understeer

[ noun uhn-der-steer; verb uhn-der-steer ]

noun

1. a handling characteristic of an automotive vehicle that causes it to turn less sharply than the driver intends because the front wheels slide to the outside of the turn before the rear wheels lose traction.

verb (used without object)

1. (of an automotive vehicle) to undergo understeer, especially excessively.

understeer

/ ˈʌndəˌstɪə /

verb

1. (of a vehicle) to turn less sharply, for a particular movement of the steering wheel, than anticipated

Word History and Origins

Origin of understeer¹

First recorded in 1935–40; under- + steer ¹

Example Sentences

I tried my best to improve but my last run was a nightmare, my fronts were ice cold and I had crazy understeer all round the lap.

From BBC

Verstappen complained of understeer during the session and ended it 0.334secs off the pace.

From BBC

Leclerc had looked competitive on Friday but he said he felt the car had gone away from him on Saturday, developing understeer, and he had a "messy" qualifying as a result, adding too much front wing for the final run and generating oversteer instead.

From BBC

Verstappen said in his television interview: "I don't understand why you need to take so much risk in lap one, understeer into my sidepod and create a big hole."

From BBC

Despite his pace, Verstappen was complaining over the radio about understeer - a lack of front-end grip, which was also a problem for him in Bahrain, despite his domination of the race weekend.

From BBC