Technically speaking, oversteer means that a car's rear tires are operating at a greater slip angle than the front tires, i.e., they're working harder. In real-world terms, it means the tail of the car is sliding sideways. Holding the car in this dynamic state results in a glorious drift. Failing to hold it usually ends with an inglorious spin. Controlling oversteer in a rear-drive car is all about separately regulating the lateral velocity at each end of the vehicle. Here's what's going on when your car gets going sideways.

A SPINNING TIRE has less longitudinal and lateral traction than a rolling tire. With the rear tires no longer gripping as effectively because they're spinning, the tail of the car slides toward the outside of the turn. But while the rear tires are slipping, they still have some grip. More important, they are still producing forward thrust. So the tail of the car slides at an angle with respect to the car's direction of travel. The driver's challenge is to keep the front tires ahead of the rears. Since the rear tires' traction is inversely related to their rotational speed, if the driver flat-foots it, they'll go up in smoke and traction will evaporate. Reducing power lets the rear tires slow down, increasing lateral bite and reducing the rear end's lateral velocity.

UP FRONT, the tires are still planted. To prevent a spin, the driver steers in the direction that the rear tires are sliding. This is called "turning into the slide," or countersteering. It allows the front of the car to also move in the lateral direction. Straightening the tires reduces their lateral velocity relative to the rear, causing the tail to rotate more quickly. Dialing in more steering does the opposite. This is often a limiting factor in controlling oversteer, because every car has a finite amount of steering lock.

Why Oversteer Is Hard to Induce—and How to Do It

Inducing oversteer means overloading the rear tires. The rear-drive powerslide is the most common form of oversteer, but most cars lack the grunt to do it. Here's why: Tire grip is markedly influenced by the total load pressing the tire against the pavement. When a car accelerates, its nose rises and its tail squats, transferring load off the front tires and onto the rear tires. This increases grip out back and reduces it up front, meaning the car understeers. With enough power, a car can break the rear tires' grip, but most cars can only do so in their lower gears. Adjusting inflation pressures can increase front grip and reduce it in the rear. Adding negative camber—i.e., tilting the tops of the tires inward—will also increase front grip, which means that you'll run out of rear grip sooner, relatively speaking. Stiffening the rear suspension will increase the load transfer between the inside and outside rear tires. This reduces the total grip available at the rear axle, making oversteer easier.

Setting the Record Straight

Early Porsche 911s became infamous for a propensity toward snap oversteer. The rear-engine layout wasn't the problem, it was the semi-trailing-arm rear suspension. When unloaded—say, as the driver lifted off the throttle going into a corner—it caused the rear tires to shift from negative to positive camber and also reduced the outside tire's toe-in. The remedy: Reapply throttle to re-aim the rear tires. This is counterintuitive when you're about to back into a guardrail and can induce oversteer if you overdo it.

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