CJspeedsport Posted February 24, 2013 Share Posted February 24, 2013 I've noticed on the few track outings that I've been on that my car is reasonably predictable (!) when it comes to understeering into corners and oversteering coming out of them, but the last thing that James (the instructor) said to me on Saturday was with regard to lift off oversteer.... My understanding is that you might be hooning round a corner and think "I'm not quite going to make it" ie you're understeering, so you lift off and all of a sudden you're oversteering!! Is that right?! Is it more difficult to catch than bog standard oversteer (which I find damn hard to catch!) and is it caused by the fron tyres gripping all of a sudden and flicking the back out, or because the weight is shifted off the backs, or a combo? Are westfields prone to lift off type effects?? Thanks, Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Colonial Posted February 24, 2013 Share Posted February 24, 2013 Some call it snap oversteer, and yes, you have to be quick to catch it and do so correctly - over-correct and you'll snap oversteer in the opposite direction and get a bit of a tank slapper going. It's an eye-opener when it happens, but experience is a great teacher. Happened to me for the first time in years last autumn on a favourite country road, hard left 28 mph off camber turn. I say 28 mph because if you try 29 mph, you'll lose the back end. I went in at 35 and really found out that adrenalin is brown when I had snap oversteer one way and then the other - wakes you up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Welly Jen Posted February 24, 2013 Share Posted February 24, 2013 Not just Westfields either. Managed to get my Polo G40 (front wheel drive) facing the wrong way on a roundabout many years ago for the same reason as our honourable MemSec. Went in a bit too fast , bottled out, lifted off the throttle and lost the back end of the car. You have to think about weight transfer. When you press the throttle the car twists in the opposite direction to the wheels, squashing the back end down and lifting the front. This puts more weight on the back wheels and increases their grip on the tarmac. Lift off suddenly and engine braking twists the car the other way about the axle, putting weight on the front wheels and not the back. Combine that with a corner and the back wheels can lose so much weight and grip that they slide away. Our cars usually have big capacity engines and not a lot of weight to them, making engine braking much stronger than most tin tops. Jenny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Welly Jen Posted February 24, 2013 Share Posted February 24, 2013 Also, lift off oversteer is the basis of getting your car to drift round a corner. If you do a Westfield Drifting Experience Day, then that's what they teach you to do. Lots of fun, very hooligan . Plus it's not your tyres you're shredding. Tee hee... Jen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CJspeedsport Posted February 24, 2013 Author Share Posted February 24, 2013 Has anyone any experience of a silverstone skid pan control day, this is the one my instructor recommends? I wonder if he knows about the westfield drift day, which might be more suitable?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M444TTB Posted February 24, 2013 Share Posted February 24, 2013 LOOS is great when you want it. Not so much when it's a surprise! Very handy on track in my Peugeot days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gavinnn Posted February 24, 2013 Share Posted February 24, 2013 I haven't but I have done one with the frame that goes around the car, where as some wet the surface to make it slippery. With what you have said you could learn quite a lot from one. Plus, I had a right laugh on mine. Apparently the drift days are good as well, both will make you relax more and have more confidence when things go out of shape. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexander72 Posted February 24, 2013 Share Posted February 24, 2013 ive had LOOS in the unimog with trailer on and in the westy with an 80 year old passenger.. in the Unimog people cried and in the westy she said " that was fun, can we do that again.... it's like the 60"s again" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve_Farrimond Posted February 24, 2013 Share Posted February 24, 2013 when lifting off the throttle in a rear wheel drive car you are essentially adding breaking to the rear wheels. so for example, when in a hard corner the inside wheel becomes light, when lifting off you are adding breaking force to this wheel and allowing it to break traction, the same as if you were to add the hand break in a corner. the way that race drivers get around this is to remain on the throttle and left foot break, this applies the breaking force to all 4 wheels at the same time and maintains the best balance of the car, and in turn gives the best possible opportunity of not sliding whilst scrubbing off some of the unwanted speed. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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