Breakaway Oversteer

[SimonPK]

It's happened 4 times now - when pressing on in a sweeping right hand bend - the back end has broken away - usually when the camber is reverse & I lift off the gas a fraction and I've been lucky enough to catch it before running out of road - the question is I thought our cars were supposed to be understeerers? I have a 93 stock GS with a KLZE - what is the best mod. for my suspension to stop this happening - btw my tires are Yokohama V4's - brand new at the front and about 70% worn at the rear,

Or are my driving skills no good!

thanks!

[Steeb]

what you have done is called lift off oversteer. when you have an lsd then you can really have fun. nothing to really worry about. just know how to countersteer and get back on the gas a little to regain traction by maintaining weight distribution to the rea r.

[curtklze]

I know that my car does the same thing (95 GS KLZE) but I would have to be going really fast for it to happen. 99% of FWD cars have this tendancy to over steer whn lifting off the gas in a turn or applying the brakes in a turn.

try adjusting your driving style, first do your braking befor you enter the turn, then turn maintaing you speed, then at the apex apply power threw to the exit of the turn.

[SimonPK]

As long as there is nothing wrong with the car then

You're right you have to be pretty brutal with the steering / gas to make it happen and be going quite fast - but when the rear starts sliding it happens quite slowly and gives plenty of warning. I was just worried that there was something wrong,

thanks again!

[Taras]

Besides powering through the turn to keep weight on the rear, I would also say that your rear tires have less traction than front ones as you mentioned, that will change the behaviour of handling.

[SimonPK]

you might know the road, Taras - it's coming down from Mount Seymour - a lot of fun as long as it's quiet and plenty of room!

[UKMX-3]

If you have worn rear tyre's the back end can be very twitchy, especially at high speeds, had the same problem one night on a road doing about 70, when it was a bit wet, hit a constant right and the tail just started slipping, but its pretty easy to feel it going before it gets to the point where you're gonna die.

My friend who was behind me said it looked pretty cool..... still not gonna try that again!

[Gro Harlem]

Originally posted by Si:
Or are my driving skills no good!

thanks!

I wouldn't say your skills are no good, more of your technique. If you are going to take a corner going fast, hold the speed and don't let off the gas. Its physics of weight transfer.

If you are accelerating more through a corner, the rear wheels will have more grip and the front tires will lose grip, thus understeer will occur. This is because the weight is transferred backwards when you accelerate.

If you are cornering and let off the gas suddenly, the weight will be transferred forward, the rear tires will suddenly lose some of their grip and could possibly break loose causing you to spin out. I learned this the hard way with my protege on an on-ramp.

<small>[ February 24, 2004, 10:59 AM: Message edited by: Gro Harlem ]</small>

[mattashton]

I speed up for corners!

[lil_gary]

People just have to make room, for ZOOM