Greetings, I have a 2000 Saturn SL1 and this was the first year I've actually gotten to drive it in the snow! (yeah what fun!) Anywhoo.. I love the way it handles... seems to do very well with it's traction control and all.
The one quirk I've noticed is if I'm stopped at a stop light or some other area which snow on the ground and then go to accelerate the car will try to pull to the right, and I have to cut sharply to the left until the car is a bit more up to speed.. then it will track correctly straight.
Well, I cant answer why they do this.... but I too (stupidly) never put winter's on my SL'98 and I have the exact same reaction when starting from a full stop on snow. So at least its not just you :-)
Its been too many years since I took physics in college, but I seem to recall that there is an angular moment of inertia and something about a left or right hand rule where the fingers pointed in the direction of the motion and the thumb pointed to the direction of the force. Sounds to me as though the vehicle pulls toward the direction of the force when the tires spin...
Again, its been too many years, but with enough time I bet you can find something on the web. I also seem to recall something about "torque steer" which is worse for front wheel drive vehicles since the drive and steering are done on the same front axle. This might be another explanation of why it is noticeable on front wheel drive vehicles.
W: I always sucked at physics, so I agree with whatever he said. Yeah, it's torque steer. Since there's less traction for your tires, because of the snow, the tires are more apt to go wandering. You can experience this on a dry road too - Gun the engine, drop the clutch, and hold on to the steering wheel as it's yanked away from you. Note - Do not try this at home, I am not a professional, and it's not my fault if you damage something while trying this.
W: Something about having all the work being done by the front wheels and having axles of unequal length. The stronger the engine, also, the more you notice it. Not to pick on the original poster, but with the SL1 engine you'd need snowfall before you's notice torque steer. I have an SL2, and torque steer is more available, shall we say. The cure of course, is to back off the throttle. In the OP's case, the traction control system can only do so much. Winter tires would help, but your fighting physics, and the drift could still be an issue. YMMV. Another poster commented that the road crown could be doing this. His suggestion of a parking lot test is excellent. Also, if you get snow tires, try the parking lot test before-and-after to see how much they help, if any.
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