>While we're the subject of definitions, can someone provide a definition for
>"understeer" and "oversteer" and which end of a car you attach a sway bar to
>to correct the problem?
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The technical terms would be: If the front slip angle is greater than the
rear the car is understeering. If the rear slip angle is greater than the
front, than the car is oversteering.
Layman's explanation:
It's pretty much how it sounds. Understeer is where the car, while turning
a corner at speed (say close to the limit of adhesion), is not turning into
the corner as much as you think it should be based on the steering wheel
input you normally use to turn said corner at a moderate or slower speed.
You find you have to turn the steering wheel more to get the front end to
go where you think it should be. The car is said to be "understeering" in
this condition. Oversteer would be just the opposite, that is at the same
corner or entering the same turn at high speed, the cars front end turns
MORE than you think it should (kind of like the back end wants to spin
around) based of the steering wheel input for said turn, and you have to
back off a bit to keep the vehicle going in the line you thought it should be.
As far as anti roll bars, it's a little more complicated than that. things
like simply changing tire pressures at say the front relative to the back
can change those characteristics of a car. By just raising the front tire
pressure in some instances can reduce understeer in a vehicle-
Barry Schwartz (San Diego) bschwart@pacbell.net
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