I think the rear subframe bushes have as much influence on the ride quality as the shock absorbers and air bags. Worth replacing if not done already. Kevin
2012 L322 Westminster 4.4 TDV8
1999 P38A 4.0 SE - Sold

I've heard about that Epsom, another thing to check out.

I've been thinking out the box today about all of this.

What if the steering and engine response/feel are connected.

I'm sure I've read somewhere that the tcm prevents gearshifts etc when it detects the vehicle is turning.

What if the heavy steering is the route cause on all these cars of mine and the laggy engine is a side effect of this?

It could be that with the steering not operating correctly the rest of the car is confused on what it should be doing too?

The ride quality also improved enormously on my L322 4.4TDV8 after replacing the subframe bushings.

I've heard that too Franz, there was nothing mentioned on the MOT but I will get under there and check them at least visually as soon as I can get back to the car/find time.

I think I should focus on steering for the moment and hope my hunch mentioned earlier regards it effecting the engine is correct.

weniger Vorspur an der Vorderachse macht die Lenkung auch leichter.
Jede Spurstange mit Farbe markieren und um 1/6 Umdrehung länger machen.
1/6 Umdrehung ist circa 0 Grad 5 Minuten Spuränderung.

Auf die Farbmarkierung kann man immer zurückdrehen.

Sorry!

Less toe-in on the front axle also makes steering easier.
Mark each tie rod with paint and make it 1/6 turn longer.
1/6 turn is approximately 0 degrees 5 minutes track change.

You can always turn back to the color marking.

Less toe would also make it less directionaly stable which even at the correct settings is not that great. 2012 TDV8 Vogue (L322)

that's right

If I remember correctly, the track values ​​on my 2011 4.4 TDV8 are 9 minutes plus minus 12 minutes. To test the steering you could set it to track 0.

I think my next step in the steering department will be to remove the servotronic valve and check the little filter screen Graeme mentioned as well as check the valves operation.

Assuming I find no issue there I will then move on to tracking/alignment.

This does feel more mechanical to me bit then it has done on each RR I've owned.

RRfranz wrote:

that's right

If I remember correctly, the track values ​​on my 2011 4.4 TDV8 are 9 minutes plus minus 12 minutes. To test the steering you could set it to track 0.

According to the WM it's toe out 0.08 deg each side with a +/-0.1 deg tollerance so given that the wheels will pull into neg slightly under driving it's pretty neutral with quite a big tolerance. I doubt messing / adjusting this will change any steering load esp at low speed. 2012 TDV8 Vogue (L322)

Happened upon a video which shows how I believe and remember the steering to be.

Now the vehicle shown is a pre facelift 4.4 v8 not a tdv8 but as an example it stands.

I could quite easily drive my original Westminster with one hand just like the video but this wasn't possible in the subsequent l322s I owned nor the l405 or the current l322.

I do prefer to keep both hands on the wheel when I drive, I'm only posting this as an example!

?si=e5sttlShgr9-JOIv

That's how both of our 4.4TdV8's steer. Drives:
2010 FFRR TdV8 Vogue - Stornoway Grey
2010 FFRR TdV8 Vogue SE - Zermatt Silver
1998 BMW E36 M3 GTII

I suspect the later cars drive differently from the earlier ones in areas of suspension compliance and steering to make them feel more like contempory SUV's which were more road orientated i.e firmer suspension and steering. 2012 TDV8 Vogue (L322)

Great to know Rvbush, helps me feel like I might not be barking mad.

Wholeheartedly agree Jaygee, especially in the case of the L405 I owned.