When you turn into a corner, it’s always important to avoid going too fast for the road and conditions, otherwise you’ll push the car beyond the limit of tyre grip. When this happens, your car will suffer from either understeer or oversteer.
Here we’ll explain what both the terms 'understeer' and 'oversteer' actually mean. Remember that the best way to avoid either issue is to simply take corners at a sensible and safe speed while driving. Another thing to note is that the risk of suffering understeer or oversteer increases if the road is wet or covered in snow, since there will be less grip for the tyres to latch onto. Similarly, your tyres need to be in good condition, and it's illegal to let tread depth get below 1.6mm.
What is understeer?
Understeer occurs when the car’s front wheels lose grip and begin slipping while going through a corner. Consequently, the car does not turn as much as the driver wanted and the nose of the car instead pushes towards the outside of the corner.
Depending on the speed the car is travelling and how tight the corner is, understeer can cause a car to stray into the wrong lane or leave the road altogether no matter how much the driver tries to steer.
If a car begins to understeer while you’re driving, a safe way to stop it is to reduce the amount of steering angle being applied. Also, reduce the pressure applied on the accelerator smoothly - but don’t take your foot off it too abruptly.
Even if you take these actions, you could still end up running out of road but you at least have a better chance of retaining control of the car before that occurs.
What is oversteer?
Oversteer is a loss of grip at the rear wheels of a car. Also, while understeer is more likely to happen to a front-wheel drive car, oversteer is more likely in a rear-wheel drive car.
A car can suffer from oversteer when the driver sends more power to the rear tyres then they can deal with. When this happens, the tyres can end up slipping and pushing the nose of the car towards the inside of the corner.
The rear of a car can also lose grip if you brake too hard or suddenly take your foot off the gas pedal while turning through a corner. This is because a sudden transfer in weight to the front of the car can reduce the effectiveness of the rear tyres.
Like with understeer, a good way to minimise the risk of oversteer is to simply slow down while taking corners. If you’re driving a rear-wheel drive car, remember to be gradual with the accelerator pedal to build up speed when exiting a turn.
Pushing the accelerator too hard and too quickly is a common cause of oversteer for many drivers, particularly in wet or wintry conditions. It’s also sensible to keep your traction control and stability control switched on at all times.