Hello,
Just picked up a new 2008 2.0T A3 S-line and I noticed that the steering seems hyper-sensitive. Any imperfection in the hwy affects the car's line and requires constant tiny corrections to keep it tracking straight in the lane. Also, highways around here have those grooves carved in them (for rain?) which really seem to pull the steering.
Is this normal for the A3 or maybe for small cars in general? Our other car is heavier with a longer wheelbase and softer suspension and doesn't seem to require such active/constant steering on long trips.
Will a tire change smooth the ride and make the car's steering less sensitive small road imperfections?
Will a tread pattern change make the tires less likely to be pulled by the road grooves?
It's running the stock Conti tires @ 36F/32R per manual spec. (initially was at 42PSI from dealer and very bumpy)
Feedback appreciated.
Zohar

 

Not sure about w/ the 2008, but for my 2006, I could use a VAG-COM to adjust the steering sensitivity.

 

I'm 99% sure that you can't adjust the steering sensitivity post 2006...heard it might cause some liability issues for Audi.

The S-line is a little firmer than stock, but I have lowered KWs that are much firmer than the S-line shocks, plus I have 225/35/18s so that again should make the car slightly more sensitive to road imperfections. That said, no problems. Actually, I had an a4 loaner for a few days and when I got my A3 back, can't believe how light the steering is in parking lots! But on the highway, I haven't noticed anything in terms of needing many corrections.

I guess I would:
1) Try another road, see if it is the grooves in the hwy. If so, write your gov't! (Good luck! javascript:void(AddText('[8\|]'))
2) Is it just you getting used to the car compared to your other car? May just be an adjustment period.
3) If that doesn't work, the dealer!
The last is because I'm a car NOOB so I can't actually fix anything on my own, but it seems to work flawlessly compared to my more mechanical friends attempts to fix their expensive late model cars!

 

The steering adjustment on 2006 A3's changes the boost of the power steering, not it's sensitivity. I've adjusted mine to different values from '5' all the way down to '0' and like it best at '1'. The differences are noticeable but subtle.

The A3 steering takes less effort then many other brands due to steering boost, but it is not an effect of car mass (the A3 is NOT a light car). There seems to be some consensus that the Premium package cars have a higher steering boost then the Sport versions.

zmann,
Lots of factors can create the sensitivity you describe, including road surface variations, alignment, tire width and tire design (both tread and internal construction). The 225mm wide tires on the A3 are generally considered right on the edge of being sensitive to road surface imperfections (wider is worse), and I would suspect that shorter sidewalls would also increase the sensitivity. I don't have any experience with the Continental tires, but on my former BMW, different brands reacted quite differently to road wear grooves and longitudinal cracks(called "tramlining"). A really good alignment helped very much, but looking for user comments about tramlining with different tires brands helped just as much. I think that a tire with a more rounded shoulder, and those with a continuous rib somewhere in the tread are less susceptible.

I suspect that once you spend more time with your A3, and play around with tire pressures a bit, you'll get used to it. If not, then I would suggest that the dealer do an accurate check of alignment, since this is not a typical complaint, unlike the many comments about too-light steering.

 

"tramlining"... Thanks- I did some searches and that describes exactly what's happening. Just needed the word for it. I'll give it a bit more time and maybe try different tires at some point.