jef3380

Any 993 or Cayman owners here (examples of later than 1989 Porsches with Power Steering) who can comment on the road feel of the Power Steering Porsches versus the 911 manual steering road feel of the 911 SC or 911 3.2?

jef3380

I have very limited Porsche experience and am looking for a fun car to drive (no track or auto cross) and keep. Recently I drove a 1988 911 and thought the manual steering was very good: not too hard to turn at rest, easy to turn when just moving and had what I thought was a good road feel. I also drove a 993 and thought the power steering was not as good: seemed too heavy and a constant effort that appeared to be the same at 5 MPH and 50 MPH. Seems like the hydraulic steering is unnatural and causes loss of road feel. I am wondering if the manual steering on the 911 SC and 911 3.2 isn't one of the special features of these Porsches and something that will not be repeated in future automobiles? I should say that I don't have enough Porsche (and other makes) experience to know what is great from what is run of the mill average.

TroyN

The superior feel and feedback of the manual steering in my SC was one of the reasons I decided to sell my 993. No comparison, the power steering just felt numb to me after I got used to the SC. YMMV...

abe

I know its not a 993, but I have a 997 and an 83SC. I love the feel of the manual steering on the 83SC...you really feel connected to the road. The power steering just doesn't feel the same... you feel like there is a layer between you and the road. Since cars today are much heavier, I doubt Porsche will have manual steering on future Carreras...imho.
abe

Norske

I don't mind the power steering at all, not as much feel, but it is really no bother. I know that if you have really wide front wheels, the power steering really helps.

kusee pee

When I moved to my 3.2 from my 964 turbo the biggest positive difference was the steering. You can't beat the feel of a non-power-assisted wheel. It was a revelation. Prior to that I thought the steering in my 964C2 had been great but the 3.2 is much better IMO.

G-Man993

I agree. I have a 993C4S (owned 11 years and an awesome car) but I have just bought a 1970 911 modifed to be a 73 RS replica. I LOVE the manual steering. It just has so much feelfun and is beatifully weighted too. I've actually wondered what it would be like to covert a 993 to manual sterrtng (if its possible)?

MUSSBERGER

A half an hour on the track in the SC with 245's on the front on a rough track can kick the crap out of you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtrhv8sk1z0

In the 997 it's a Sunday drive.