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 How to Lift Off Oversteer in a rally carCLICK HERE to watch a short film, or continue below.
There are two types of slide in a car, understeer and oversteer... |
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• Understeer is when you turn into the corner and the car wants to go straight on. There's a lack of grip from the front end of the car, the car isn't steering enough hence the term 'understeer'.
• Oversteer is the opposite, as you turn into the corner the back end of the car starts to loose grip. This has the effect of the rear end wanting to overtake the front end of the car, as a result, the car is now turning more then the steering angle applied, hence the term 'oversteer'.
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Rally cars need oversteer to be quick, not understeer. To ensure this we use 'Lift Off Oversteer'.
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An important aspect of this technique is momentum, the car needs to slide! As you approach the corner your foot wants to be hard on the gas pedal. Under heavy acceleration the front of the car rises up, the backend squats down.
Before turning into the corner come off the gas pedal 100%, the opposite now happens, the front end becomes heavier, back end becomes lighter. |  |
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Now you turn into the corner, because the back end is losing grip, the car will start to drift sideways.
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 | You now need to do two things fairly quickly, firstly correct the steering. We tend to call this opposite lock, steering into the slide to make sure the front wheels are pointing in the direction you want to go.
Secondly get back onto the gas pedal, this puts more weight onto the back end of the car, and the front end pulls you forward which straightens you up out of the slide. |
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So by coming on and off the gas pedal, you're transferring weight around the car, which with a small steering input has a turning effect.
This technique works well through a series of bends, where there's a quick change of direction (as in the top picture)
The technique works for front and four wheel drive cars.
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You may not get it right first time, but after a couple of sessions in the car our professional instructors will have you performing perfect Lift Off Oversteer, just like the master himself Colin Mcrae!
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