Paul Hunt wrote:
> Most people have no idea what to do in oversteer, which is what happens when
> you have more grip at the front than the rear. Oversteer is 'safe' in that
> the car is still travelling in a straighter line than the driver intended and
> they aren't disorientated by spinning. Oversteer is easily handled on an MGB,
> but modern suspension design is usually such that you get snap-oversteer and
> even if you know what to do unless you are pretty competent you don't get the
> chance to do it. I used to amuse myself drifting round an roundabout in the
> wet on a deserted industrial estate on a Sunday morning in my V8, but when I
> tried it in a Sierra it could go round much faster without doing anything,
> then very suddenly break away. Spoilt the fun.
>
> In the UK it's illegal to have cross-plies on the rear and radials on the
> front, in my impecunious youth I had to shell-out for a back pair months
> before I could afford to buy a front pair and get the benefit. It's also
> illegal to have wider on the front than the rear.
I once saw Stirling Moss lock the brakes on (I think it was a Healey) and then
turn the front wheels full lock. The car stopped in a straight line. The point
he was making was that you can't steer with locked front wheels. We used brake
tapping to stop much quicker and retain steering, even on ice. Too bad new
drivers don't learn this. They will tend to try to steer away from an obstacle
while hard braking. This just might work with a really good antilock system,
but I can do a much better job without the system, just by knowing how to drive.
-The Roxter
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