);
- All the major stock bushings re-newed and reinforced a decade ago;
- Almost no poly bushes (B3 A/R bar links and B4 rear upper Eiffel-arm's inners only)
- Stock alignment settings;
- Certainly it's not the ATF running through its' veins and by some magnets alone (the biggest deviation from stock) that makes me happy.

If an old 911 can be transformed into a respectable hydro-foil of a car, then all these years later, to some degree, so can the B2, 3 & 4's. We simply need to "Make it so".

[LHD_Kid]

But, it also says the SAAB 9000 engine delivers the goods without lag or sag...

I had one, it's a 90's turbo car... Lag was it's life calling, along with understeer and torque steer...

[Lago Blue]

Perhaps you make my point, it may be question of expectations and simple physics.

I'm sure it behaved exactly as you say, but why wouldn't it? With 3000 plus pounds, front-wheel drive, 200hp, likely an open diff and unequal length drive-shafts, how could it not?

With less than 5 cylinders, there isn't overlap between the individual cylinder's events, so spool-up will be perhaps adequate but modest, how could it be otherwise?

However despite the above, it must have appealed to some folks, as there were 17 different versions and it was in production for 15 years, hardly a failure.

It was also perhaps the largest car the 3 companies involved had ever made, and (being a "fat" 900) was made for exactly what, for selling the idea of luxury commuting and touring! Even the factory special edition (for the U.S., the car's largest market) was named Talladega, after a circuit not known for requiring either low-speed acceleration, cornering prowess (or really any "cornering" of any normally recognizable kind) or even much gear-shifting.

My point is these are all mere passenger cars, hardly homologation specials, and that they might have any sporting capabilities whatsoever is remarkable, a tribute to both conspiratorial engineers and inattentive accountants. We lucky few.

Here's the Sprongl brother's car, that won in 1998 (record time stood for 13 years) and again in 1999 the Mt Washington hill-climbs, rotating the car and getting some fresh air, which must have required at least some inherent decent steering capability (I got to drive up and down the course afterwards that day, somewhat more sedately!).

Mt Washington 1998, Frank Sprongl, Toronto.png Mt. Washington 1999, Frank Sprongl, Toronto.png Mt Washington course 1.png Mt Washington course 2.png

Roof cam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_c...ture=emb_title

In car: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NE-...8#action=share

[AndyP]

But, it also says the SAAB 9000 engine delivers the goods without lag or sag...

I had one, it's a 90's turbo car... Lag was it's life calling, along with understeer and torque steer...

I used to drive one of those, a 9000SE 2.3turbo , 220bhp I think, the torque steer was epic

[Error404]

(sound of Bosun's whistle) "Bridge to Engineering..."

Well, I'm sorry if you don't yet enjoy how yours may be performing. Alex, I know you've incorporated a good deal of mods to steering, some of which I hope to replicate on my own car. I do hope that you persevere and achieve some measure of, in your view a more desire-able result, may I call it a "Club Sport" solution; before you abandon ship. I do maintain that our back-wards 911's are certainly deserving of our continued ministrations towards improved sea-worthiness.

I think my own recipe for satisfaction here is pretty mild by comparison, but also I am only seeking an excellent touring car in its' response:
- Stock size wheels and tires;
- Front suspension height is a) very near stock, or b) slightly higher (A-arms still point generously down-wards), rear in both cars is a little lower (all main-springs have plastic isolators top and bottom);
- All the major stock bushings re-newed and reinforced a decade ago;
- Almost no poly bushes (B3 A/R bar links and B4 rear upper Eiffel-arm's inners only)
- Stock alignment settings;
- Certainly it's not the ATF running through its' veins and by some magnets alone (the biggest deviation from stock) that makes me happy.

If an old 911 can be transformed into a respectable hydro-foil of a car, then all these years later, to some degree, so can the B2, 3 & 4's. We simply need to "Make it so".

Two fundamental issues with the steering (Which I class separately to the actual physical cornering ability) are tiny castor angle and the monumental bump steer caused by the steering rack being 18 inches out of position. Both issues I plan to address during the second decade of my ownership

[John.]

Two fundamental issues with the steering (Which I class separately to the actual physical cornering ability) are tiny castor angle and the monumental bump steer caused by the steering rack being 18 inches out of position. Both issues I plan to address during the second decade of my ownership

That's the thing, there's steering and there's handling. To be classed separately as you say.