After reading a bunch of threads on how to correct from an understeer condition, a lot of people say not to get off the gas. We just got back from a driving school and all the instructors there said to get off the gas and countersteer right away, as soon as you feel the back end slip. Why would you stay on the gas in this situation???

Just wondering what conditions would require you staying on the gas and not letting off of it.

 

Understeer is the FRONT end slipping. Getting off the gas will put more weight on the front tires, and will correct it immediately. That's why consumer-appliance type cars are all engineered to understeer.

Oversteer is more complicated. If you're under neutral throttle and the oversteer is caused by cornering forces alone, lifting will take weight off the rear tires and make it worse. Also, some cars have rear suspension geometries that accentuate this effect. Old 3-series BMWs and 911s are notorious for this. On the other hand, if you have power oversteer (assuming a RWD car, of course) lifting may restore traction. It all depends on why it broke loose.

 

What Tox said...

Mark

 

Mark, also remember that the EVOC class was geared only towards getting out of a skid SAFELY, and reducing speed is always a good idea from a safety standpoint. Exit speed from the corner is not a concern when you're only trying to save your butt.

 

Tox,

Thanks. I meant to say oversteer. I'm always getting those two confused.

So, what you're saying is that if the cornering forces are what cause you to start losing it, then countersteering and keeping your foot on the throttle is the way to correct it. If it was too much throttle in the first place, then lifting off and countersteering is the way to go.

 

Quick and smooth is the key. You should lift only as much as needed to correct the understeer.

Just coming totally off the throttle may xfer too much weight out of the rear axle potentially turning an understeer into an oversteer condition that will be harder to handle.

This especially critical on rear (and to a certain extent mid) engine cars, where most of the mass is concentrated past the geometrical center of the car, making them nice candidates for instant pendulum action...

 

Yes, that's it. I'll also add that, in my experience at least, every instance of oversteer I've had with the S2000 has been throttle-induced. Under neutral throttle I have not noticed the car has any tendency to oversteer (or to do anything other than act like it's on rails).

I also second Luis's comment about smoothness. In any slide, front end or rear, small inputs at the controls go a long way and you should lift only as much as you need to to correct it. The same goes as a general rule for adding throttle, too. You want to feed it smoothly as you're coming out of a corner to avoid power oversteer in the first place.

To gain some low-risk hands-on experience with over- and understeer, I'd suggest practicing in an empty parking lot the next time you have an ice storm -- but not with the S2000!

 

Thanks Tox. Unfortunately for me, living in So Cal doesn't give me much practice in an ice storm. Guess I'll have tio go up to the local mountains during the winter time to practice.