What is oversteer and understeer?
Oversteer and understeer cause loss of vehicle control. If not handled promptly, unfortunate accidents can occur.
What is understeer?
Understeer is simply understood as when entering a corner, the car does not follow the driver's wishes, but tends to go in a straight line, deviating in the opposite direction of the corner. Understeer is a characteristic of front-wheel drive vehicles and most 4-wheel drive vehicles when we enter a corner too fast. At this time, the 2 front wheels are the 2 steering wheels and also the 2 driving wheels. The loss of grip causes the car to not move in the direction we steer.
What is oversteer?
Oversteer occurs in two situations. First, when we exit a corner. And we suddenly accelerate in rear-wheel drive cars. Second, when we enter a corner too quickly and suddenly release the accelerator, causing a sudden weight transfer from back to front.
Both of these situations cause the rear wheels, which are responsible for driving the car, to lose traction. The inevitable result is that the car will skid or, worse, spin several times on the road. Oversteer is common in rear-wheel drive cars, some 4-wheel drive cars, and a few front-wheel drive cars.
Causes of understeer and oversteer
Oversteer is likely to occur in slippery road conditions (rain, mud, snow, ice). Or when cornering too sharply, accelerating too early, reducing the throttle or braking suddenly in the middle of the corner. This phenomenon is often specifically manifested when the rear of the car will swing in an arc. The process of sudden braking by reflex is very dangerous, causing the nose of the car to dive down. The main weight is placed on the front shock absorbers and the two front wheels, causing the two rear wheels to lose traction, and the rear of the car will also swing due to inertia.
The main cause of understeer is that the driver does not control the speed and the turn enough to create centripetal force to hug the entire turn, causing the front wheels to lose friction (for front-wheel drive cars). When the car has slid sideways to the edge of the turn, no matter how hard you squeeze the steering wheel, it is hopeless.
How to handle oversteer and understeer
To prevent the car from falling into one of the two states of oversteer and understeer, the driver should check the condition of the tires before each trip because when the car turns sharply, it is impossible to stop to check the tires. If the tires are worn, the car can easily lose traction with the road when encountering curves or slippery roads. In addition, the driver needs to pay attention to control and master the distance traveled, avoiding cases of having to brake suddenly or suddenly accelerate.
How to handle understeer
Understeer occurs when the driver cannot control the speed, when cornering does not create enough centripetal force to hug the entire turn, causing the two front wheels to lose friction with the road surface.
The simplest way to handle this is to slow down the front wheels to regain traction with the road. Then immediately release the accelerator to slow down the car slowly, do not brake suddenly but increase the friction of the wheels (press the brake lightly to let the ABS take effect for cars with ABS - Anti-lock Brake System). When the car has regained traction with the road, the driver needs to steer more towards the corner or in other words, return the steering wheel to the straight direction of the corner.
How to handle oversteer
Oversteer occurs when the driver suddenly brakes the car reflexively, causing the front of the car to dive down and put the main weight on the front shock absorbers and the two front wheels. The two rear wheels are then pulled along, losing traction, and the rear of the car swings away due to inertia.
Dealing with oversteer is much more difficult than understeer. Drivers need to reduce speed before braking so that the ABS can take effect in time, eliminating the locking force most effectively. Avoid sudden braking when entering a corner to reduce the risk of a dangerous accident.
In addition, the skill of steering the car in the opposite direction of the curve with the right amount plays a very important role. If the driver steers the car in the opposite direction too little, the car will still have the phenomenon of tail-swing. If the driver steers the car in the opposite direction too much, the driver will not be able to control the phenomenon of over-steering, on the contrary, it will cause the car to tail-swing or spin in the opposite direction.
To control oversteer and understeer, the driver should carefully handle each step in the ways for each specific case. Always pay attention to control the speed of the vehicle to avoid unfortunate accidents.
