[minigt3]

Greetings,
On a test drive, I found significant torque steer on the lower gears in the high rpm range. It actually pulled me slightly into the other lane. Anyone else have similar experiences?

[Paul]

No more so than the first generation MINI I'd say.

The MINI, as a FWD, relatively powerful small car, actually does a very good job of counter-acting/handling torque steer. It's still there for sure, but it's quite minor. There's always the Limited Slip Differential option, which will give you a different experience altogether (worth it, in my opinion).

Oh, and welcome to MINI2.

[jay_tuck]

Your Mini might have been out of alignment. The one I drove was fresh of the truck and it's alignment was so bad I needed to keep the steering wheel turned about an inch to the right. I didn't notice torque steer, but then again I was test driving in 3" of snow on summer tires so I wasn't really gassing it.

[Dainewb]

Yes I have definitely noticed it in my r56s! Less noticeable on good roads. (wish the slip diff was available when i ordered mine - although could this affect steering feel?)

[Ryephile]

Not to offend, but I find it intriguing when people drive FWD cars with equal length drive shafts and then claim they've experienced torque steer. Torque steer is not just "feeling the tires grab for traction", but the steering wheel ripping out of your hand no matter how hard you hold onto it. I drove an R56 this weekend, and even on salty winter roads where there was lots of tire slip, there was no appreciable torque steer. If you want a good sample of torque steer, try driving a manual-rack Neon SRT-4.

[Paul]

I don't think they're exactly equal are they? I know MINI uses a method to equalise the lengths, and claim to reduce torque steer, but I do find under hard acceleration on flat straight track or roads it does snap a bit. Nowhere near as much as others I've owned, such as an old 1.9 Peugeot GTI or my classic Minis (now THAT is torque steer), but you do feel something pull/twist at times. Maybe it's in the mind though, which is always possible.

[Dainewb]

It is a pulling to the right under hard acceleration that I noticed. Not too bad, but did make me go off course a bit when not holding the steering wheel very tightly

[Purple Dave]

Quote: Originally Posted by Dainewb (original)

It is a pulling to the right under hard acceleration that I noticed. Not too bad, but did make me go off course a bit when not holding the steering wheel very tightly

Agreed. Same for me. Controllable though.

Far more significant on the R56 MCS, with it's instant power at low revs V's my old R53 MCS.

[Shamster]

Quote: Originally Posted by Paul Mullett (original)

No more so than the first generation MINI I'd say.

I reckon that there is more torque steer on the R56 than first gen because the power delivery is that much more brutal - showed up on the damp roads a bit more.

[robble]

Quote: Originally Posted by Purple Dave (original)

Far more significant on the R56 MCS, with it's instant power at low revs V's my old R53 MCS.

I think you hit the nail on the head. The r56 has more torque steer because *bing!* - there is MORE TORQUE.

[minigt3]

Paul M. Thanks for the welcome and great work moderating. Since all the glosses minimized the torque steer due to the new 'equal length shafts' I was just taken by surprise when I accelerated hard in 2nd gear and the car veered somewhat off course. You also need a good dry road to experience this. Someone mentioned slipping tires on wet or snow covered roads and not noticing much torque steer. Clearly if your tires are losing grip/traction, your car won't experience the same steering forces.

[Ryephile]

When the drive tires are seeing varying levels of grip between them [like on variable slippery surfaces], one will grip more than the other and cause an amplification of torque steer. Dry, grippy surfaces minimize the effects of torque steer as torque is easily transferred to the pavement in a consistent fashion.

Paul: The CV shafts [if similar to R53] are exactly the same length. The right side CV has a jack shaft going from it to the transmission. This jack shaft is a fixed link and acts as an extension of the transmission case. The main culprits of torque steer, beyond CV length, is steering and suspension geometry. If you've ever driven a very low MINI, you'd observe absolutely no torque steer at all, as the roll center is very low and creates a ton of forward bite. That's the big key to no torque steer on FWD cars; low roll center.

[minigt3]

I'm not a gearhead but I would beg to differ. Loss of traction is totally different than torque steer which causes the car to pull to the right with traction.