Glossary / General

torque steer

12 Episode Mentions

Too Afraid to Ask

When you push the gas hard, the steering wheel might feel like it’s pulling to one side. This happens in some cars because of how the power is sent to the front wheels.

Technical Definition

Torque steer is a phenomenon where the steering wheel pulls to one side during hard acceleration, especially in front-wheel drive cars with unequal-length driveshafts.

Hear It Discussed

"...anybody who's ever driven a powerful front-wheel drive car will know what we mean by a talk steer."
How to appraise a car like a chassis engineer #278 The Intercooler 10:58

"Um but he was like, "Oh, you don't know what torque steer is? You should try my car." Uh and it is super noticeable in that car at least."
The Crash That Changed Drag Racing Forever Past Gas 22:33

"...i don't want to not hold the steering wheel going up the hill uh it's torque steer"
#2596: Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On The Best of Car Talk 20:18