For many, knowing first hand that your vehicle lacks dynamic front wheel or rear wheel grip is a given but throw in the terms understeer and oversteer and you get that vague look of understanding. So lets simplify these terms.

What causes oversteer?

A car is said to oversteer when the rear wheels do not track behind the front wheels but slide out towards the outside of the turn. Oversteer can throw the car into a  spin. Rear Wheel Drive (RWD) cars are more prone to oversteer, in particular when applying power in a tight corner.

What causes understeer?

The opposite effect is understeer.

Understeer is the condition in which the front tires do not so follow the intended trajectory the driver is trying to impose while taking the corner, instead following a more straight line trajectory. It is common practice among auto manufacturers to configure production cars deliberately to have slight linear range understeer by default, as a car that understeers slightly, tends to be more stable and predictable to drive than one that oversteers.

How do you fix oversteer and understeer?

Whiteline develops a range of product to alter the handling bias (oversteer and understeer) of your vehicle for improved grip, including sway bars, lowering springs, camber bolt kits, roll center adjusters and more. Here is a simple snapshot of the varying ways one can reduce oversteer and understeer.

Start your search for Whiteline products here to neutralize your vehicles understeer or oversteer tendencies.