Can someone explain understeer, oversteer and nutralsteer?
Melting Slicks
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 2,816
Likes: 2
From: Austin, TX
Re: Can someone explain understeer, oversteer and nutralsteer? (2funnn)
Basically,
Understeer: when the front tires start sliding out in a turn
Oversteer: When the rear tires start sliding out in a turn
Neutral Steer: When front and rear hook evenly
It can get a lot more complicated than that, of course. For example, if you're in a turn and punch the gas, you'll get instant oversteer (in a RWD car). It's all affected by the car's weight balance, tire sizes/type, anti-sway bars, springs, shocks, and alignment settings.
If you go to the racing section and do a search, there's a lot of good discussion history out there.
Understeer: when the front tires start sliding out in a turn
Oversteer: When the rear tires start sliding out in a turn
Neutral Steer: When front and rear hook evenly
It can get a lot more complicated than that, of course. For example, if you're in a turn and punch the gas, you'll get instant oversteer (in a RWD car). It's all affected by the car's weight balance, tire sizes/type, anti-sway bars, springs, shocks, and alignment settings.
If you go to the racing section and do a search, there's a lot of good discussion history out there.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Apr 2000
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From: DrunkDefender
CI 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8 Veteran
CI-IV AutoX Champ
CI-IV Burnout Champ
St. Jude Donor '07-'10
Re: Can someone explain understeer, oversteer and nutralsteer? (2funnn)
Understeer: When the driver is scared
Overstreer: When the passenger is scared.
Overstreer: When the passenger is scared.
Drifting
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 1,733
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From: Sarasota FL
Re: Can someone explain understeer, oversteer and nutralsteer? (2funnn)
You mean tight, lose or neutral?
Under steer means the front wants to slide rather than turn in. Oversteer means the back wants to come around and neutral means that the car tracks about right in a turn. Most american cars seem to be set up tight (understeer).
My car with the 315s' on the back picked up some understeer but that allows me to use the throttle sooner to get the car through a turn.
Under steer means the front wants to slide rather than turn in. Oversteer means the back wants to come around and neutral means that the car tracks about right in a turn. Most american cars seem to be set up tight (understeer).
My car with the 315s' on the back picked up some understeer but that allows me to use the throttle sooner to get the car through a turn.
Race Director
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 14,165
Likes: 9
Re: Can someone explain understeer, oversteer and nutralsteer? (2funnn)
Yeah, more or less. Understeer means that you are going through a turn and the car is not turning sharp enough hence it is "under" steering. Oversteer means that the front end turns in too fast, which is usually caused by the rear end breaking loose and trying to get ahead of the car. Porsche's are bad about this because most of the weight is in the back.
A neutral car is very hard to come by.
Understeer is usually pretty easy to correct for, you can attempt to hit the brakes a little and basically unload some of the weight from the rear up to the front, this also serves to slow you down which makes you turn sharper. We all know that your car turns sharper in low speed than it does at high speed. It can also be very dangerous to brake hard going into a turn while steering, etc, etc. You can also attempt to turn your understeer into neutral or oversteer by breaking the rear tires loose, hit the gas real hard and make the rear loose traction, then it will slide around nicely, but then you have to catch it on the way back.
Oversteer is just very hard to learn to drive because it basically unloads the rear end for you, making it very hard to catch. They can be very fast, but you have to be very skilled to drive them at their limits.
[Modified by Nathan Plemons, 2:53 PM 4/3/2002]
A neutral car is very hard to come by.
Understeer is usually pretty easy to correct for, you can attempt to hit the brakes a little and basically unload some of the weight from the rear up to the front, this also serves to slow you down which makes you turn sharper. We all know that your car turns sharper in low speed than it does at high speed. It can also be very dangerous to brake hard going into a turn while steering, etc, etc. You can also attempt to turn your understeer into neutral or oversteer by breaking the rear tires loose, hit the gas real hard and make the rear loose traction, then it will slide around nicely, but then you have to catch it on the way back.
Oversteer is just very hard to learn to drive because it basically unloads the rear end for you, making it very hard to catch. They can be very fast, but you have to be very skilled to drive them at their limits.
[Modified by Nathan Plemons, 2:53 PM 4/3/2002]
Drifting
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 1,319
Likes: 2
From: Douglasville GA
Re: Can someone explain understeer, oversteer and nutralsteer? (Nathan Plemons)
Another flavor...
Understeer - you see what you hit
Oversteer - you see what you hit in your rearview mirror
Neutralsteer - you miss hitting it entirely
Most manufacturers design in Understeer. Why? Easy, it is much easier to say the driver was at fault if he drives into something, than if the car switches ends and goes backwards into something. The Corvair (Ralph Nader) was notorious for oversteer, so much so it was removed from market. The Porsche 911 from the same time had the exact same issue, but it was not owned by the common man.
Tom Melton
82 CE
86 Z51 Coupe with ZZ4 and tons of throttle induced oversteer!
Understeer - you see what you hit
Oversteer - you see what you hit in your rearview mirror
Neutralsteer - you miss hitting it entirely
Most manufacturers design in Understeer. Why? Easy, it is much easier to say the driver was at fault if he drives into something, than if the car switches ends and goes backwards into something. The Corvair (Ralph Nader) was notorious for oversteer, so much so it was removed from market. The Porsche 911 from the same time had the exact same issue, but it was not owned by the common man.
Tom Melton
82 CE
86 Z51 Coupe with ZZ4 and tons of throttle induced oversteer!
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Verdad Gallardo
Safety Car
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 3,581
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From: Springfield VA
Re: Can someone explain understeer, oversteer and nutralsteer? (RocketSled)
The best way to correct understeer is to bring the wheel back towards the neutral position. You will not have to bring it all the way back to neutal. Once you have regained control tighten the turn again. Braking just puts the car into transition even more. Get some experience on a skid pad and it becomes 2nd nature.
To get out of an oversteer condition turn into the skid. Turn the wheel in the direction the rear is swinging out. Remember to keep your movements smooth. A controlled oversteer condition is also a 'drift'. Again this is a procedure best practiced on a skid pan. A number of high speed driving schools provide skid pan time during their events.
If you can't find a skid pan, an open parking lot is a reasonable alternative if the local police don't frown on it. Unfortunately the best time to use a parking lot is when there are a couple inches of snow on them.
One other thing, DON'T look where the car is going in a skid. Keep your eyes and your concentration on where you want it to go.
To get out of an oversteer condition turn into the skid. Turn the wheel in the direction the rear is swinging out. Remember to keep your movements smooth. A controlled oversteer condition is also a 'drift'. Again this is a procedure best practiced on a skid pan. A number of high speed driving schools provide skid pan time during their events.
If you can't find a skid pan, an open parking lot is a reasonable alternative if the local police don't frown on it. Unfortunately the best time to use a parking lot is when there are a couple inches of snow on them.
One other thing, DON'T look where the car is going in a skid. Keep your eyes and your concentration on where you want it to go.
Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 29,937
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St. Jude Donor '03-'04
Cruise-In 1-2-3-4-5 Veteran
Re: Can someone explain understeer, oversteer and nutralsteer? (96LT1)
Darrel Waltrip says "Tight is when the front of your car hits the wall first. Loose is when the back of your car hits the wall first. :eek"
Drifting
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 1,803
Likes: 1
From: PA
Re: Can someone explain understeer, oversteer and nutralsteer? (2funnn)
"Push" is a high school dropout's term for "understeer". Flunkies who got their GED at a later date sometimes refer to it as "tight". In any case, the optimum tire to surface slip angle is exceeded and the tires lose grip. It is typically due to excessive roll stiffness in the front overworking the tires. A larger swaybar in the rear typically helps. If it only occurs under transient situations, more shock dampening in the rear and/or less in the front may help. Manufacturers dial in understeer because it is safer for novice drivers. Panic braking may save an understeering car but it'll throw an oversteering car into an uncontrolled spin. Few novice drivers squeeze the gas when the car gets loose, as is necessary in many oversteer situations.
Advanced
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 94
Likes: 0
From: COLUMBUS OHIO
Re: Can someone explain understeer, oversteer and nutralsteer? (Rick93Z07)
When you exit your car after you crash, if the front end is wrecked it's understeer. If the rear is wrecked it's oversteer and if you just ripped off one side of the car it's perfectly neutral. :yesnod:
