Torque Steer

1shark1

Member
:
2008 Mazdaspeed 3 GT
Much has been published about how much torque steer the MS3 has. (burnout)

My question is this: Why is it that other front-wheel drive cars with similar output to the MS3, 263hp/280tq (ie, 6 cylinder Camry, Accord, Altima, etc.) do not appear to have the same torque steer problem? Or at least, it does not seem to be as much an issue in those cars? Could it be superior engineering by Toyota, Honda, Nissan? Of course I realize that MS3s are turbocharged, but the Camry has similar, if not faster, acceleration times without torque steer being as great an issue?!

Can anyone explain this???

thanks.
 
Much has been published about how much torque steer the MS3 has. (burnout)

My question is this: Why is it that other front-wheel drive cars with similar output to the MS3, 263hp/280tq (ie, 6 cylinder Camry, Accord, Altima, etc.) do not appear to have the same torque steer problem? Or at least, it does not seem to be as much an issue in those cars? Could it be superior engineering by Toyota, Honda, Nissan? Of course I realize that MS3s are turbocharged, but the Camry has similar, if not faster, acceleration times without torque steer being as great an issue?!

Can anyone explain this???

thanks.

Have you ever driven any of those v6 nissans? Two words.....NUMB STEERING. I wouldn't call it superior engineering, just compromising.
 
Much has been published about how much torque steer the MS3 has. (burnout)

My question is this: Why is it that other front-wheel drive cars with similar output to the MS3, 263hp/280tq (ie, 6 cylinder Camry, Accord, Altima, etc.) do not appear to have the same torque steer problem? Or at least, it does not seem to be as much an issue in those cars? Could it be superior engineering by Toyota, Honda, Nissan? Of course I realize that MS3s are turbocharged, but the Camry has similar, if not faster, acceleration times without torque steer being as great an issue?!

Can anyone explain this???

thanks.


First off the V6 Camry would get owned badly by a well driven MS3.

"In Car and Driver magazine's May 2007 issue, the Mazdaspeed3 recorded its quickest acceleration times, completing the 0-60 mph sprint in 5.4 seconds, with a quarter mile time of 14 second flat at 101 mph"

The MS3 exhibits torque steer in the lower gears at WOT because it puts down 280ft/tq at only 3000rpms has a (11.9lbs per hp) power to weight ratio.

The other cars you've mentioned don't have as great of a power to weight ratio as the MS3, hence not as much TQ steer as a result most likely
 
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It may not seem like much, but all of the cars you mentioned have about 30 +/- less torque than does the MS3. When you start getting much over 240-250 lb-ft, you really start to get torque steer. I had an '02 Maxima with 246 lb-ft of torque, and torque steer was a mild issue. At 280 lb-ft, it's a real issue. No difference in engineering, just torque.

And by the way, the Camry is a half second slower than the MS3 to 60.
 
how can you compare a camry to a speed3?

s*** two difrrent worlds, its like comparing oranges to apples, cell phones to pda's. laptops to desktops, ass to mouth? lol
 
your joking right, my friend has an 07 eclipse, you think our tourqe steer is bad, drive that car. You just need to learn how to drive a fwd car to the point where you dont even notice it. Its a fwd car, not rwd. And those cars have ZERO performance qualities
 
I am also of the opinion that sometimes what may be perceived as torque steer is actually wheel slippage. I have noticed that when you are accelerating quickly, (naughty) really quickly - such as out of a toll- if you hit either some loose dirt, a lane stripe, etc you will get some pulling that is actually getting slippage from one of the wheels.

Basically if you are getting on it at low speeds you need to brace that steering wheel, if you have it turned then more so. Just something that you have to do with a fwd vehicle designed to have responsive steering with a lot of torque.

Ed.
 
It may not seem like much, but all of the cars you mentioned have about 30 +/- less torque than does the MS3. When you start getting much over 240-250 lb-ft, you really start to get torque steer. I had an '02 Maxima with 246 lb-ft of torque, and torque steer was a mild issue. At 280 lb-ft, it's a real issue. No difference in engineering, just torque.

And by the way, the Camry is a half second slower than the MS3 to 60.

Meh, I had a FWD Lotus Elan (M100) that had maybe 150 ft/lbs of tq and it TS badly, even though Lotus had done all they could to engineer it out of the chassis (equal length half shafts, front suspension raft, etc.).

The Camry/Accord don't have as quick a steering ratio as the MS3, add in al the other factors already listed and you have TS.
 
And by the way, the Camry is a half second slower than the MS3 to 60.
On a good run, driven by a guy whose job it is to wring out the best possible numbers from the cars, on a controlled track.

That Camry will run 5.9's and 14's all day long. If we don't screw our launch we'll take it by a car length, and that's not that much. All the Camry driver needs is a good right foot. We are marginally faster and less consistent.

I am also of the opinion that sometimes what may be perceived as torque steer is actually wheel slippage. I have noticed that when you are accelerating quickly, really quickly - such as out of a toll- if you hit either some loose dirt, a lane stripe, etc you will get some pulling that is actually getting slippage from one of the wheels.
Uneven grip from left to right is a big cause of torque steer, and the more torque you have, the worse it seems.
 
On a good run, driven by a guy whose job it is to wring out the best possible numbers from the cars, on a controlled track.

That Camry will run 5.9's and 14's all day long. If we don't screw our launch we'll take it by a car length, and that's not that much. All the Camry driver needs is a good right foot. We are marginally faster and less consistent.

Uneven grip from left to right is a big cause of torque steer, and the more torque you have, the worse it seems.

A V6 camry doesn't run 14 flat in the 1/4. I even think those #'s car and driver came up with are bs. I doubt that thing even runs 14.5 in the 1/4 or 6.3 0-60. I've flat out embrassed too many of them to believe car and drivers #'s.
 
A V6 camry doesn't run 14 flat in the 1/4. I even think those #'s car and driver came up with are bs. I doubt that thing even runs 14.5 in the 1/4 or 6.3 0-60. I've flat out embrassed too many of them to believe car and drivers #'s.

Yup, Motor Trend agrees with us. The Camry can not hang with a properly driven MS3. Sure, put a mook in both cars and the Camry wins. So I guess that makes the Camry mook-proof, not faster.

http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests..._honda_accord_vs_2007_toyota_camry/specs.html
 
The only time I notice it is when I put it down hard out of the gate and only in 1st through 3rd. At highway speeds, I can drop down to 5th and nail it without me noticing any pull on the wheel.
 
What the hell are you doing racing a 3000+lb. camry? That is the real question!

Well, to be honest here, our Mazdaspeed 3 is fairly portly too, clocking in @ just over 3100 lbs, and that's empty. Factor in a driver, passenger etc.. the number climbs quickly. Don't kid yourself, the speed3 is a nice car, but it's not a dedicated track racer.

I didn't buy mine for racing, I bought it as my everyday driver, with a fun streak to it :)
 

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