Thinking hard about a MT, yet I read much about serious torque steer. Articles suggest that Acura cured it in 06...any comments?

 

"Cured" is an overstatement. In my experience it is occasionally noticeable - but not annoying. It's a stark contrast with my 2002 Maxima SE (6 speed as well). Now that car had bad torque steer.

 

I have an '04 manual (and an '05 automatic). Torque steer only surfaces when you get into it with the wheels turned (we're talking dry pavement here). Under normal conditions when accelerating hard, you should be Ok.

 

They cured it by using torque management. 25% less power in 1st, 15% less in 2nd, and 5% less in 3rd. You can get the full effect, including plenty of torque steer, by disabling the stability control (one button).

 

i agree w/ southernboy. I don't really notice torque steer if i'm going straight. On a turn, however, you do feel it, so just hold a lil bit tighter

 

ya, the torque steer isn't as bad as people make it out to be

 

its all good not over the line bad

 

since I changed to the PZero's I've noticed a drastic drop in torque steer....those Turanzas are not for the TL....

 

Not as bad as everyone thinks

 

I also noticed a huge drop after the a-spec suspension.

Torque steer was really annoying when I got the car... Now it's barely noticable.

 

Its pretty bad with the s/c and the vsa off. Night and day diff over stock.

 

People just make a big deal about it since its a FWD car. half the people that talk about how bad it is have never been in a TL, they're just basing it off of other cars in its class either being AWD or RWD so the TL must have bad torque steer..... bah.


its not bad, no where near as bad as my old Turbo civic =)

 

The TL doesn't really have any torque. It's what? 200lbs of torque or less to the wheels? I guess alot of people haven't been in cars with tons of torque.

 

Stock i wasnt bad at all, i would never complain about it. I dont know what people expect from a higher hp fwd car with a low first gear. Boosted ITS FUN

 

Like dbett, I had an '02 Maxima 6MT and that thing had torque steer! Compared to the Maxima, the TL has very little. It's there and noticeable but nothing that should sway you from purchasing one. As for the '06 reducing torque steer... It's my understanding that they "cured" it by reducing power when torque steer is detected by the computer? If that's the case, then wouldn't it be the same as letting up on the accelerator when the driver senses torque steer?

Also, with the '07 TL Type-s having the 3.5 with 286 hp, I can imagine the torque steer will be more noticeable.

 

I have an '04 6MT. I think the torque steer thing is generally overblown UNLESS you're used to driving a rear-wheel drive car, in which case you'd notice torque steer on ANY front-wheel drive Honda product. Ms1995hoo got an RSX Type-S last year and previously drove an RX-7 (which is now mine); she's complained about torque steer in the RSX, whereas I've never noticed any at all the times I've driven it. I've driven front-wheel drive cars since 1991 (and my only car prior to then was a 1977 Granada) and I only notice torque steer in TL on very rutted roads, for example, one near my house where there is a lot of tractor-trailer traffic at a particular traffic light. Car pulls all over the place there.

The only other time I notice anything about the handling is after driving the RX-7. The TL feels more front-heavy because it is, and any front-wheel drive car will feel that way after you drive a lightweight rear-wheel drive sports car. It goes away after about 10 minutes.

 

The car magazines like to bitch about it, Car and Driver in particular.

 

Most of the torque steer rap. is by car magazines that don't believe there IS another sporting car on the road except a RWD BMW.
It depends on your driving style. If you just want to go from point A to B in relaxed fashion, buy the AT.
If you are a "spirited" type driver who really puts emphasis upon how he/she GOT from point A to B, go for the MT. Yes, it has some torque steer. That is part of the fun. You probably won't go to sleep while driving it, though.

 

I have an '04 6MT. Torque steer is minor in a straight line and comes on in 1st and 2nd gear when VTEC kicks in. I have gotten some gnarly kick back from the torque steer when turning right and doing something stupid like dumping the clutch. Overall, I think the car magazines and online reviewers bitch about the torque steer because the TL is an excellent package and they can't find anything else to complain about. If Acura made a RWD TL, all the magazines would have left to complain about is that the engineer's calipers don't look as nice as the stylized propeller.

 

Thank goodness for all the people posting their actual experience!

So many wannabes posting on theoretical torque steer that have been brainwashed by the uber-elite car mag writers think that torque steer is terrible in every FWD car.

I have had my TL for over two years and have hardly ever noticed ANY. Maybe that's because for the previous 16 years, I had Maximas. I KNOW about torque steer.

I recently performed a test on my 5AT TL to check and see if maybe I had just become used to it and desensitized. I did a full throttle launch from a light with my hands OFF the wheel completely. It went straight as an arrow (while laying rubber all the way).

A few times, when accellerating hard around a corner on a rough road, I could feel the car wanting to go straight. As someone said, it's expected then and you just compensate by holding the wheel. I think that is the VSA at work also.

Someone in another thread said that the TL had "bad torque steer". Come to find out, they don't own one. Obviously, they have never driven a Maxima or 3.5 Altima if they think the TL has "bad torque steer".

 

I have noticed plenty of torque steer from the TL. My last car was the A4 Quattro and it did not have torque steer at all.

Not every one has been "brainwashed by the uber-elite car mag" some people like me actually can tell a difference. Telling me other cars have more torque steer does not mean TL does not have it.

I think TL has bad torque steer, however, it has been alot better since I changed my tires and suspension. I also think I am more used to it now. Does torque steer bother me? not really, I am used to it.

If one has been driving FWD all their life he probably can't tell you what torque steer is. For the rest of us that has driven RWD and AWD can tell you that TL has pretty pronounced torque steer.

Just my

 

I get torque steer, but I turn off the skid control every chance I get. The emergency braking kicks in when I threshold brake and makes me look like a fool.

I'm pretty sure I need a proper alignment, which I'll schedule during the first oil change.

 

Only thing I notice is that my TL's stock Michelins spin a little if I use 3/4 throttle from a stop, and there is no noticeable directional torque steer if the car is pointed straight ahead. There is a little torque steer, which is easily controllable, when using more than 3/4 throttle when the front tires are turned.
I began driving with RWD V-8s and then a V-6 RWD car. I first noticed torque steer when I got a new 5-speed 1988 Integra. Since then, I've only had FWD vehicles. In comparison, the TL doesn't seem noteworthy in the torque steer department, although 1) I have the 5A and 2) have only gone on two performance runs, both of which were well below the car's limits and did not involve any tight corners at full throttle.