Yup, Torque steer like it's the mid 80's again but those cars had it with only 100 hp. Coming from a RWD Firebird, I really didn't like it but for everything else the car does, it's a small price to pay and very controllable once you get used to it. I don't thrash on it on turns, bumps, or in a toll box. Everywhere else, the go pedal gets to meet the firewall and I get to grin like a 16 year old.

JIm

 

wanna stop/control torque steer? hold onto the damn steering wheel!

if you're complaining about torque steer on a stock HHR SS, then for the love of God don't modify it (performance wise).

i've never complained about my torque steer and i have A LOT of it. i find it quite fun that i can change lanes when i downshift. oh and i have LSD in my wagon.

 

Well Andrew, it's been over a month since you posted and you haven't posted anything since then so it's probably pointless for me to reply but I will anyway. Like you I'm a fairly experienced driver with ample seat time in everything from fendered ITA/ITC cars up through DSR/CSR sports racers and F440 on up to Atlantics. In other words I can see the HHR SS from your side of the fence.

I've had a bone stock SS for over a year and 20K+ miles. It's a very handy car. 26.7 overall mpg's since I've owned it. It's comfortable and reasonably quick. On a road like the "Tail of the Dragon" it's a blast to drive in a sane manner. Does it have quirks? Sure, the speedo is hard to read, the gas and brake are too far apart to comfortably heel/toe, and it suffers from way too much Torque steer and it's easy to spin the front tires when you don't really want to. Do I like the car in spite of it's faults? I sure do but it's taught me to avoid FWD in the future. To me it's simply not as fun to drive as RWD, and for those that think I just don't understand FWD, I've raced in those classes too. I've often told people that if the HHR SS were RWD I'd love it rather than like it. While I'm not sorry I bought it because it serves it DD purpose well, if I was in the market to buy something today I would look elsewhere. With that said I can't think of any wagon, crossover, or SUV anywhere near the same price point that is as fun to drive. It's just too bad it has to be wrong wheel drive.

 

just stay off the painted lines whiile running with your foot through the loor...

 

Might not be torque steer at all. Try again, turn off the traction control.

I had the same thought when I bought my FWD 2006 Impala SS. IF you gave it a lot of gas from a dead stop, you'ld feel it dancing through the steering wheel. I posted this on a Yahoo forum. A week later, I got a call at work from the marketing manager for Impala at GM (he tracked me down). He told me to turn of the traction control, and you can do 50 ft front wheel burnouts with the wheel staying perfectly straight. He was correct. I had driven lots of FWD cars so I thought it had felt the same.

 

Well, it HAS been a month since I originally posted and I have learned a lot since then. First, I find it hilarious when someone tells me to just hold on to the steering wheel harder. It's funny how we naturally want to do just that and one of the first things any decent instructor will tell you when you start driving in competition (or go to one of the many fine schools) is to let go of the death grip. Watch in-car of one of the Red Bulls or the McLarens and see how little steering input those guys are putting in. Not to mention the delicasy of movement. I pride myself on having a light touch on the wheel. That being said, the difference between the clank of the gas peddle to the botttom of the stop in a Formula Ford just before, or around corner apex, is a very different approach to a delicate application (read egg shells) of the throttle in and Atlantic. But... it looks like when getting on the gas it's just what is needed with a FWD. A look at in-car of British Touring Cars is a good example. Most importantly, I am learning that while torque steer is a necessary evil, it's not really what causes most instability. It seems, and I learn this from others that know far more than I, that it's the irregularities of the road surface that contributes most to the instability. As mentioned before, watch out for those white lines! And, I will add, those damn lane reflectors! The reality is that for the time being, it's probably the most complete answer to my DD needs, and I don't need it to be a race car. C G sounds like he totally gets where I'm at. I'm still looking for a good SS in SO CAL. When the right one shows up, I will still grab it.

 

Yes the road surface has much to do with the issues. Also I feel the stock Pilots also are not the best choice for traction as they show poor grip in many conditions.

Torque steer is just a part of a FWD and in this case GM did pretty good to isolate it but there is just little you can do to eliminate fully it. Jus the nature of the beast.

For the most I do not get suprised and one in a while I do have to grab a hand full of wheel but it is not a daily thing.

 

When I test drove an SS, the torque steer was the first thing I noticed and didn't like.

I have since found that a lot of the torque steer problem is from the traction control and stability control. I agree with a previous poster... turn the traction control/ESC off and then try putting your foot in it. It will be launch much better.

I also believe that the ESC is a brake pad killer. In highway driving with moderate crosswinds, I noticed the brakes trying to control the car. The stability control may help to control the car but it does it at price... it feels like it is twice as unstable due to the jerky motions it causes when tapping brakes! Personally, I don't like these features. If I ever do a computer tune, I will request that these features are set to a normally off condition at start up and can be engaged only if I chose to engage them.

Oh and whether it's good advice or not, I have chosen to hang on tightly to the wheel under hard acceleration - I don't like ditches!! LOL.

 

I agree Hang on and stab it. It's more fun when going uphill steep.

 

If anyone thinks the SS has bad torque steer they never have been in a car with bad torque steer. My old Bonnie SSEI would make for the ditch like a rabbit. My present GTP is no where near as good as the SS either.

It is something you need to deal with and on the newer cars with the hyperstruts like on the Regal they are even better with little tug but there will always be some there.

When you as two wheels to stop turn and go there will always be some conflict no matter what you do.

Even the old 500 CID Eldo's used to have a pretty good tug on them and they even dialed out most of the steering feel.