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From: junk@ur-tut.UUCP (Jan Vandenbrande)
Newsgroups: net.auto
Subject: Re: front wheel drive steering
Message-ID: <383@ur-tut.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 22-Feb-86 15:22:36 EST
Article-I.D.: ur-tut.383
Posted: Sat Feb 22 15:22:36 1986
Date-Received: Wed, 26-Feb-86 04:34:36 EST
References: <1127@ihlpa.UUCP> <2134@teddy.UUCP>
Reply-To: junk@ur-tut.UUCP (Jan Vandenbrande)
Distribution: net
Organization: Univ. of Rochester Computing Center
Lines: 19
Keywords: Torque Steer

In article <2134@teddy.UUCP> msm@teddy.UUCP writes:
>> Ok you net.auto fans, here's one for you.  I have only driven two
>> front wheel drive cars,but noticed in both of them that they tend to
>> drift to the right side of the road.  This is especially noticeable
>> when accelerating.
>
>Sound's like you are describing 'Torque-Steer' to me. This arises because
>one wheel is closer to the engine than the other. The further wheel has a
>longer shaft to get it's power from, and therefor develos more torque. This 
>force imbalance will pull the car to one side when you boot it. The solution
>is to put "half-shafts" into the drive train so that there is an equal length
>of drive shaft leading to each side.  

I thought that another solution to this problem of torque steer was 
to give the two shafts the same (or close) inertial properties.
I believe that VW tries to achieve this by having the shorter shaft
solid, and the longer shaft hollow. I haven't yet experienced the 
phenomenon described above with my VW toy.
Jan.