Double check to make sure all your spring blocks have been removed by your dealer during prep!

 

Yes!

Welcome to the world of nicely balanced Front engine / rear drive cars. My wife's Mustang GT did this, and the S2000 does this too, but with much greater control. I find that this behavior is most pronounced well under the limit. If you are close to the limit, it's challenging (and fun) to go for the four-wheel drift to the track-out point. Don't try that on public roads, though. Guardrails and trees are less forgiving than runoff areas. As was suggested, go have fun on a very large deserted parking lot or autocross course.

 

I find that the car will understeer in tight corners if you go in hot and if you try to give it too much throttle switches to oversteer, very quickly.

Some of the understeer is caused by realizing that you went in hot and the front tires can't cope with the speed and steering angle input by you. Going really hot will give you oversteer.

As you realize this you try to compensate with more steering but things get worst as the tires already surpassed the 100% traction limit. Results? if you did an early apex you run out of track (ask Greg about this ).

The key word is being smooth. Enter the curve a little slower and progresively and smoothly apply gas while unwinding the steering wheel. This will maintain a correct balance and allow front tires to hold on as you apply more power.

The unwinding of the steering wheel is important. When you unwind you are asking less from the front tires and traction improves, thus you can exit faster because the available extra traction can be use to hold on at a faster speed.

Ask you gain confidence (going faster progresively) you will find the limit of the car. Also try different lines. For tight corners try a late apex sometimes. Brake hard in a straight line and minimize the time you are steering.

It's all about practice and remember doing it on the track.

 

A simple "Skip Barber" explaination.

Think of a car standing still --- all weight is even on all four corners --- the tire patches are the same size.

Now accelerate in a straight line --- the tire patches are larger on the back and smaller in front.

Turn left under this condition and you have


You can see the weight transfer. Now with this knowledge, just use your hand and see the weight transfer that happens, when you brake, when you turn right, when you accelerate etc.

The clue is when does mechanical grip go away and what is causing it and how do you correct it? This is driving with your senses, and you really have to appreciate a "shoe" (a race car driver) and his ability to use the sense to know when he is at the limit.

 

I

 

Added!

 

I found out about understeer and oversteer on my TEST DRIVE!!!! It was getting off a highway with a long banking left turn.

I was lin like 3rd and hit the gas and let off and damb car was weaving all over the place. My salesman was like the car didnt know what you wanted to do. You needed to be either more on the gas or off then you can control the car better.

I was not smooth with the throttle at that point! I am much better now. I had never driven a rear wheel drive car before so I didnt know what understeer and oversteer were at all!