VIDEO: How the FK8 Civic Type R tackles torque steer

The FK8 Honda Civic Type R is the front-wheel-drive performance car of the moment, particularly in Malaysia, where it was recently launched. It makes over 300 hp, but how does it deploy all that power to the front wheels, which also have to handle steering duties, without suffering from the physics of torque steer? Jason Fenske of Engineering Explained gives a brief rundown on how Honda manage to limit, if not eliminate torque steer from its latest front-wheel-drive performance model.

Firstly, torque steer is the tugging of the driven wheels – predominantly in front-wheel-drive cars – towards one particular direction due to uneven forces as a result of unequal length half-shafts, as the gearbox in a transverse-mounted engine is mounted to one side rather than in the centre, assuming other variables such as road conditions and tyre wear are accounted for.

Steering geometry is another factor, and Honda has designed the front suspension geometry to be such that its steering axis is within the front wheels, and closer to the ideal that is where the tyre centreline is, to reduce scrub radius, spindle length, and consequently torque steer.

Fenske also explains (in a separate video) why scrub radius should not be zero, though in the case of the FK8 Type R, he notes that when viewed vertically, the front tyre’s contact patch rotates almost exactly on one point, and helps the car steer with less corruption.

Check out the video here, as Fenske goes into detail on what makes the FK8 Honda Civic Type R tick.

GALLERY: Honda Civic FK8 Type R in Malaysia

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