Sorry about the ignorance of this question, but can someone please define understeer and oversteer? Thanks.

 

Understeer occurs when the slip angles of the front tires are greater than the slip angles of the rear tires. An understeering car is said to exhibit "push". Oversteer is the reverse of this, the rear tires have greater slip angles than the front tires. This car would be "loose".

What this means is an understeering car will continue to travel forward when you attempt to turn. An oversteering car will turn more than your steering input. In severe oversteer, the back end swings around and can result in a spin. HTH

 

Understeer? Imagine what would happen if your front tires were made out of ice.

Oversteer? Imagine that the back ones are.

 

"Understeer is when the front end hits the wall first; oversteer is when the rear end hits first." - NASCAR saying

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by twohoos
[B]"Understeer is when the front end hits the wall first; oversteer is when the rear end hits first." - NASCAR saying

 

4 Wheel drift?

 

Neutral steer? Or maybe driver error? ;-)

 

Thanks for the info guys.

 

meth. i'm trying to experience both right now. tire pressure seems to affect it alot. if you want instant oversteer, run the rears much lower than the fronts (32psi/36psi) and it starts showing up (to my amatuer hands) as a sudden ass sway at the apex of a turn that is defintely not smooth and I find myself cutting the wheel back. The opposite seems to hold true for understeer. Running all tires slightly higher but still lower in the rears (34psi/36psi) seemed to achieve a good neutrality for me but your mileage may vary. An added bonus in this dog hot weather feels to me that the engine appreciates the reduced friction from running the tires harder. The downside is the ride becomes a bit jarring.

 

"i'm trying to experience both right now."

instructions:

1. go to really empty parking lot
2. drive pretty fast
3. begin turning then tap brakes

The dive caused by the weight transfer of braking will make your rear wheel traction decrease dramatically, causing you to oversteer.

1. same
2. drive even faster
3. gradually make a turn as you continue to go really fast

You should be going too fast for the front tires to grab enough to turn you as much as you want. You will get a "snow plow" effect. That is understeer (which the 2000 has a lot of on the race track)

FWIW I've never felt that the S2000's oversteer was ever "sudden". If you are an experienced driver you will see the oversteer coming a mile away, it is very smooth. If it's not smooth, it's you, not the car.