Oversteer

Oversteer is a driving condition where a car's rear tires lose grip during a turn, causing the back end to slide outward and making the vehicle turn more sharply than the driver intended.

When oversteer happens, the car essentially wants to spin around. Picture driving into a right-hand corner - with oversteer, the rear of your car slides to the left while the front keeps pointing right. This makes the car rotate more than you wanted, almost like it's trying to turn itself around.

This occurs because the rear tires reach their grip limit before the front tires do. Once those rear tires start sliding, they can't provide the stability needed to keep the car tracking straight through the corner. The result is that tail-out, sliding motion that can catch inexperienced drivers off guard.

To regain control during oversteer, drivers must quickly steer in the opposite direction of their original turn - a technique called countersteering. If you're turning right and the rear slides left, you'd steer left to catch the slide. This requires quick reflexes and practice to master.

Several factors can trigger oversteer. Entering corners too fast, applying too much throttle mid-corner, or sudden braking can all cause the rear tires to lose grip. Car setup also matters - vehicles with more weight in the back or certain suspension settings are more prone to oversteer behavior.

While oversteer might sound scary, many professional drivers actually prefer it over the alternative, understeer. Skilled racers can use controlled oversteer to help rotate their cars through tight corners more quickly. You'll see this technique used deliberately in drifting competitions and rally racing.

For beginners, oversteer in rear-wheel-drive cars is most common when accelerating out of corners. The power going to the rear wheels can break them loose, especially on slippery surfaces or when using worn tires.