UNDERSTEER OR OVERSTEER? KNOW YOUR LIMITS

We all know what oversteer or understeer means, even though we may not have given them a proper name. It is not necessary to be a track enthusiast to experience either condition, but it does happen most often at tracks. Two old jokes are told about understeering and oversteering. Oversteering scares passengers and understeering scares drivers. Oversteer occurs when the car’s rear hits something, while understeer happens when the front does.

Different Definitions

Understeer is often called “push” and sometimes referred to as “plow” or “plowing”. Understeer can be described as “push”, “plow”, or “plowing”.

Understeer

When a car understeers, it corners less than you want with the steering. Understeer occurs when a car does not corner as much as you would expect. You turn the steering wheel and you’d expect it to, but the car doesn’t turn enough. If you don’t do anything, your car will continue to move outwards, rather than smoothly cornering through the curve. In a situation such as this, most people will respond by turning the steering wheel more, essentially saying, in mechanical terms “No!” I want you over there! “Go that way!” They say. “Go that way!” The driver turns the steering wheel in the direction he wants to go.

Unbelievable Odds

This doesn’t work 90% of the time. You will understeer through a turn 90% of the time if you enter the corner too quickly. In fact, you can enter a corner so fast that your front wheels are overwhelmed by the forward momentum and cannot produce enough grip for a cornering entry. Understeer is worsened by turning the steering wheel and fighting the car. This puts more and more power into the front wheels that were unable to keep pace with your forward motion from the start. In most cases, the best way to deal with understeer is to reduce the throttle. Slow down and get the car under you before getting back on the accelerator.

TrackDays offers this excellent resource to help you correct understeer if that is the situation.

Oversteer

Oversteer occurs when the car turns more than you want it to. Entering a corner and turning your steering wheel by x amount causes the car to come out further than it should. Oversteer occurs when the rear of your car turns as you turn a corner. It’s like the car wants to spin. For a gearhead, oversteer can be a very fun state to handle. From a performance perspective, oversteer is a faster handling state for a vehicle, provided you can balance it.

It is bad to have too much understeer, or oversteer. Any car can understeer or oversteer at any time, no matter what the drivetrain configuration is. As a driver, it is your responsibility to drive your car safely. The idea that a car is “unsafe at all speeds” is nonsense. It’s true that if the car has been built incorrectly, is not maintained correctly, or has a mechanical problem, it’s unsafe. It is up to the junior Mario Andrettis to drive safely.

Maintain proper control over your vehicle.

Take Care to Consider Your Choices

In an ideal situation, the car would describe a perfect circular motion, with the back wheels following the front ones exactly, like a train on railroad tracks. It’s for this reason that you often hear the phrase “handles like its on rails” to describe a car.

Colin Chapman was the founder of Lotus Cars and a brilliant chassis designer. He is also a legendary automotive engineer who said that the steering wheel directs the front and the right foot directs the rear. He was obviously referring to rear-drive cars. He was referring to the fact that a rear-wheel-drive car will require you, while entering, travelling through, or exiting a turn, to simultaneously manage the front and the rear. You are the one driving. You are the driver. Drive it. Know your limits. Know your limits. Do not go beyond the limits of your car. Balance in all things automotive.

We would also recommend TrackDays as a resource. Recently, they spoke to six pro race car drivers in order to gather the best tips for being behind the wheel.

Tony Borroz is a racing enthusiast who has raced antiques and sports cars his whole life. He is well-intentioned, even if his preference for lighter, more agile cars over big engine muscle or family sedans.