Properly maintained - it’s excellent. I have an e38 750iL, an e39 540it, an e46 330 Vert, a r53 Mini. I had the e38 from 130k, to about 145k, and did a center link. The old was not loose or messy, but it steers like magic now. Tires also play an important part ( in my experience ) in steering feel. I like the e38 and e39 as much as the e46 and r53. I also have had a Yukon XL in my life for 23 years ( most
Of that in an 01 1500, now an 02 2500. Go drive an e39.

 

The first BMW I ever owned was an E39 528i, which I absolutely adored. When I got rid of it, I told myself that if I ever get another E39, it has to be an M5. I would love to drive one before making my decision whether to buy one, but I don't know anyone who owns one.

 

The 528, and the facelift 525/530 will be rack and pinion. V8 are recirculating ball. ( 540, M5 )

 

That's why I posed my original question. All my BMW experience comes from cars with a rack and pinion; I've never driven a car with recirculating ball steering.

 

My first BMW was also an E39 528i which I drove for 10 years. It was a great car and somewhat more nimble than my M5 which I have had for 11 years. That said, I don't find the steering in the M5 to be dramatically worse, and the other strengths of the car far outweigh any steering feel concerns. I loved both cars, but would absolutely choose the M5 over the 528i.

 

The steering is responsive and it works. Feel on the other hand, particularly on center, is not there compared to what you might get expect coming from similar era rack and pinion cars. It’s better than most modern EPS at least.

It’s not the worst part about the car though — that distinction belongs to the mushy over-boosted stock brakes. Find a car with a BBK or plan to do it yourself. I put Brembo GTs on mine and that fixed it.

 

If the alignment is correct and all suspension is tight , the steering feel and response is a little heavier than a rack and pinion in most cases.
My E90 with M spec suspension is about the same feel , except at low speed , like parking and such .
That is my story , and I am sticking to it.

 

The steering feel for these cars is "appropriate", especially for a street driven car. In my experience, critics of the circulating ball steering tend to forget that these are, at the end of the day, high-performance daily drivers, not all out sports cars.

FWIW, never have I hopped in my M5 and been disappointed by the steering after driving my 911.

 

I don't mind the steering box, it feels pretty good compared to most modern EPS. My other car has a completely manual R&P with all the road feel you could want and more so it's a nice break from that lol.

I'd like to drive one of the I6 E39s some day to compare though.

 

I have an 84 Mustang Gt , with 2003 Cobra front suspension , drives pretty nice I will say . Also have a 99 4x4 superduty , with the old school steering , same as my 540, and tho the assist is more, road feel is still good . .
Problem these days , nobody remembers driving a model A , nor any of the 40's thru 70's cars , and how good they have it .

 

Highway steering comfort is a bit better with a good steering box vs R&P. Less twitchy. Otherwise R&P is better in most situations. Test drive a good one and see how you like it.

 

It's pretty good, and definitely better than many electronic steering set-ups. Before I purchased the M5, my DD was a 2002 E39 530i 5-speed, and I still have a 2007 E86 Z4M coupe. IMO, the recirculating ball steering on the M5 does not have as much feedback as the rack and pinion set up on those two cars. Did I ever want go back to the 530 because of this? Absolutely not!! The M5, as a total package, is about perfect. I think the feedback on the M5's steering is similar to my 2020 M2C. Go for it!

 

many people also say that the biggest downside of the car is the steering box.

Wrong.

The biggest downside is the cup holders... you are guaranteed to wear your morning coffee at least once.

The steering is fine, it is just a heavy car.

 

100% this. I own way too many cars, and I’ve tracked, raced, and daily-driven just about everything at this point. I’ve got an E60, an E46, an E30, and three E39s in the garage right now. Out of all of them, the E39 M5 remains my favorite all-around car to actually drive.

Totally my opinion - but the steering is exactly what it should be for a 4-door super sedan: communicative, balanced, and confidence-inspiring once you understand the weight of the chassis. It’s not artificially boosted, not numb, and not something you have to “forgive.” It feels like a proper BMW should.

Honestly, the only real flaw isn’t the steering at all. It’s that no matter how good the road, how precise the turn-in, how dialed-in the suspension… I always end up spilling my damn coffee.

 

The steering feel should not be a reason you don't buy an e39 M5. End of discussion. LOL.

It's not going to drive like a dump truck and it's not going to drive like a true sports car either. Personally I think it's just fine as a daily. I used my first M5 as a daily for over a decade and 200k miles. The steering feel was never something I thought about.

The true sin for the M5 when designed was using the 540 exhaust manifolds.

 

The steering is not the most communicative, but it would in no way dissuade me from buying the car. You can improve the steering feedback via thrust arm monoballs if desired.

 

The steering is very communicative with the old school steering . You that grew up on a rack and pinion steering , can not comprehend the system .
I am not trying to be a dick , but I am a pro at 67.
Rack system , my opinion , gives a feel of over amplified power to actual feel .
I have an 07 M sport E90 , the feel is pretty good , but lacking the grip point of the front tires .
My 03 540i, M tech , has the slightest bit of lag , I mean like a red c@#t hair of play . Much more comfortable in the switchbacks .

 

Get a square setup and turn in is excellent and steering feel is never a concern!

 

That is what I did. I also had the servotronic tuned. Old sport is now normal, and sport a bit more aggressive. I also add a little extra camber in the front.

It is no E36, but I have driven plenty of cars and the street and track, there is absolutely nothing wrong with the steering for the street. If there was, I would not have owned this car for over 22 years!!

Regards,
Jerry

 

When I owned an E39 M5 years ago one of the main reasons I sold it was I missed the steering feel of the E36 M3 I owned before it. I ended up getting into a Z3 M but these days, I am back shopping for an E39 M5 to add to the stable. With that being said, I do need to test drive one to determine if it's something I could live with as it's been awhile since I've driven one. I am also considering N62 swapping an E39 I6 model, to maintain the I6 steering but with a V8 engine.

Definitely recommend test driving one before pulling the trigger.

 

I don't know if you can keep the R&P ,with a V8 in the E39 ...

 

I think the idea is that the N62 oil pan would be easier to fit in with a rack than the M62.

That said, and this might be sacrilege, but I don’t know why you would swap an N62 when you could put in a Chevy V8 for similar effort and make a lot more power with a lot less problems and a lot less weight. In theory, you could make an ME7 DME run almost any cross plane V8 as long as you feed it the correct crank and cam sensor pulses and bypass most of the electrical shenanigans too.

 

The rack is also weight dependent. Yes you could make a bigger and stronger rack but they did not. I added significant weight to the front of my RS4 with the turbos pumping for exhaust and inner-cooler. Guess what I had rack problems. First time it leaked I just assumed it was time but the second time?

 

The DME controls the servotronic solenoid and there is separate tables to configure the steering assist vs road speed curve for regular and sport modes.

 

Alignment - camber and toe ( and overall condition of steering components make a huge difference. My e46 came with very weird steering feedback. It had positive camber, they even took the alignment pins out. It all factors in.