Quote:
Originally Posted by covance
I Wikipediad torque steer and this paragraph seems to exactly describe what is happening; I bolded the most relevant parts:
"Torque steer is the unintended influence of engine torque on the steering, especially in front-wheel drive vehicles. For example, during heavy acceleration the steering may pull to one side, which may be disturbing to the driver. The effect is manifested either as a tugging sensation in the steering wheel, or a veering of the vehicle from the intended path. Torque steer is directly related to differences in the forces in the contact patches of the left and right drive wheels. The effect becomes more evident when high torques are applied to the drive wheels either because of a high overall reduction ratio between the engine and wheels,[1] high engine torque, or some combination of the two."
I know it says "especially front-wheel drive" cars but maybe my issue is part of the exception  |
Doesn't torque steer usually apply to front wheel drive because the drive shafts are unequal in length due to the transmission sitting off to one side of the engine compartment? Since they are different lengths they twist at different rates and one wheel gets a bit more torque than the other. I believe the engineers compensate for this by making the unequal length shafts also unequal thicknesses so it compensates for the metal when it binds under heavy acceleration.