SteveT wrote:

> The T-5 engine seems about the same as my '95 Turbo, with even more

> turbo lag (maybe that'll get better when broken in). The torque steer

> is much worse,

Is there anyone here who knows what "Torque Steer" really is???

I see this all the time from many BBers and wonder if they really know what it is that they're feeling. In the case of the new S60 it sure as hell ISN'T torque steer!!

Having driven both the 2.4T AND T5 (in both manual and automatic for the T5) I can assure all of you that what you claim to be torque steer IS NOT! I had the T5 manual at a standstill on perfectly flat pavement and I hammered it off the line. This car pulled as straight and true as a yard stick. I've done the same with the auto and had the same result.

What everyone here seems to mistake for torque steer is what I like to call "train tracking". The new S60 is the widest car in its class and with 235/45ZR17s on all four corners it's extremely susceptable to following imperfections within the roadway itself. It's especially nasty when it gets caught in the train tracks. You know, the two linear depressions in the pavement where most cars travel and as such cause 2 indentations within each lane. If you've ever tried to make a quick lane change on deeply tracked roads with wide tires then you know what I'm referring to. Most intersections will have these ruts so that when you go to hit the gas you will feel the car pull back into them if you're not in them already. This may leave you feeling like torque steer is effecting the steering but in reality, on a truly flat surface, the car GOES STRAIGHT AS AN ARROW!

You people want to observe torque steer? Take a spin in a 1994 (or previous MY) Cavalier Z24 (3.1L V6 FWD). Hit one of these hard off the line and you'll end up in the next lane regardless of how flat the surface is and remember that on any given FWD application, if it's torque steer that you're observing it should ALWAYS pull in only ONE direction (whichever side has the shorter driveshaft typically).