And....

It was much better than I expected!

I test drove the 5AT twice over the past month, and was enthused by the interior, but felt a bit disconnected from the car. I was concerned that the car was too big, bulky, and unwieldy. Very concerned. Started thinking about settling for the TSX.

To my utter surprise, the 6MT connected me directly to the car. I felt like I was driving something that was attached to me. It responded to just about everything I asked it to do. I was VERY enthused by the powertrain's ability! Rowing from 1st to 4th was oh-so-much fun.

The VSA was definitely helping out... no squeals at all.

The 5AT felt heavy and luxury sedan-ish to me. The 6MT felt light and nimble. It reminded me of my Integra more than an ES330. Was it as fun as the G35? I don't think so. But it's very close. And the interior and technology of the TL more than make up for the small differential in sportiness between the two.

I did stall just once... thanks to that sensitive clutch in 1st gear. NOTE: It's not as bad as people have been saying. It truly is just something that I need to get used to (probably a bit more acceleration prior to release).

It tooks turns compliantly and predicably. Again, turning at high speeds was fun.

I did, however, find myself dealing with torque steer for the first time in my driving career. I didn't know what it was until the salesguy (a really good salesguy) pointed it out to me.

Torque steer is a bit unnerving, and now I understand why it's mentioned so much in reviews. I keep hearing how it's mild on the TL. I'd hate to see it not mild. I wonder aloud if there's a way to best handle that phenomenon. Is there something that I can do to mitigate it? (other than slowing down, that is)

Anyway, the torque steer isn't going to stop me from buying this baby. I'm thouroughly impressed.

The 04TL 6MT is a TRUE SPORTS SEDAN.

Not a doubt about it.

Wow.

Jon

 

driving experience, I have a bmw 528, 5sp stick. owned two legends before that, both 5sp sticks.It is true driving experience, . auto cars are just cars sticks are driving machines, some more that others, As for torque steer its there, the more power you have the more you feel it.
I have the same concerns, thinking if trading bmw on 6sp mt, but when you get on the car the wheel turns, its very very
disconcerting, especially coming from a well balanced rear driver. the Acura is much
quieter than my car, faster, but with less driving precision. lesser fit and finish but about 8 grand less than my car and it has nav, TL is a better car than my legend, they had terriible brakes, worse clutch. TL
is very nice, but too much Hp to front wheels ,as a result torque steer WHICH
CAN NOT be controlled. I.m concerned that in accident avoidence manuver torque steer could produce havoc, One more test drive and will decide. It will always be there.r

 

I never lost control, or even close to it. It just *felt* unnerving. I suspect from the outside, you woudn't see much of anything.

I guess my concern is... how much worse can it get, and does the LSD do a lot to subdue it?

Jon

 

you may be feeling the LSD at work and not torque steer

 

Guys, A comparison to BMW will just get you in trouble from an enthusiast driver's standpoint. Just like, a 528i cannot handle like a 330i. But, after BMW, everything is a driving compromise. With the TL and the G35 you get a lot more stuff but you give up the best handling. I choose the TL because it's near the limit handling is better and safer than the G35. The TL will not suddenly lose the rear end like the G35 will which constantly kicks on the vsa. Yes, you will feel the torque steer but it's very controllable. You learn to plan for it. Witness the cadre of Saab and Turbo Volvo followers. The TL has better ride, limit handling and especially driver/cockpit room than the G35. It won't handle like a BMW but its content, price and power are better and it's the second best handler. You will learn to play the torque steer.

 

This car does not have that much torque steer. It is very minor in my opinion. I stomped the gas with VSA off and just a slight pull.

The worst I have experienced was a Mazda MX6 turbo a long time ago (prior to them learning how to handle it). It literally tore the steering wheel out of your hands!!

And as others have pointed out, a rear drive with a lot of power in water and snow can spin the rear around easily ( I have been there )

 

Hey guys, thanks for the info.

You have to understand, this is my first ever experience with torque steer... so any amount of it is unnerving, as you might expect.

Maybe if I drove some old Saabs or Volvos I'd think that the torque steer was nuthin... but I have nothing to compare it to.

It's nice to know that someone thinks that it's the 2nd best handler in the segment and above... that's good to hear.

Hey, does the TSX have torque steer? Or is there not enough torque to create a problem?

I agree re: Nissan/Infiniti -- all of their new Renaultmobiles are handling nightmares (at the limits) dressed in pretty suits. It's a shame, because Nissan used to be quite the standard of quality.

It's kind of a wonder how they get such good reviews from the rags. ??

Jon

 

TSX has torque steer but not as noticeable. Try first gear from a rolling pace full throttle with hands off and it will not go exactly straight. The TL is a bit more noticeable, but if you really want to know about torque steer, "Drive a Datsun, Then Decide" (ad slogan from the seventies!). The new Maxima is reported by the automotive press as being the worst for torque steer and also the Altima. Best be hanging onto the steering wheel for dear life when you punch it.

Torque steer is almost inevitable in fwd applications, can not be "corrected", and is just part of the deal. Some automakers including Acura design as much of that out as possible with front end drive train geometry...as best they can.

The TL 6MT I tried had just a slight pull to the right and didn't really notice if there was any there at all in 3rd or above, although probably was in lesser and lesser amounts, maybe only noticeable with hands off, in higher gears.

 

Erik,

I noticed it in 1st, when punching it hard. It happened twice. The steering wheel twisted back and forth briefly, and I had to clamp on to feel like I was in control.

BTW, other than the torque steer, the 04TL felt much more like the Corvette I recently drove than the Integra I currently own.

A real sports sedan.

Jon

 

is probably action of lsd. without it I bet you would feel less of it. Automobile magazine in quick review comented on it,as well claiming could feel bite of lsd .

 

Another factor is likely uneven coefficient of traction between the two front wheels...one slips a little perhaps, and the lsd "interfering" is probably felt somehow and has a dynamic effect...like uneven track or whatever. I would not call it a problem but just characteristic of the power/fwd/lsd system. You should have both hands on the wheel anyway :-) especially when driving aggressively enough to notice torque steer!

 

It's hard to have both hands on the wheel when you're shifting a 6MT!

 

Point taken....Well, then next best is to go to the YMCA and build up that left arm!

 

gears make it tough to hold on to wheel with both hands, am concerned i could loose control if Was treally on it, like I drive my BMW 528 5sp/

 

Well... I was really on it... and while it was unnerving, I really don't think I would have lost control. In fact, since I've never experienced torque steer before, I was the least qualified at the time to deal with the phenomenon.

And, in that state of being entirely unqualified to deal with it, I dealt with it with no apparent situation of real saftey concern.

I used the word 'unnerving' because that's exactly what it was... I'm not sure I'd use the word "unsafe."

Jon

 

My last three cars were:

- 86 Chrysler LeBaron GTS Turbo 5-speed (FWD)
- 90 Taurus SHO 5-speed (FWD)
- 98 Contour SVT 5-speed (FWD)

The first was the worst for torque steer, but it's nothing that you can't get used to. You'll learn to unconsciously anticipate the torque steer and automatically compensate.

Mike
04 Abyss Blue/Quartz 5AT

 

my automatic rsx has a fair bit of torque steer, and i attribute this to the broad torque curve (yet only 140lbs). Powering out of turns will almost always result in torque steer, but it's minimal to non-existent flooring it in a straight line. I think a lot of it has to do with the crappy stock michelin tires. Also I'm sure the drive shafts are uneven. All in all, it's not a problem in my case.

 

Mike and RJC...

Thanks for this info for a torque steer newbie.
I'm happy to believe I can adjust and compensate for it if I am expecting it under circumstances.

And... I'm glad to hear that better tires may help mitigate the effect.

Does anyone think that 18" rims would help vs the stock 17" rims? I really like the style of the Acura 18" rims. Not a fan of the stock 17" rims.

Jon

 

The thing that I take about torque steer is that it is just a different feeling from a rear wheel drive. If you have a car that can smoke the rear tires you will have to hang on if you are not straight. I have had my Firebird drifting toward the curb on a street that had a crown on it.

I do not see any different in driving a front wheel drive except which wheels are spinning. You learn to compensate.

If you can not, do not get a high power car.

 

I currently drive an S2000, and I pretty much had my heart set on an 04TL MT. After test driving the MT twice, I came away with the feeling that I really liked the car except for the torque steer and the steering feel. At speed, the steering lightens up too much and doesn't feel as stable as my S2000.

I then test drove a 330i with performance package and the difference in driving and steering feel was immediately noticeable. It had less HP and torque, but felt as fast as the TL. Of course, the Bimmer is RWD so no torque steer, but it felt a lot more connected to the road than the TL. If the TL had RWD and a better balanced feel when driven "spiritedly", I'd have been all over it.

It's definitely a much better value than the 330i with all its gadgetry etc, but it's hard to get over the TL's driving dynamics as compared to the Bimmer.

 

i drag race my civic when ever i launch i will tug the wheel to the left when i drop the clutch wich helps keep the car straight my civic makes 228 hp to the wheels i have an lsd wich helps a lot but practice makes perfect take it to the track and if SCCA has an autocross track meet take your car so you can go all out with out worrying about hiting cars on the road. my 11.8 second 1/4 mile civic does drive diffrently but its still fwd. cant wait to get my TL next month

 

The only time I've ever encountered noticeable torque steer is when I am accelerating briskly and I hit a bump. This is probably closer to the definition of "bump steer" though. I have at least 20 1/4 mile passes on my CL-S6 and I can literally launch without holding the steering wheel as long as there isnt a copioAfterus amount of wheel-hop. In my opinion the 6 speed TL/CL-S are one of the best at handling the significant amount of hp & tq they have to deal with.

After seeing some of these pics of new TL's I almost wish I would have waited. How much are non-navi TL 6 speeds selling for after tax/title?

 

sweet