Torque steer - what's with that?

[Robaroni]

I must be getting used to it. Yesterday someone in a pickup crossed the double line to pass me as I started up a steep hill. That didn't happen! Seeing this car, quite a distance back, in my rear view mirror I realized that I didn't notice the torque steer. Maybe it was the hill, then maybe I was laughing too much to notice!

Rob

 

[PackardV8]

No horsepower and no torque = no torque steer.

That's a terrible oversimplification. My '86 had a much better power to weight to gearing ratio than the '95 Civic EX that replaced it for a few years. It would easily beat the '95 with its 39 more HP in a drag race, and would happily light the tires up in first and then chirp them in second. If the axles weren't equal in length it would have had torque steer. The modest HP was an issue above 30MPH but that's also above the speeds where torque steer is most bothersome.

Apples to apples? IIRC, the 1986 Honda Civic Si had 93 lb.-ft. of torque @ 4500 RPMs . Isn't the Bolt rated at 266 lb.-ft? Isn't that 2.8 times as much torque?

Once again, not bothersome; just not expected but if the slight torque steer is the tradeoff for the instant and constant torque, glad to go with it.

jack vines

 

[user 1485]

I must be getting used to it. Yesterday someone in a pickup crossed the double line to pass me as I started up a steep hill. That didn't happen! Seeing this car, quite a distance back, in my rear view mirror I realized that I didn't notice the torque steer. Maybe it was the hill, then maybe I was laughing too much to notice!

Rob

I enjoyed this little comment! The Bolt has wicked acceleration for a car that is not supposed to be a sports car. There is nothing like hitting the "sport" button, and then watching that rear view mirror. Of course, if you drive like that all the time It messes with your KWh per mile number. Nevertheless, its just plain fun to be able to do one for global warming and enjoy it at the same time! I have not looked forward to driving so much in years as I do now with my Bolt. It's just plain fun. I now no longer hanker after a Miata.

 

[LeftieBiker]

Once again, not bothersome; just not expected but if the slight torque steer is the tradeoff for the instant and constant torque, glad to go with it.

This is the point everyone keeps missing. There is no "tradeoff" required. GM CHOSE to have torque steer, probably to save money on some component or two.

 

[Robaroni]

Once again, not bothersome; just not expected but if the slight torque steer is the tradeoff for the instant and constant torque, glad to go with it.

This is the point everyone keeps missing. There is no "tradeoff" required. GM CHOSE to have torque steer, probably to save money on some component or two.

Engineers constantly balance parameters. There may very well be a reason why they chose to do it with the traction control and not other means, they've been building cars a long time. I'm sure they know exactly what and how much torque steer they would get and I'm sure there are good reasons for going the route they did.
Guessing the design parameters of a car not knowing all the challenges the engineers faced it might be easy to simply say, they should have done this or that but a team of very bright people very likely thought way beyond simple solutions.

As far as I'm concerned, after scratching my head on parameters more than once, I'd say they did a superb job.

 

[oilerlord]

This is the point everyone keeps missing. There is no "tradeoff" required. GM CHOSE to have torque steer, probably to save money on some component or two.

Bingo.

We can be sure that moderate torque steer came as no surprise to Chevy's engineers, but they probably neither had the budget or the inclination to spend more money to reduce it further. Remember, Chevy "listened to their customers" when they built the Bolt. They wanted more range, they gave them more range. They wanted a regen / hypermiling paddle, they gave them that too. Focus groups no doubt had 1000 things on their Bolt wishlist but they wanted it all for $30,000 after incentives, so here it is. I'm betting that "Build me an EV hot hatch no torque steer" was somewhere around #612 on the list. Removing torque steer simply didn't matter to the Bolt's target audience, so why should we be surprised that the Bolt has it.

I'd suggest we accept and enjoy the car for what it is, and stop complaining about what it isn't.

 

[Robaroni]

This is the point everyone keeps missing. There is no "tradeoff" required. GM CHOSE to have torque steer, probably to save money on some component or two.

Bingo.

We can be sure that moderate torque steer came as no surprise to Chevy's engineers, but they probably neither had the budget or the inclination to spend more money to reduce it further. Remember, Chevy "listened to their customers" when they built the Bolt. They wanted more range, they gave them more range. They wanted a regen / hypermiling paddle, they gave them that too. Focus groups no doubt had 1000 things on their Bolt wishlist but they wanted it all for $30,000 after incentives, so here it is. I'm betting that "Build me an EV hot hatch no torque steer" was somewhere around #612 on the list. Removing torque steer simply didn't matter to the Bolt's target audience, so why should we be surprised that the Bolt has it.

I'd suggest we accept and enjoy the car for what it is, and stop complaining about what it isn't.

I agree!

 

[flamaest]

I was laughing too much to notice!

Same here, I see souped up hondas all the time trying to get the jump on my Bolt and I whip past them like nothing. Suckers didn't see that coming......

 

[sgt1372]

I was laughing too much to notice!

Same here, I see souped up hondas all the time trying to get the jump on my Bolt and I whip past them like nothing. Suckers didn't see that coming......

That's funny. I was driving home yesterday on a 2 lane street. I was NOT speeding but as I passed this guy in a Mini (who was driving very slowly) -- I was in the left lane and he was in the right -- he revs his engine and accelerates aggressively to catch up to me.

I just entered the cutout for a left turn on the green w/o stopping and made the left just as he caught up. Didn't see him again but I thought this behavior was odd.

Do you think that he was disappointed that he couldn't race me? :roll: :lol:

 

[Robaroni]

I was laughing too much to notice!

Same here, I see souped up hondas all the time trying to get the jump on my Bolt and I whip past them like nothing. Suckers didn't see that coming......

That's funny. I was driving home yesterday on a 2 lane street. I was NOT speeding but as I passed this guy in a Mini (who was driving very slowly) -- I was in the left lane and he was in the right -- he revs his engine and accelerates aggressively to catch up to me.

I just entered the cutout for a left turn on the green w/o stopping and made the left just as he caught up. Didn't see him again but I thought this behavior was odd.

Do you think that he was disappointed that he couldn't race me? :roll: :lol:

Lucky for him you didn't! :lol:

 

[GernBlanston]

...I'd suggest we accept and enjoy the car for what it is, and stop complaining about what it isn't.

Brilliant post. Thank you.

 

[Robaroni]

ditto!

 

[cab]

Honestly, I'm reading all of these comments about about how all these other cars don't have torque steer and I wonder what forums you guys are reading. Owners on the GTI forums, as an example, have routinely noted torque steer issues over the years. Now, the latest Mk7 cars are MUCH better, but even there VW offered the Power Pack LSD option (which was pricey). It's still a bit apples/oranges though as VW didn't have to deal with the "instant" torque nature of EVs (and their own e-Golf is DRAMATICALLY slower to 60 than the Bolt).

Having said all that, yeah, it would seem GM could have employed some of the fancier and even more common tricks to quell the torque steer better. Indeed, after a longer test drive, I sort of felt the Bolt was too soft off the line and it would be nice to feel that torque hit a a little harder - but w/o a change to shaft design/etc. that isn't likely to happen. I'm guessing that just wasn't an option w/o them sinking even more money into an already expensive little car...no one wants to see a near $50K sticker on a Bolt!

As an aside, I notice one of the guys on the Bolt FaceBook group has installed new rims and stickier tires on his Bolt (and indicates it "sticks" better - too new to tell about range hit).