Oversteer

A phenomenon that can occur when a vehicle is cornering, usually under hard braking. The rear of the vehicle loses traction and starts to rotate in the direction of steering, causing the car to corner more tightly than intended. Rear wheel drive cars are generally more prone to oversteer, in particular when applying power in a tight corner.

Although oversteer may be used by skilled drivers to better place the vehicle coming out of a corner, it is difficult to control and can result in a dnagerous spin. For safety reasons, most cars are designed to understeer rather than oversteer under normal conditions.

See also Handling.