hvrod

Found info.

Judging by the way it was circling the Nürburgring test track, the HHR SS has also received substantial suspension tuning. Expect the usual upgrades like thicker sway bars, retuned struts and a revised version of the standard model's electric power steering system. Four-wheel disc brakes will be part of the package as well. Larger wheels and tires are a sure thing, too,

isomswim

just picked up the brochure the other day and it is sweet looking inside and out. nothing yet on chevy website. only says in the brochure that it will be out late fall 07. yes def same engine as solstice/sky gxp/RL. torque steer should not be issue as this is a heavier car than the cobalt or g5 and the performance versions of those have been seen with way higher HP#s. the only car recently that chevy has built that has issues with torque steer is the impala SS with the 303hp v8 fwd and they are now going to be going rwd with that. but that is a v8 vs a I4 pushing aprox 260-270. little bit more torque downlow on the V8. eh i guess thats my 2 cents. cant wait to get my hands on an HHR SS. Def going to be in line for one after boot camp is over in april 08.

GDZHHR

I for one am concerned about this issue.

I get enough torque steer with just a few mods and a tune. I'm guessing I'm around 200-220 now. Unless they change some things, at 260, it will be much more severe.

MOTRV8D

that's what I'm talking about. I for one want GM to resolve tork steer before I plunk down my hard earned cash for one. You can't have guys driving into trash cans just b/c they punched it as they went around a corner.

Black Rose

It's odd but the only time I've had issues with torque steer was with V6 equipped FWD cars. I referred to my 89 Cavalier as the stump puller as that thing had phenominal low end torque. Even the boring 4 door Malibus I had gave me torque steer problems.

My 98 Cavalier didn't have the problem. So far the HHR hasn't given me any torque steer problems, and I've run it close to redline a few times.

hhrcrafty

No, it's not. The only RWD cars GM builds for the US market right now are Solstice, Sky, Corvette, XLR, CTS, and Seville. There are no RWD Delta platform cars, and no way to make them RWD without significant re-engineering of the architecture.

I get the feeling that a lot of people here have never experienced torque steer. It really isn't THAT big of a deal, and I'm sure the engineers are waaay ahead of you here on how they're going to prevent it.

SandyBeach

Especially since the average HHR owner is over 30 and most don't know how to drive these types of vehicles with power and torque steer. I do not forsee GM ignoring this. After all, most of my friends kidd that when I bought my HHR it should have come with a walker in the hatch and a Medicare application. (most owners we see are grey haired and "on their way out" so to speak)

That's exactly why we need an HHR SS. We need to attract younger drivers so that everyone doesn't think it's an old lady's car.

As for torque steer, can you describe how the vehicle reacts? My minivan had a 3.8 V6 and handled differently than any other car I owned. I don't know if it was due to torque steer or not.

Also, would all-wheel-drive solve the problem? Is that why most Subaru models are AWD?

tsaints1115

BB beat me to it. Torque steer is caused by unequal length drives shafts. There are ways around it if the manufacturer gos to the technological/parts expense.

tsaints1115

It`s an easy thing to resolve. Don`t stab the throttle especially in corners or in the wet. It`s the sudden torque change not the overall torque available that cause a problem for some. And for those who think us old fuddy duddys have no experience with torque steer or high horsepower FWD cars, we were driving 455 big block Olds Toronados when the majority of you "experienced" tuner boys were being created in the back seat of one.

MOTRV8D

I was referring to the Saturn Sky Red Line when I mentioned RWD vehicle. The Saturn Vue Red Line which indeed is FWD, does not have the turbo motor, but rather a V6. Sorry should have been more clear on which Saturn Red Line. I for one have never experienced torque steer, having a 98 Z28 as my current ride, so all I have to go on is what I read about it.