And likes it, especially the steering. Nice to see a positive review. His pricing guidance is toppy for the UK right now though.
Listened to this on my run earlier and thanked him for a good review in the comments. With the upgrades available, I don’t agree that you HAVE to look for a later car and would certainly chose an earlier car in better condition any day, but other than that, pretty spot on.
I LOVE his reviews. He seems to be spot on with how cars “feel” and articulates his reviews so well. I think he is by far the most informative, average driver reviewer out there. Can’t wait to to watch.
Lovely. He needs to drive my Trev-tuned, Fabio exhaust car with upgraded brakes. In this review, he is driving a later car so likely has the mid pipe bypass hence sound. Also Jay just get the FHP steering controller in your 550…
Should say, I agree on steering. I have spent inordinate amount of time to make my 456m steer almost (but still not exactly as good) as my 575.
He is a bit strong on needing to find a later car but as the owner of a Nov-04 I can't be unhappy about that. It's the first review I've seen that's so (rightly) complementary about the steering.
Exactly what I was thinking. As an owner of a 550 with FHP I would strongly disagree that it is too much. For UK roads perhaps, but on the continent it has proved brilliant, also because of the sharper steering. I do drive a standard 550 from time to time and it is ok for pootling around like Jay does in all of his videos, but the FHP kit brings the handling to another level. IMO at least.
Enjoyable review. Although he's a bit loquacious at times, JayEmm for sure is one of the better automotive YouTubers. Re: steering feel, besides the ultra-quick ratio, I happen to like the lightness of the steering feel on the 550. Others don't so much, and that's fine. One other trait I find especially nice is its rock-solid solidity and stability. Going down the road at any speed there is absolutely no play like you have in most cars where you're having to make these constant minor corrections, especially at highway speeds. The car feels absolutely planted and there's no play or tram-lining whatsoever to contend with. Brilliant. All that said, I do plan to try out the MSW steering ECU this year as I'm curious to see what it's like by comparison.
He is on Fchat…. @JayEmm This is your forum if you want any constructive criticism or conversations, not just unchecked YT comments
Nice 575 .. looks just like my 550! @JayEmm if you're listening, for your 550, you want the MSW steering ECU, which is their improved version of the NLA FHP unit: https://www.ricambiamerica.com/175891-steering-ecu-fiorano.html Maybe also the MSW rear sway bar (aftermarket HGTC/FHP) https://www.ricambiamerica.com/210888m-rear-anti-roll-bar-msw.html And maybe also the fan harness https://www.ricambiamerica.com/as1-456-550-cooling-harness.html
I have always thought my 575 has the best steering feel of any car I’ve tried/owned, and I have a 2002. Suspension was definitely I think Jayemm’s review is spot on. My 575 has the best steering feel of all the cars I’ve owned or driven, and mine is a 2002. Admittedly it was very sloppy with the original steering ecu, but once I upgraded it, it has felt perfect, to the point I have not installed the fhp springs and bar that I collected.
Wow an FHP bar is hens teeth now. Measuring its resistance to deflection/twist would answer the rear bar comparison vs the new MSW bar.
Also I read my last post, I misspoke. The updated suspension ecu made the big difference in cleaning up the sloppiness. I did upgrade to the fhp steering Ecu too, which was nice, but not a game changer like the suspension ecu
I think @JayEmm is smart and handsome and I appreciated his piece on the white 612 @brogenville which I didn’t realize has been sold until now. #ImStillDreamingOfABiggerGarage
I think I got the manual pricing wrong, at the time of filming there were a few examples that were a bit optimistically priced, now gone (or dramatically reduced). The market has softened quite a bit, but not all owners have realised. As for my 550, I have had steering issues with it for quite some time. Considering it is one of the best bits about the car, I am sensitive to it going wrong. We had a dying power steering pump which got replaced, but one of the upsides seemed to be that the steering was heavier than I recalled at lower speeds - I loved it and it gave me huge confidence. Problem was it sometimes went light-heavy-light in quick succession, which of course isn't good. We got the pump replaced, but Meridien then diagnosed the steering as constantly too heavy, so they cleaned out the servotronic unit and said yep all good. I got the car back and hated it - steering way too light all the time. I figured maybe I've just gotten used to "broken" steering so I did get and fit the Skunkworks ECU already - it made no difference. My current theory is that the Servotronic unit when it was cleaned may have got itself jammed in the open "full assist" position. A 550 at speed with the short wheelbase, quick steering and no feel in the wheel is very unnerving. Not nice to drive. I've had a mare of a time finding a replacement Servotronic, wound up sourcing one from Italy - just waiting for that to arrive and fingers crossed it will give me back the steering I want. Far as I can tell a huge number of the components are shared between 550 and 575, so no reason I can't get it to feel just as good (or close to it)
Ok, the little ZF box that "of course" does not seem available separately from the rack. Good luck and let us know how you get on. As my 550 has the FHP I have not tested the Skunkworks SCU but I am sure you will enjoy its benefits over the standard unit once the rest of your steering is working as it should back again.
Don’t the very last 575s have some HGTC parts on them from factory? That could explain the difference in early vs late car’s steering/handling (maybe).
Hi James, Given this background I agree with you. It indeed sounds like the actual valve controller on the steering rack is stuck at full assist at all times.
SJ- Big difference between early and late 575Ms occurred at AN 52556 (Nov/Dec 2003) with the addition of the steering position sensor and shock ECU to match. That gave a lead-into turn signal to the shocks as soon as the wheel was turned. Very late 575Ms had new shock mounts and half a set of HGTC shocks. Counterintuitively, HGTC 575Ms did not come with the FHP steering ECU, but HGTC upgrade kits did. Here is a summary of 575M updates.
JayEmm, What happens if you unplug the ECU? Would this force the steering to no assist? If so, you could do this to check if your servotronic is in fact mechanically stuck in full assist.
