Quote:
Originally Posted by matt
So when the car comes you just lift a tad or keep the same gas pedal position?
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Couldn't see the video because it's been taken down, but the answer to "what do I do when I encounter mid-corner oversteer" varies based on what induced the oversteer. Based on the comments here, it sounds like overzealous throttle, which is throttle-induced oversteer.
I'm writing this bit up for fun only. I'm no driving instructor, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night
Obviously you should go seek serious instruction and get lots of seat time if you really want to know how to respond to oversteer.
To counter throttle-induced oversteer, you need to deftly manage both the throttle, and the steering.
Throttle: back-off the throttle, but do not lift entirely. Lifting entirely shifts the cars weight forward, and moves the CG toward the center of rotation (which moves forward in an oversteer condition [1]). As the CG moves toward the center of rotation, this lowers the polar moment of inertia, and actually accelerates the spin. This is why you don't lift entirely. If you do, it's all over.
You want to let off the throttle just enough control the slide, but not so much that you toss the CG forward. Keep in mind that once the tires lose traction, the amount of friction they generate drops dramatically, so you have to let off the throttle quite a bit.
The trick is to be in control of the moment the tires regain grip, because -- as you're about to read -- you have to be ready to react with steering. When the tires regain grip, all the steering action you've taken to counter the oversteer will send you flying off the track if you're not prepared. You actually need to steer
ahead (in a time sense) of the throttle input required to regain grip.
Steering: If you catch the oversteer early enough, you can flick the wheel opposite to the direction of the turn to recover. If you're already in to a full side, momentarily release the wheel. Yes, you read that correctly. Release the wheel and let it slide through your hands. The geometry of a cars suspension causes the front wheels to track in the direction of travel, which is, coincidentally, the exact direction you need to start from. You can't turn the steering wheel as fast as the wheels will correct themselves.
You only release for a moment. You'll feel the wheel slow down as the steering angle approaches the direction of travel, and then it's time to start actively steering the car again. From here, it's down to feel. The steering angle should be close to neutral now. You want to keep the car on the track, but you're going to have to allow it to go wide. As long as the rear wheels are spinning, you're only guiding the front of the car with the steering wheel (you're steering the back with the throttle
). The trick is to
not let the rear end pass you up. Steer the car so that the front end tracks wide as you work the throttle back to manageable rear grip.
The skid will scrub speed rather quickly, so unless you've really boned it up, you
can recover. Steer the car in a way that rotates it more slowly, and be alert! When the rear hooks up, the car is going to shoot off in the opposite direction that you're rotating right now. Remember, you're steering in the opposite direction of the turn you just boned up.
As you reign in the throttle, you should feel and hear the rear begin to gain grip. You need to get the steering back on-center slightly before the rear grabs. You'll know you've done it right if the car simply settles back in. If the car jerks hard on to the line, or snaps in to oversteer in the other direction, your throttle recovery happened before your steering recovery. In the smoothest recoveries, the rear tires are still spinning when you come back to traveling in a straight line. Feeling the difference between steering first recovery and throttle first recovery is paramount to improving your oversteer recovery.
At this point, you're probably not on an optimal line, so you'll need to get the car back in shape. Steer on to your desired line and get back on the gas. The clock hasn't stopped counting!
1: The center of rotation in a front-steer car (as opposed to something like a forklift) is near the rear axle. If you lose rear grip (oversteer), the car will rotate around the front axle. IMO, this shift in center of rotation is the most disorientating aspect of oversteer. It's like you're suddenly driving a forklift.