aqais81

i have a 2004 530i .. my steering wheel feels really heavy..
specially when i tried my friends (525, 530 2005 & 525 2004) they all are really light and easy to steer comparing to mine!!

any ideas why mine is that way ?? does it have to do (im just guessing here) with steering wheel oil or sth. ?

Canada545

Do you have active steering? (perhaps your driving to close to the curb )

Ray Hull

You probabaly don't have Air Bags....

On a more serious note, if you have performance (read: sticky) tires, they always require more steering wheel input than touring or snow. Also, here, I have heard that there are differences in power steering assists that vary by software version. I don't know anything about that but if you try searching "steering effort" or something like that, you should find a fairly recent discussion of this.

Cheers, and keep those air bags full.

Ray Hull

Ricracing

Must be something wrong with the Power Steering.

My car doesn't have Active Steering and even with my 245/40 18" summer wheels I have no problem
with parking etc.

One odd possibilty could be, that you have 245 tires and the tire pressure is really low in you front tires.

It would be nice if you updated your whereabouts and car data!

JStraw

Is there a difference between your's and your friends tire setup? I noticed when I switched to my winter setup, the steering felt much lighter.

speedracerF4i

Check your tire pressure, as it may be too low.

aqais81

Is there a difference between your's and your friends tire setup? I noticed when I switched to my winter setup, the steering felt much lighter.
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first of all .. i live in kuwait so .. that itself will eleminate the possibility that any of them have the winter package or tires

as for the tire setup..
here in kuwait the dealer offer the 530i with 18" run flat tires as standard.. im not sure about the width .. but they all come in the same size unless u order otherwise.. (i changed my tires to performance.. again i dont remember the exact dimentions.. im no expert :<)
and the dealer offer 16" (i think) perfocrmance tires with the 525 .. but one of my friends who have the 525 upgraded to the 18"

if it helps i also have some squeaking noises coming from the steering wheel when i turn (can this be the reason?!) .. not strong noises though.. im supposed to take it for regular oil change soon.. and will tell them about that..

Ricracing

if it helps i also have some squeaking noises coming from the steering wheel when i turn (can this be the reason?!) .. not strong noises though.. im supposed to take it for regular oil change soon.. and will tell them about that..
[/quote]

Your Power Steering is broken, your car needs a service at once!

Too much sand, I suppose.

BMW530

Maybe the cars you've tried has got Servotronic Steering or Active Steering. There are 3 possible combinations of steering on the earlier E60s. I believe Servotronic Steering is now standard on the new E60s.

Mr 5er

I have to go along with low tire pressure, Make sure all tires are up to standard recommended pressure. Also.... could it be possible your front end may be slightly out of alignment?????