BG74

I just swapped the stock all-season Pilots for summer-only Kuhmo Ecsta SPT's (same width), and whatever minimal torque steer there was is almost completely gone.

I would have thought it would be the opposite...grippier rubber=more torque steer, but it's not the case. I simply don't feel it with the new tires. Anyone have a similar experience, or am I going nuts here?

dooky211

iTrader: (1)

hmmmm.... i would try it, but I'm waiting to wear out my hpt's before i get new rims and tires... Glad to hear it work out for you though

SouthernBoy

When the time comes for me to get new tires on my '04 6MT TL, I suspect I'll go with the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S's. I had them on my previous car (a 2002 Altima SE) and they are excellent tires.

For the most part, torque steer is not a by-product of tires. And our TL's are not unmanagable in this regard. As long as you are aware of this trait of a FWD car and ready for it in those times when you will likely be hit by it, you're going to do just fine.

tallfuq

newbie question-what exactly is torque steer?someone said its when your tires start spinning when you accelerate too hard and some other people say its unnoticable?

SouthernBoy

Torque describes a condition in which power is unevenly distributed to the drive wheels, usually when under heavy load (this means a fair amount of throttle), and the effect is felt in a pulling force in the steering wheel. This generally happens when, in no particular order: 1) you add a lot of throttle when coming out of a turn; 2) the road surface has some crowning and affects the distribution of torque; 3) one tire is able to gain more traction than the other.

Both front and rear wheel drive cars will do this.. it's just that with a front drive car, the axle can be pointed in different directions and also, you steer with the front wheels, of course.

The TL tends to exhibit this condition a bit more than many other FWD cars, not because of any high torque figures (238 lb/ft is not exactly a high torque number), but more because the TL has excellent throttle response for a small 6-cylinder engine. This means the torque steer can catch you off guard with not having to use too much throttle.

Yakuza70

I had Michelin Pilot Sport A/S on my '02 Maxima and they were excellent. Since I don't live where there's snow, I was considering the Michelin Pilot Sport PS2s instead. If you think the TL has torque steer, try an '02 6-speed Maxima!

SouthernBoy

I have very little problem with torque steer in my '04 6MT TL.. probably because I don't dog the car. I'm pretty easy on it.. whoever gets it after I'm through with it will get a nice, well cared for machine.

LiquidThinker

If you try one with HLSD and equal length shafts you wont find any.

tallfuq

thanx for the info southernboy now since i know what it is i guess ill be feeling it damn... haha

Yakuza70

Don't know if my '02 Maxima had equal length shafts or not (I'd suspect not) but it did have HLSD. The torque steer wasn't THAT bad but it did require a tight grip on the steering wheel. My '05 TL has torque steer too but it's not nearly as noticeable.

SouthernBoy

It's really not all that bad.. if you are careful about and under what circumstances you nail the throttle. Thing is.. if you do get into it when it's prone to producing torque steer, you can be taken by surprise.

lumpydog

That's one of my favorite things about all of those so-called "unbiased" automotive magazines that constantly ding the TL for FWD and torque steer.

Torque steer comes from really aggressive acceleration - usually while the front tires are not pointing straight ahead. The result is the feeling of the steering wheel wanting pull in the opposite direction that you're trying to steer.

The funny thing is, all of these magazines would have you thinking that the TL's steering wheel is always trying to rip out of your hands. Pulling out of your driveway? Watch out! The wheel might rip from your hands!!! Pulling out of a parking spot?? BE CAREFUL! The torque steer might cause you to crash!! It's just bullshit.

The reality is that most TL drivers will never experience noticeable torque steer. That's because most TL owners will never take their TL to a test track and push their TL to extremes (like the automotive mags).

WdnUlik2no

For me, coming from an 04 Maxima, I think any torque steer in another car will seem non-exsistent

Bounce

my car weights 3500lbs (approx)....my car chirps second gear....im happy :-)

shodog

torque steer is caused by the unequal driveshafts that twist in unequal rates during acceleration. this website explains it very well http://www.mcasco.com/qa_ts.html

As for the majority of TL owners not experiencing it, if you don't feel it then your not driving your car to its potential which means you should have bought a Camry.

Bounce

LMAO @ Camry hahahahahhaha

P$$$

I totally agree with you. From the moment I put on my Nitto 245/40/18's my TS has been minimal. I still get the hard jerk going around a corning and dropping the clutch hard every now and then, but thats about it.

missmyprelude

Actually, the tires do apparently play a part in how much torque steer you feel. I read an article recently in Car & Driver about how GM was working on putting a V8 in one of their front drivers (a Grand Prix GXP). Anyway, they reduced torque steer in two ways. First, they put larger tires in the front than in the back. I wonder how that actually looks in person!? Weird. Anyway, the second way is that they actually had Bridgestone make tires that helped decrease torque steer. Supposedly, they convinced Bridgestone that their tires were causing more torque steer by using a competitors tire to compare. Apparently, they did in fact find that the tire design did contribute to torque steer, and Bridgestone designed new tires for the application. The article said it all worked. Even with a torquey V8 under the hood, the car exhibited very little torque steer.

Here's the article. It's a pretty interesting read. Something I never heard about before...

http://www.caranddriver.com/article....rticle_id=9964

LiquidThinker

I know my 03 TI ed with hlsd has equal length shafts and I have never had any torque steer problems.

Yakuza70

Thanks for the link to the article. Very interesting read! I wonder what tire models will result in the most reduction in torque steer other than the one mentioned in the article.