OVERSTEER

The tendency for a vehicle, when negotiating a corner, to turn more sharply than the driver intends. The rear end of the vehicle wants to swing toward the outside of a turn. It is generally a sign that the suspension roll resistance is too hard in the rear or too soft in the front. A rear-engine vehicle has a natural tendency to want to swap ends, or oversteer, unless its suspension is adjusted to counteract it. A handling condition in which the slip angles of the rear tires are greater than the slip angles of the front tires. An oversteering car is sometimes said to be "loose," because its tail tends to swing wide. Also see tire deviation angle .