Problem with torque sensor?

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by covance

Trying to clarify: are you saying there is no sensor that would adjust for torque steer in the car via the electronic steering? Or, would torque steer fall within the specific parameters of what the electronic steering should correct for?

Thanks!

The torque referred to for the steering is not the torque created by the engine. They are talking about the torque applied when you turn the steering wheel that activates the power steering. The sensors have nothing to do with torque steer. For the steering to compensate for torque steer it would need to turn the wheel on it's own. It doesn't do that.

[Cockatoo]

+1 for tire issue and/or alignment

[BirdTRD]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

You have two different tires on a LSD. There is no mystery here. The power steering is not meant to fix this and is not the issue.

^^^Listen to him ^^^

[covance]

Will switch tmrw and report back! Thanks all

[covance]

Tires switched. Works absolutely perfect now. Problem solved.

I am absolutely baffled by how certain that mechanic was it was an ECU issue. He owns the garage, owns other gas stations, has owned other garages in the past, him and all his employees are ASE certified etc etc, and he literally talked my ear off for 10 minutes yesterday about how there is no way it is a tire issue.

Thanks fam!

[Grady]

Originally Posted by covance

Tires switched. Works absolutely perfect now. Problem solved.

I am absolutely baffled by how certain that mechanic was it was an ECU issue. He owns the garage, owns other gas stations, has owned other garages in the past, him and all his employees are ASE certified etc etc, and he literally talked my ear off for 10 minutes yesterday about how there is no way it is a tire issue.

Thanks fam!

Ability to make money and intelligence is not connected.

He obviously knows how to talk a good game with uneducated car owners.

[bcj]

A lot of cars being manufactured now use automatic braking on a slipping drive wheel to *simulate* limited slip the way it should have been done.
That's the computer relation he may have latched onto.

If your mechanic didn't know that we have an actual mechanical LSD that may be what threw him.
They are very uncommon on the great majority of garden variety people movers he's used to servicing.

[Ultramaroon]

Well said, @bcj. I still can't excuse the mechanic for referring to a torque sensor unless he was referring to Torsen, in which case I am even more convinced that he was in full bullshit mode. SMH. Fuck that clown.

[guybo]

Originally Posted by covance

Hello all!

2 so it unfortunately it does not match the passenger rear tire from a thread pattern and brand perspective.

NO NO NO. you should have bought 2 new rears. Period. You're going to destroy your diff if the damage is not already done.

Of course the pull is from the mismatched tires. Often times, the cheapest way is is the most expensive way out. You have to track down what the mismatched tires messed up.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by Ultramaroon

Well said, @bcj. I still can't excuse the mechanic for referring to a torque sensor unless he was referring to Torsen, in which case I am even more convinced that he was in full bullshit mode. SMH. Fuck that clown.

I knew he was in full bullshit mode when he told Cov that he had tried the different tire on the front and it wasn't the issue. A good mechanic wouldn't have mismatched tires on the drive wheels in the first place. They sure as hell wouldn't take one off the back, move it to the front, test drive it, decide it doesn't work, and then move it to the back again. I am not totally convinced the mechanic even knew the car was RWD from everything that he said.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by guybo

NO NO NO. you should have bought 2 new rears. Period. You're going to destroy your diff if the damage is not already done.

Of course the pull is from the mismatched tires. Often times, the cheapest way is is the most expensive way out. You have to track down what the mismatched tires messed up.

Yes he should have bought matching tires and still should even with them on the front. It doesn't sound like it was on there long enough to have damaged anything though.

[Ultramaroon]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

I knew he was in full bullshit mode when he told Cov that he had tried the different tire on the front and it wasn't the issue. A good mechanic wouldn't have mismatched tires on the drive wheels in the first place. They sure as hell wouldn't take one off the back, move it to the front, test drive it, decide it doesn't work, and then move it to the back again. I am not totally convinced the mechanic even knew the car was RWD from everything that he said.

100% agree.

[covance]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

I knew he was in full bullshit mode when he told Cov that he had tried the different tire on the front and it wasn't the issue. A good mechanic wouldn't have mismatched tires on the drive wheels in the first place. They sure as hell wouldn't take one off the back, move it to the front, test drive it, decide it doesn't work, and then move it to the back again. I am not totally convinced the mechanic even knew the car was RWD from everything that he said.

ya this was the largest red flag for me. It's funny because he wasn't trying to get any money off of me for it - he just kept saying to take it to Subaru because we were under the impression it would be warranty work.

Mismatched tires on the rear were probably only there for under two months with <10 miles a day most days.

[Willie Swoopes]

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.