Torque steer -- moderate throttle

Hey guys, I hope one of you can help me out. 2006 GT convertible with 182k, lowering springs, new shocks, adjustable panhard bar 3 years ago. Under light > moderate throttle, the car pulls to the left, let off the gas and comes back to the right. Tracks fine once settled again. No extensive mods besides an intake, axle back n tune. I just had my car in today to replace the pinion seal in the rear diff, and I asked them to make sure everything is right and tight in the back end including the adjustable panhard bar (all good). The tech took it for a test drive and noticed the same thing. Lower control arm bushings?? I mean shit, if I had FI or something then I might expect it, but stock?! Any help would be great guys......TIA!

Well torque steer is caused by unequal power to the drive wheels. This is usually caused by unequal length half shafts. Now you might be experiencing some clutch slippage in your differential causing the right wheel to have more power being applied to it or you could have something wrong with the front end and as it unweights the left front under acceleration. The front end should be easy enough to check out. Did you find anything loose or worn?

I replaced my front control arms when I did my springs and shocks due to worn ball joints. It tracks well, alignment was spot on (3 years ago), no accidents, curbing etc. I've been a low on diff fluid due to the pinion seal leaking, so maybe I'll have to give it some time since the diff is topped off and good to go now (more pwr being sent to the right side). I still can't see it tho....like mild acceleration and the car shifts around town and on the hwy! Weird. It felt like the panhard bar lossened up with the ass end "walking around" but everything in the back end was right n tight....
I'm just guessing with the control arms, but no clunking

The tech took it for a test drive and noticed the same thing. Did the tech tell you what was wrong? He took it for a ride and he just agree with you, but not what is wrong.

Worn diff clutches would not cause unequal torque distribution.
My car did the same thing when one of the stock right side RLCA bushings blew out. On throttle, that side of the axle would shift forward slightly, steering the rear of the car to the left and pointing the nose toward the ditch. Under engine braking, all that reversed and the car would point itself toward oncoming traffic. Aftermarket RLCAs solved it.

There is slop somewhere, should not be too difficult to find.
Setting the car up on a 4wheel alignment may help if you cannot see anything obvious.

This is not torque steer. Torque steer is a front wheel drive trait.

Ok thx a bunch guys......I'm gunna look into the bushings of the lca's

bambam 06 said:

The tech took it for a test drive and noticed the same thing. Did the tech tell you what was wrong? He took it for a ride and he just agree with you, but not what is wrong.

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This place wasn't a suspension shop, I just asked him to take it for a rip and see if he had any ideas. This place was a tranny place where I got the pinion seal replaced. I guess he knows fk all in the way of suspensions lol

AHaze said:

Aftermarket RLCAs solved it.

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Any simple lca you can suggest? My bmr panhard bar seems pretty stout. This my dd, no racing, autocrossing etc

wusthof said:

Any simple lca you can suggest? My bmr panhard bar seems pretty stout. This my dd, no racing, autocrossing etc

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I went with Steeda's least expensive chromoly non adjustable LCAs. No need to get fancy IMHO.

AHaze said:

Worn diff clutches would not cause unequal torque distribution.
My car did the same thing when one of the stock right side RLCA bushings blew out. On throttle, that side of the axle would shift forward slightly, steering the rear of the car to the left and pointing the nose toward the ditch. Under engine braking, all that reversed and the car would point itself toward oncoming traffic. Aftermarket RLCAs solved it.

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My first guess was the rear arms too, it’s a change in the thrust angle. Torque steer is a term typically used for front-drive cars.

Yea, I've driven many front drive cars with "torque steer", and this problem resembles that effect on a minor scale. Didn't really know how to explain the symptoms in a rear drive application. It's an excuse to spend some money on the old girl! Thx a bunch guys!!

AHaze said:

I went with Steeda's least expensive chromoly non adjustable LCAs. No need to get fancy IMHO.

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I did not want the increased road noise and vibration from poly bushings so I used the GT500 lower control arms from Ford and they stopped the wheel hop with no added NVH.

Robert Larimer said:

I did not want the increased road noise and vibration from poly bushings so I used the GT500 lower control arms from Ford and they stopped the wheel hop with no added NVH.

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Nothing wrong with that either. If, in fact, the OP's issue is a bad RLCA bushing like mine was then any set of new arms will fix it from OE replacements to double heim jointed drag race pieces.
I really didn't notice any NVH increase from the poly-bushing LCAs though. My aftermarket rear upper arm and poly engine mounts were both far more noticeable.

[/QUOTE]
Yea I don't want any road noise or vibration either which I've read throughout the years "can" happen with poly bushings. Again, my car has 180+k on it. No more hard launches. Some good pulls here n there, having some fun. Shit, I'm still running the stock clutch lol

wusthof said:

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Yea I don't want any road noise or vibration either which I've read throughout the years "can" happen with poly bushings. Again, my car has 180+k on it. No more hard launches. Some good pulls here n there, having some fun. Shit, I'm still running the stock clutch lol[/QUOTE]

You will like the Ford performance control arms they give better axle control than the stock ones and less nose dive when braking too. They use heavier rubber bushings so no more noise than stock. Plus they are stock on the GT500.

Those GT500 arms are also the ones used in the GT Track Package.

Robert Larimer said:

I did not want the increased road noise and vibration from poly bushings so I used the GT500 lower control arms from Ford and they stopped the wheel hop with no added NVH.

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What he said.

I installed UMI LCA a few years ago. They were inexpensive and they work great.

Hey guys, if I deem the lca's to be the problem, should I do the uppers as well????