From what I've read and seen, I'm wondering if there is empirical evidence as well and anecdotal to support the "feeling" that TA's make the front wheel stiffer/better steering, or if that feeling is a placebo effect. IMO, if the wheel is locked in place between the forks, any flexing is about the forks or the wheel, not how the wheel is attached to it. Thicker axle means thicker hubs, thicker fork dropouts, mean thicker forks. Make a TA as slender as a QR, or a QR as thick as a TA, probably no difference. On MTB's with suspension, yes, one can bounce the bike on the forks to align the axle/forks, but on a road bike, if the axle holes aren't perfectly aligned, the wheel will always be misaligned, whereas with an open drop out, one has some wiggle room to align the wheel.