Oversteer, or being loose, occurs when a car loses traction in the rear end while turning, possibly spinning out, and generally making it hard to make the car go where you want. It is the opposite of understeer.
See oversteer in action in this video - as the black and red truck exits the straight to the right it has a very hard time lining up in the next straight, causing it to scrub a lot of speed and eventually spin out:
If you're racing drift, oversteer is the name of the game! Still though, with drift, the key is controlled oversteer - the rear end should swing around, but not too much!
Reducing oversteer / Not being loose
Reducing oversteer generally
Most impact
- Anti-roll bar: thickier front / thinner hear
- Tires: softer rear compound / more additive / more additive time (or opposite in front)
- Shock springs: softer in rear / harder in front
- Weight distribution: more in rear
- Damping: lighter in rear / thicker in front
- Side damping (pan car): use side shocks instead of tubes (in low grip)
- Wing: more downforce in rear (larger wing, higher angle, move back, move higher), especially for low traction at medium to high speed. F1: less downforce on front wing.
Medium impact
- Diff fluid: thicker in front / thinner in rear
- Ride height: front level or higher than rear
- Roll center: rear lower / front higher
- Center shock (pan car): more shims in rear / fewer in front
Less impact
- Droop: more in front / less in rear
- Camber: less
- Camber gain: less
Corner-entry / off-power
Most impact
- Anti-roll bar: stiffer front / lighter rear
- Weight distribution: more weight in rear
- Tires: harder front compound / softer rear
- Roll center: higher front / lower rear
- Shock springs: stiffer front / lighter rear
- Shock damping: heavier front / lighter rear
- Diff fluid (4WD): heavier front & center, thicker rear
- Ackermann: less
Medium impact
- Shock angle: inward at front tower / outward at rear tower
- Droop (R): less
- Track width: wider in rear
- Rear diff: use solid axle instead of differential (on-road)
- Front diff: use solid axle instead of one-way or differential (on-road)
- Caster (F): less
- Ride height: higher front / lower rear
- Toe: less front toe-out, more rear toe-in
- Wheelbase: longer
Less impact
- Camber: less front / more rear
- Anti-squat: less
- Kick-up: more
Mid-corner
Most impact
- Anti-roll bar: stiffer front / lighter rear
- Tires: harder front compound / softer rear
- Roll center: higher front / lower rear
- Shock springs: stiffer front / lighter rear
- Track width: wider in rear
Medium impact
- Shock damping: heavier front / lighter rear
- Shock angle: outward at front tower / inward at rear tower
- Droop (R): less
- Rear diff: use solid axle instead of differential (on-road)
- Front diff: use one-way or differential instead of solid axle (on-road)
- Caster (F): less
- Ride height: higher front / lower rear
- Wheelbase: longer
Less impact
- Toe: less front toe-out, more rear toe-in
- Camber: less front / more rear
- Anti-squat: less
- Kick-up: more
Corner exit / on-power
Most impact
- Anti-roll bar: stiffer front / lighter rear
- Tires: softer rear compound / harder front
- Roll center: higher front / lower rear
- Shock damping: lighter rear / heavier front
- Caster (F): less
- Diff fluid (4WD): lighter front & center, heavier rear
- Transmission layout (2WD off-road): standup or layback / 4-gear
- Droop (pan car): more rear
- Track width: narrower in rear
- Shock shims (pan car): higher at rear
- Center shock (pan car): softer spring
Medium impact
- Shock springs: softer front / stiffer rear
- Shock angle: inward at rear tower / outward at front tower
- Droop (F): more
- Toe: more rear toe-in
- Rear axle: use differential instead of solid axle (on-road)
- Front axle: use solid axle instead of one-way or differential (on-road)
- Ride height: higher front / lower rear
- Wheelbase: longer
Less impact
- Camber: more rear / less front
- Anti-squat: less
- Kick-up: less
At high speed
- Body mounting / Wing mounting: increase downforce in rear
- Increase steering exponential curve (less sensitive steering around center)
