Understeer

[phoenix-it]

Ok, getting use to the RSX now a little... Pushed it a little too hard tonight and almost lost it into a curb... Was punching it up to hit a highway underpass U banger with some speed and VTEC hit when I wasn't expecting it. Oops.

I'm use to the Mustang's oversteer with traction control... So this is a learning curve with the Type S.

So here is my question... When you're getting too much understeer (I expect a little) and you want to drive through it, what's the proper way to respond in this car?

No Power & No Brake
Light Brake
Light Acceleration

??

Thanks guys...

[buhda]

I usually let off the gas and unwind the steering wheel a bit til I feel the tires get traction, once the tires catch you can power out of the turn. Natural instincts tells you to keep turning but the car will just plow straight ahead. Unwinding will give the tires a chance to grip and pull you out of the turn.

[yaro]

Let off the gas a bit. Another more advanced response is to straighten your wheels out, but that gives you some really fast acceleration towards the outside of the corner, so be prepared.

[phoenix-it]

So using the hand brake do induce oversteer isn't a good idea?

When I got the occasional understeer in the mustang I'd just apply quite a bit of power to create mild oversteer and then roll back off the throttle... When I did it right I was able to do this without tripping the traction control.

[RSX-CT]

What Yaro said.

[hurryhurry12345]

sometimes understeer is even harder to recover from than oversteer....

[buhda]

Originally Posted by phoenix-it

So using the hand brake do induce oversteer isn't a good idea?

When I got the occasional understeer in the mustang I'd just apply quite a bit of power to create mild oversteer and then roll back off the throttle... When I did it right I was able to do this without tripping the traction control.

You can't power out on a fwd car like you can a rwd. If the car is understeering and you apply more power you will just keep plowing straight ahead.

You can use the hand brake but unless your adept to doing it you will spin the car. If you were to brake in an understeer situtation I would do light braking. Reducing the speed to fast mid turn could spin the car.

[buhda]

Originally Posted by yaro

Let off the gas a bit. Another more advanced response is to straighten your wheels out, but that gives you some really fast acceleration towards the outside of the corner, so be prepared.

Thats what I meant by unwinding the steering wheel. You don't have to tottally straighten the wheel out. Just unwind it enough to where you feel the tires regain traction.

[Zzyzx]

Best thing about understeer, its easy to correct for. Just do Less of what you are doing. If you are turing, ease off the wheel a bit, if you are accelerating, ease off the gas a bit, if you are braking, ease off the brake a bit......

[Takeso]

Try left foot braking. Just steer the car with the brake pedal. Do not brake too much or else you'll just make the car understeer more. Also let off the gas pedal when you are taking hard turns; don't full throtle it untill you have hit the clipping point. Maintain some kind of throttle manipulation to get the car moving through the corner. Also yanking the ebrake is a way of correcting understeer; by losing traction in the rear wheels youll get the tail to rotate.

[yaro]

Originally Posted by Takeso

Try left foot braking. Just steer the car with the brake pedal. Do not brake too much or else you'll just make the car understeer more. Also let off the gas pedal when you are taking hard turns; don't full throtle it untill you have hit the clipping point. Maintain some kind of throttle manipulation to get the car moving through the corner. Also yanking the ebrake is a way of correcting understeer; by losing traction in the rear wheels youll get the tail to rotate.

Incredibly hard technique to master. If a normal driver tries it in a corner, odds are that they will see the concrete barrier faster than they will get on the correct line. Unless you have years of go-kart experience, I don't recommend it.

As for yanking the ebrake, it takes a lot more modulation than the post would lead you to believe. Completely retarding the traction of the rear wheels is usually a very poor way of trying to correct to get back on the line.

[Zzyzx]

I's been my experiance that when ever any one yanks the E-brake to correct for understeer it just makes them 1. Loose more control of the car, and 2. makes corner exits that much SLOWER. If you've blown the corner, why are you trying to correct your error by doing something that will make you exit that corner Slower then if you did nothing at all???

Like I said before, Correcting Understeer is easy, Just do less of what you are doing thats causing the understeer. If you are turing, Turn less. if you are braking Brake less. If you are accelerating, accelerate less. Its that simple.

Now if the car is understeerign under Steady state cornering then thats a chassis set up problem. either, adjust more of the Roll couple to the rear of the car (Heavier springs in the back or a larger rear anti- roll bar/ Ligher springs in the front or smaller Front anti-roll bar) or your Rear alignment has too much toe in.

[MentalMidget]

This car on stock tires responds very well to trailbraking. On long sweepers you can stay on the gas and apply a little trailbraking to keep the front planted, to a point.

On tighter turns, you can jab a little harder on the brake while staying on the gas and induce oversteer. Tightens you up pretty good.

And on the stock tires, four wheel drifts are better than sex!!!

Again this is with stock tires. Those with something stickier or other mods won't have this luxury, albeit at much lower limits.

And of course, dialing out the wheel will always add traction at the price of steering.