Is it just me or is the tourque steer a bit of a handful on the vRS? I've only started using it hardish now that it's close to 3,000 miles (in just 2 weeks!) so it's only now becoming apparent. Maybe I've been spoilt by having an AWD car too.

It makes me wonder if upping the horsepower is such a good thing as the throttle response and steering is a little bit numb and it's not easy to make corrective throttle and steering responses with any finesse. Not that I have any problems, just am starting to think that I should stick to the vRS for relaxed commuting with spare overtaking kick and the money saved can go on Optimax for the 'monster' at the weekends.

Funny thing is, on my test drive in the same car, power delivery seemed more impressive from standstill and around bends. Better check the traction control hasn't packed up

Mike

To be honest i think there is very little torquesteer with the vRS, even with torque outputs upwards of 320 lb/ft it doesnt seem so bad.

Are your tyre pressures ok and no brake binding?

To be honest i think there is very little torquesteer with the vRS' date=' even with torque outputs upwards of 320 lb/ft it doesnt seem so bad.

[/quote']

Pardon? Are we comparing it to something like an Alfa 147 GTA?

Ok, i might not drive a Fabia vRS, but I'm running the same engine in the Passat (power figures in sig) and if you really hoof it off the line, you get a second or two of "interesting steering" which in the wet can go from "interesting" to "downright suicidal"

I've found that it helps to be more progressive - and get into 2nd & 3rd quicker. Won't be such an issue then.

As a side issue, isnt' a contributing factor to torque steer that you have unequal length driveshafts? And why don't all the manufacturers make cars with equal length ones? Is it really so difficult?

Its more pronounced in the wet, but rarely a problem. All you boys n girls with a remap will probably experience a problem when you 'hoof' it

As a side issue' date=' isnt' a contributing factor to torque steer that you have unequal length driveshafts? And why don't all the manufacturers make cars with equal length ones? Is it really so difficult?[/quote']

To make equal length driveshafts the diff would need to be positioned somewhere around engine cyl no3.....not easy.

Peugeot had a system on my 205 1.9 gti that took the drive from the diff to an intermediate bearing on the offside end of the engine - this gave the effect of equal length driveshafts....and it worked well, the only torque steer I got in mine was down to traction issues. I anyone here ever drove the Astra GTE (8v or 16v), then you would be an expert in torque steer!...they were appallingly good at it :thumbdwn:

Superb has equal length driveshafts.

I allways thought the torque steer and associated understeer was quite good fun on the Fabia, around mk with the ASR/ESP off can lead to some amusing moments, just dont lift off mid corner..lol

To make equal length driveshafts the diff would need to be positioned somewhere around engine cyl no3.....not easy.

Peugeot had a system on my 205 1.9 gti that took the drive from the diff to an intermediate bearing on the offside end of the engine - this gave the effect of equal length driveshafts....and it worked well' date=' the only torque steer I got in mine was down to traction issues. I anyone here ever drove the Astra GTE (8v or 16v), then you would be an expert in torque steer!...they were appallingly good at it :thumbdwn:[/quote']

Glad we;ve got some engineering types who can explain it for me.

All I know is I've got some mechanical stuff sitting in front of me....how it works is beyond me.....

Torque steer - what torque steer?

The fabia has virtually no torque steer compared to other models.

"Virtually no torque steer"!!! Eh!! I'd hate to drive a car with torque steer in that case. As said previously it has loads of torque steer which obviously shows up more in the wet. It does make it quite entertaining but you have to be aware of it at all times, even in the dry. Unless it's just because I've got crap tyres.

In a straight line there is hardly any pull to either side in my car under heavy acceleration (Even in the wet). - Running on Toyo Proxy T1-R's

The only time I get anything like torque steer is coming out of a corner and flooring it, but this is more down to the balance of the cars weight on the ground as the power is applied.

does seem odd that the fab vrs doesn't have equal length drive shafts , as some other cars with the same engine do ,ford galaxy and skoda superb have them , i wonder if you could actually do this as a mod , i'm sure there is enough space and the mounting points on the back of the block isn't it ? but back to the topic , i've not really noticed excessive torque steer maybe i'm more progressive with the throttle , dunno .

It's got plenty of it if you hoof it. And a Limited Slip Diff doesn't make it much better in that regard, you have to aim well before dropping that right-foot

(great fun though). Being progressive is the way to do it though as you'll get less spin & more movement in the right direction.

I think people are confusing torque steer , with "not accelerating in a straight line".....

torque steer is caused (as someone else said) by different length driveshafts, it is a mechanical thing, that isn't bad in th fabia vRS, it wouldn't make a difference being wet or dry... its a mechanical thing. what alot of people are stating, is wheelspin in the wet (ASR often doesn't do anything about it) and "tramlining" which I experiance, where the fat tyres follow the imperfections in the road, and the car tries to pull to one side, or from side to side...., alot of the discussion above is about simple lack of grip when acceleration, not in effect "torque steer"

to test for torque steer, get a very smooth , grippy surface, (off road) take your hands of the wheel, and put your foot down in second gear... if the car pulls to ONE side repeatedly (I.e as when clarkson drive the astr VRX) then this is torque steer, and the fabia has hardly any of it.......

Interesting of you to mention tramlining. I think I've been experiecing that sort of thing when overtaking cars that are travelling at about 40mph on roads with a large camber.

Pardon? Are we comparing it to something like an Alfa 147 GTA?

I dont understand what you mean by that, but i can assure you that My vRS suffers with wheelspin yes but torquesteer, practically none,

Even in the wet it would be less noticable because you cant get the grip down and its the way the car grips and distributes the lb/ft that causes the torque steer

I dont understand what you mean by that' date=' but i can assure you that My vRS suffers with wheelspin yes but torquesteer, practically none,

Even in the wet it would be less noticable because you cant get the grip down and its the way the car grips and distributes the lb/ft that causes the torque steer[/quote']

I seem to remember the Alfa 147 GTA, with it's daft power output via the front wheels, had a problem with torque steer as th Astra VXR does now.

I'm pretty sure i'm referencing torque steer - goes for the left hand side if I'm enthusiastic.

As for accelerating in a straight line and wheelspin, what's life without a little excitement?

The vRS drives out of bends very well for a small car with a lot of torque, a couple of magazine tests have even mentioned how well the torque steer was controlled in the little Fabia, but you will always get some in a front wheel drive car, somebody mentioned the Astra GTE Mk2 which was hilarious the way the front would always try to go straight on in under power wet or dry. I have to agree with Gwilo we need a little bit of fun

Some really interesting ideas here I suspect that as it's been a bit wet for the last few day's and I've been 'planting it' a bit more I have to remember to be more progressive with the Furby. It does take a little getting used to the car weaving under acceleration but not a problem!

id love to know how to rid torque steer, my golf suffers badly.. hate to think what a lighter faster fabia would be like!!

Hi

It is I suppose a matter of what you are used to. I grew up (well got older) with tuned 1980s FWD Vauxhalls. They did torque steer really heavily, but in all honesty it was no big deal and pretty easy to control. Torque steer is often confused with traction issues and tyre contact patch traction didtribution (ie where on the tyre the grip is happening).

I have found the Fabia to generally have almost no torque steer. However, it can catch the unwary with a serious slew left or right if conditions are just right. I have had two pretty big moments when hard under power exiting corners at peak torque, one in third one in fourth both in the wet at speed. Thing is, as I expected the possibility, they were relatively undramatic events, but easily big enough to take the unprepared driver off the road.

It is a symptom of higher performance cars that the more power you transmit, the more difficult it can be control. Of course you can go RWD instead and lose the problem, but then you have power oversteer to consider. Either way it is fun. Having all the power nicely tied down all the time would get kind of boring.

Chris

Having all the power nicely tied down all the time would get kind of boring.

Chris

AWD is the other option of course and that's not dull at all when you can play at powersliding Hmm, an AWD Furby would be very fun to drive.... But then the extra powertrain losses would mean more fuel burnt.

Hmm, an AWD Furby would be very fun to drive.... But then the extra powertrain losses would mean more fuel burnt.

It would also make a heavy car, even heavier :eek:

Chris

Could be crappy roads, either damp or dirty, or the cold weather, or you've already humped your tyres.

My old saab 900T didn't have any torque steer, but if 1 wheel let go a bit, you were in for quite a ride.

ford galaxy and skoda superb have them .

Galaxy and Alhambra have two piece driveshafts and a different gearbox.

Superb has equal length driveshafts as the engine is mounted longitudinally.

Galaxy and Alhambra have two piece driveshafts and a different gearbox.

Superb has equal length driveshafts as the engine is mounted longitudinally.

Beat me to it.

My old Passat had a longitudinally mounted engine and that was a model of zero torquesteer. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the only reason the engine is ever mounted longitudinally is for 4WD or RWD options for the drive? In a car model which is soley FWD, transverse engine mounting seems to be the order of the daty (e.g., Fabia & all other small hatches I can think of).

Does the Octy Mk1 have transverse or longitudinal engine mounting? Just wondering as there are 4WD versions . . . longitudinal I'd assmume.:confused: