I've seen a lot of posts from those new to the TL around torque steer. It would be interesting to get other perspectives on this from members who've driven front wheel drive cars for some time. Personally, I've grown quite accustomed to it, having driven Hondas for years, with my first being a CRX. I find the effect quite predictable and when I push the car I'm fairly confident in what it can do. You also get immediate feedback when you approach the adhesion limits.

In contrast, I also have a Porsche Carrera 4 which is a very different car but when I disengage the program stability management (PSM), I can, under certain circumstances, make the back end swing out in quite a thrilling (too thrilling) fashion. FWD is different to be sure, but in real world driving, particularly in snow, I find the Acura quite practical. The pull on the steering wheel from the right front never really bothered me. Some sight it as a weakness, I just find it different. For a street car I don't think its an issue at all. Comments?

 

This TL is my 2nd Honda. I don't think torque steer is an issue. I'm 24, drive the car rather aggressively and have never had any complaints. Normal driving, it'll never affect you nor would you notice it. It's no Porsche

I feel very confident in the car when on snow and ice. However, if you drive these conditions often, why not the AWD RL?

Why don't ya go take one for a spin?

 

Coming from a 2001 Saab 9-3 SE convertible, torque steer really isn't noticeable to me.

 

Honda Canada had me test an AWD RL for a few days when it was first introduced. Its a good car, but the price point and performance left something to be desired. I found it too sluggish, compared to my '04 TL. I've owned 2 2nd generation TLs and thought they were very good cars for the money. If the AWD RL had 400 hp, now that would be different.

 

This is my fourth FWD car (1982 Accord, 1986 Legend, 1997 Accord, and now the TL), all with manual transmissions, and I don't notice the torque steer except sometimes when I'm on a badly rutted road near my house where the TL wants to pull to the right (and I'm pretty sure it's the torque steer since I don't have the same issue in the RX-7, which is RWD).

 

After a '79 Saab 900 Turbo, an '83 Saab 900 Turbo and a 95' Saab 900s the TL has no torque steer by comparison. I say that because the TL has so much more torque than any of the Saabs I had and that its tourque steer is so minimal. All cars were MTs

The torque steer issue on the MT TL is a non-issue. Period.

 

Add FI and you notice it more. Some car makers are starting to put bigger tires up front to minimize torque steer. Tires can and do make all the difference in the world when it comes to this problem/issue. I prefer that to having another system to minimize or eliminate it...

 

Came from an Audi A4 Quattro (AWD) I can definitely feel the torque steer. It did surprised me when I got the car, but now I learned how to control it.

BTW, the back-end-swing-out thing is called oversteer, it's not really related to torque steer. Carrera 4 has a rear-biased AWD, along with rear biased weight distribution and PSM off one will definitely encounter oversteer (the car turns more than the driver intended)

By contrast, TL is a FWD, with latitudal mounted engine, and most of it's weight in the front. Like to understeer (the car turns less than the driver intended)

And from my understanding, torque steer is the steering wheel tugs by itself when one accelerate, turning or going straight.

 

In my dad's '04 Maxima, the torque steer was most noticeable under heavy throttle. In my '05 TL however, I notice it ALL THE TIME. At any speed, if you pull a "look ma, no hands" and hit the throttle even a tiny bit, the car always pulls to the right (not as drastic as the Maxima, but makes you reach for the wheel nonetheless). Let off the throttle and its straight as an arrow. I find this level of torque steer even more annoying than the Maxima's more violent torque steer.

 

It is what it is... pound it and use it... that's about it. When the torque steer is noticable... its good in a way.

 

I just traded my 05 6M on an 06 6M and mine is also pulling to the right when you have the slightest touch on the gas. My 05 did not do that. I've had it back to the dealer twice and they have no idea whats wrong. Its driving me crazy fighting the wheel all the time, especially when the 05 did not do it.

 

Just think of it the way Junior Johnson describes it: "Understeer is where the front of your car runs into the wall. Oversteer is where the back of your car runs into the wall."

Neither is directly related to torque steer.

 

The only time I really feel the torque steer is if I accellerate while turning from a stop. I have a 6MT and hammering the gas in a straight line i virtually have no torque steer. I've even rolled 1st gear up to 4K rpm's and then slammed the gas, causes you to spin the tires quite nice (VSA off) and still no torque steer. I'm only riding on the michelins that came with the car. I came from a 99Integra LS so there wasn't enough power there to create torque steer. My parents had a 97 taurus that car you couldn't control when you hit the gas, it was all over the road with torque steer.

 

I was not a fan of the torque steer on my 2004 6MT. I have owned a number of FWD and RWD cars, and the TL had more torque steer than my prior FWDs, not surprising since it also had 100+ hp.

I prefer RWD, which is why my TL is now an M3. Winter driving is not a problem, and in some respects I prefer RWD in the snow as it allows for throttle correction at the limit while retaining steering ability, unlike a FWD. For the everyday, however, the TL was better in the snow, being nose-heavy and FWD is great for traction from a stop.

 

If you really want to experience torque steer, stop by a Nissan dealer, and try the 06 Maxima, and you will immediately feel that TL has no problems. Not only does it sway to one side, sometimes it feels as if the steering is going out of control.

 

I got rid of my Nissan Altima 3.5SE 5-sp for my TL and yes it had some serious torque steer. I recently filed a complaint with Acura about how bad it is on my 2006. I have driven high performace FWD cars for years and there is no reason why this TL should drastically pulling to the right on the highway with the cruise control on. I am preying that they come out with a recal on the 6MT models....

 

what the fu*K did u expect to get from a FWD vehicle with high horsepower? Did you not test drive the car before you bought it? The 06s even come with a reprogrammed ecu that manages the torque steer. Theres no chance in hell they will recall the MTs because of torque steer. Maybe people should start using both hands to drive their cars instead of sippin on their lattes.

 

Wow, that was harsh.

 

I agree with you entirely. Except for a couple SHO's nearly 15 years ago my Honda Accord six speed is my first sports orientated front driver. In addition to my Accord I drive a corvette and Lightning pickup on a regular basis. Although these rear drive vehicles exhibit different dynamics and have a different feel than the Honda, I certainly don't consider the Accord to be at a disadvantage during spirited driving. I would imagine with a substantial horsepower increase it wouldn't be pleasant, but with its current power I don't find torque steer that bothersome.

Terry

 

Yes I did, especially since I owned a 2005 Acura TL also, so read before you try and talk down on me like I am some moron.

 

What do you expect from a immature boy that has no clue what he is talking about, since he obviously cant read previous posts.

 

I've been driving FWD's for a while and I don't notice Torque Steer at all in my 06. However for 06 the engine-management system and steering-angle sensor have been revised to reduce torque steer, so it may be more noticable on the 04/05.

 

Actually the steering-angle sensor is only on the 06 MT not the AT. The 06 AT doesnt have any torque steer reducing system so its the same as the 04/05. They only put it on the MT since it is alot worse on the MT than the AT

 

We have two TLs. (Well we got rid of the 03' when we got the 05'). We stepped up to the TL from a Supercharged Pontiac Grand Prix GTP. You don't know torque steer, unless you have a supercharged engine with 280 pound ft of torque going through the front wheels. It's almost impossible to do an emergency lane change maneuver while nailing the gas. If you try to change lanes while nailing the gas, the car will drift side-to-side in the lane, as you try to compensate for the torque-steer. (If you floor it and the tranny downshifts into 2nd gear, the car will immediatly jerk to the right)

Our TL's haven't been that bad, but they do exhibit the same behavior. (Steering gets light when you punch the gas) However, the thing that our TL and our GP do, that our G35 doesn't thats strange, is apparent when you hit a water puddle on the fwy.

There is this section of fwy near my house, where there is a drain pipe that always dumps water across the fwy, and the fwy is sloped, so there is a wide stream going across it.

In both the TL and the GP, if I hit this water stream at around 55mph, the car always jerks to the side when I hit the water. When I do the same thing in our G35, the car always continues to track straight when I hit the water, even at higher speeds. I'm not sure if this is related to torque steer or not.

 

Torque steer 04 Maxima AT > Torque Steer 05 TL 6MT

After coming from the Maxima, I barely even notice the Torque steer in my TL. The only time I feel it is if I accelerate from a stop into a turn. With the Maxima I felt it all the time even when I accelerated hard in a straight line!

 

see my post above about my experience with the 04 Max.

 

i have a MT and i feel the torque steer, its expected though. a 270hp fwd car and you don't expect torque steer then you are just lying to yourself. its just the way fwd cars react. i would much prefer a rwd car but i needed this thing to drive in snow and the TL was a better choice for that.

 

I came from mustang. I can tell there is "someting" but it's not that destroys the car. I better hold onto handle firmly if I'm doing curvys, right?

 

Yes, i understand that, but no car, even my Nissans, would not pull to the right ALL the time. The car acts like its out of alignment but yet if you pop it in neutral, its run a straight line. If I didnt own a 2005 TL 6-sp, I probably wouldnt even pay attention to it. Both cars should go fairly straight when your cruzing on the highway.

 

Just to give you guys an update on the pulling to the right issue. After all the BS of the pulling getting blamed on torque steer, I went and got my tires rotated for the hell of it, and the pulling to the right went away. So now the question is, whats the deal with the tires or is the one of the wheels. Cant wait to go back to the dealer about this!

 

I test drove the G35 and felt out of control going through twisties. I immediately put te money down on the TL. I am used to torque steer and like the feed back. I do however miss fish tailing my lightning.

 

Anyone who complains about the torque steer in the TL either has something wrong with their car, or is really driving the car hard (probably beyond what it should be driven on most roads). I have only ever experienced torque steer in my 04 6MT under two conditions (both of which have been mentioned in this post already):

1) Hard 90 degree cornering from a stop. For example, when pulling out of a parking lot onto the street, and really giving it gas.
2) Hard on the throttle on very rough surfaces.

However, during spirited, fairly aggressive daily driving, I never had a problem with it and never noticed it except as listed above. You just need to remember that you are not at the track, and this is not a race car. It is a very comfortable, capable, sporty, sedan.

 

What was the wear on the tires? Was it equal front to rear and side to side? my car always "seemed" to drive better right after I rotated the tires... Long story to short. Along trip full of passengers and luggage (2000 mi) totally ate my tires. (the inside of the rear rims were covered in rubber dust) Took it to the dealership and they replaced the tires and reset the rear alignment properly. Wow what a difference driving now, no drift on the highway and it seemed to handle better. Maybe I am playing headgames with myself, but hell it can't hurt to have it checked out.

 

I was trying to get a noticeable amount of torque steer today, but didnt notice a huge amount, if any. Could accelerate heavily from a stop and got a minimal amount of pull to the right. The only time it is really noticeable for me is when the road is very uneven, then I get a lot of pull to the right. Other than that, it really isn't that bad, and coming from AWD and RWD cars, I dont feel that it pulls too bad.

 

In my 45000 miles driving a 3rd Gen, Torque Steer has not been as much of an issue as the basic tendancy to understeer when throttle is applied during cornering. That is what is annoying about FWD, as it requires you to complete the corner before adding significant throttle input.

 

Agreed. Understeer is really the only problem I have ever noticed, I hate having to put the brakes on in the twisties to maintain control. Other than that though, I have no other complaints.

 

I have no idea what the wear was. Firestone just told me that 2 tires have bad belts in them and that they were replacing them for free. The tires only had 3900 miles on them so they still looked new. They werent wearing on any sides either. Firestone told me they wont wear when there are bad belts, just causes to the car to pull to one side. Took all this info back to my dealer and shoved it in their faces!! Told them, heres your F*cking torque steer, BAD TIRES!!!!

 

Did they really fix the torque steer issue for the 06 TL's?