understeer

American  

[uhn-der-steer, uhn-der-steer] / ˈʌn dərˌstɪər, ˌʌn dərˈstɪər /

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.

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verb (used without object)

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

understeer British  

/ ˈʌndəˌstɪə /

verb

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

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Etymology

Origin of understeer

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

Example Sentences

The understeer got worse as I went through the corner.

From BBC

"We'll try everything we can, try to have a good start, then try to look after our tyres a little bit better because the understeer that we have in the car is normally also not good on race pace for that, but we'll try to minimise the damage."

From BBC

"I just had a bit of understeer and was going to go off so I had to abort," said Norris.

From Barron's

Should I use precious column inches teasing out the scrubby understeer of a Toyota Sienna minivan?

From The Wall Street Journal

They are supposed to understeer.

From The Wall Street Journal