Readers Reviews: Reducing Torque Steer

Hello and Welcome! If you recall, I wrote a piece on my first encounter of the evil demon spirit known as Torque Steer. I talked about how I had my first discovered Torque Steer during a race against an M3, where I nearly killed my car and I also taught you guys a little about how it is caused. This came down to drivetrain flex and CV angles being the major contributions to a difference of Torque Delivery between the two front wheels. If you haven’t had a chance to look at that one yet, you can find it here

Some of you guys last week said: “But Bennett, we know that Torque Steer is bad, but what can we do to get rid of it?” Don’t worry my fellow CTzens, I’m getting to that, but be forewarned, there is no getting rid of Torque Steer. Torque Steer is like that bad rash that you got while in University. You can take all the medication and apply all the cream you want, but you can never truly sure if you’ve totally gotten rid of it. Fortunately for us, many manufacturers today that are producing these Super-FWD hot-hatches have developed many different drivetrain technologies and trick gadgets in an effort to reduce the effects of Torque Steer on their vehicles. Also, as a special treat for you guys, I’m going to show you guys ways that you can reduce torque steer DIY style!

"Torque Steer is like that  rash that you got while in University. You can take all the medication and apply all the cream you want, but you can never truly be sure if you got rid of it."

The Manufacturers Way.

Fortunately, automobile manufacturers earn “big money”. This means that they can invest their “big money” into Research and Development (R&D) to make their cars better. Having gained a large amount of experience in the industry, on the racetrack, and even investing million upon millions of dollars into their vehicles make these manufacturers very experienced on improving a vehicle. So trust them when they say fitting a 3” exhaust to your Honda isn’t going to improve your performance.

Manufacturers have spent many monies to reduce Torque Steer from their cars. There are many new fad technologies, so for the sake of length, I’ll briefly go over two simple methods: Intermediate drive-shafts and Differentials.

Intermediate Drive Shafts.

Consider my Diagram above. As I explained in my previous article, the traditional FWD driveline setup will have unequal length drive shafts. This is because the differential sits beneath the transmission and is biased towards one side of the vehicle. This difference of length also causes the angle on the CV joints to differ, causing an inconsistency of equal torque between both wheels.

Over the years, many manufacturers have reduced the effects of Torque Steer by using equal length drive shafts. They are able to do this by utilizing an “intermediate shaft” placed on the side where the longer driveshaft would be. The theory here is to be able to use equal length shafts so that the CV joints will have the same angle. Since the CV angles are the same when the intermediate shaft is used, the the Torque application is more equal.

Differentials:

Having a good differential in your FWD means better application of the engines power to both wheels, instead of just wildly spinning one. A Limited Slip Differential (LSD) will greatly reduce the effects of Torque Steer by using complex gearing, shafts and in some cases, a clutch to distribute power equally to both wheels, instead of spinning the wheel of least resistance like an open diff would. But it doesn’t stop there, LSD’s are good, but now we have many manufacturers have started fitting their more expensive cars with electronic differentials.

I won’t go into detail about electronic differentials, we’ll save that topic for another time. But basically, instead of the torque distribution being determined by the mechanical witchcraft, a computer is now in charge of where the power goes at any given time. Electronic differentials are even considered to OP to use in some forms of motorsport. However, many are being used on factory cars today like the late version 2nd Gen Focus RS, and even the 300+hp Civic Type R.

Unfortunately for normal people like you and me, these methods are quite expensive. Only the big manufacturers that have millions invested in building their cars can develop technologies such as this. So, if you’re like me, and don’t have a billion dollars to make an electronic differential for your mad FWD hatch, here are some cheap DIY ways you can reduce torque steer on your ride.

Engine Mounts

VERY popular among Mazdaspeed3 and Focus ST owners, increasing the bushing stiffness of the factory engine mounts is a great way to reduce the Torque Steer on these vehicles. Factory engine mounts tend to be very soft and allow the engine to flex under heavy acceleration. This flex creates a drivetrain misalignment, and can cause the drivetrain to incorrectly distribute torque between the wheels, causing the car to pull to one side. With stiffer mounts, the drive train will move less, reducing the effect of Torque Steer, and even improving the shifting feel as well!

Any downsides?

Well, yes. There’s a reason that these auto manufacturers make their engine mounts soft. Having stiff mounts can transfer a large amounts of Noise, Vibration, Harshness (NVH) to the cabin, which can be unbearable in a daily driver. Everything is always noisy and everything vibrates at low RPM which you may find annoying. Your girlfriend might like it though!

Maintenance

Very simple things like maintaining the tires, brakes, steering rack, control arm bushings etc. Will help in reducing the effects of torque steer. Making sure that your car is symmetrically strong will ensure that there are no weak links on either side of the car that may increase the effects of Torque Steer. This involves things like tire pressure, tire wear, alignment, control arm bushings, suspension condition etc. I know we all hate to do it, but maintenance is very important!

Have some self-restraint man!

This has to be the easiest and the cheapest part of the Do It Yourself section. (Hi Cheryl!) Just have some restraint! We all know you have way too much testosterone, but just hold it back for a little, damn! It’s easy to get caught up in mashing the pedal to the floor to try and go the fastest possible. But you know what isn’t fast? Spinning wheels and having your car pull you into a tree.
A better alternative? Just feed in the power gradually. It may take a while to find how quickly you can push down the pedal without spinning or torque steering, but with some practice, you’ll get there!

And that’s it! That’s all the advice I have to give you on Torque Steer! If you guys like to hear technical explanation articles like these, be sure to let me know in the comments. I’d really appreciate it and that’s my time! I’ll talk to you guys later.

Cheers,

Bennett Cook (PerformanceandLuxury)

Automotive Student. Automotive Enthusiast.