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+ Koni Shock Absorbers |
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KONI's Adjustable Shock
Absorbers |
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Over / Under Steer |
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Over steer and
under steer are two often-misunderstood concepts related
to the way a car handles. The following explanations and
diagrams should clear up any confusion you may have. |
| Over
Steer |
| Over steer is when the rear
wheels are carving a larger arc than the front wheels
of the intended line of the turn. Rear "slip angles"
exceed those of the front tires. This is often described
as a "loose" condition, as the car feels like
it may swap ends, or be "twitchy." |
| This condition can be caused
by "power over steer", where you need to reduce
power in order to bring the back end back into line. |
| Under
Steer |
Under steer is when the front
wheels are carving a larger arc than the rear wheels.
This is often described as "push" or "pushing"
- as the front end feels like it is plowing off of a corner.
Further acceleration only compounds the push, as weight
shifts back to the rear drive wheels off of the front
turning wheels, leading to a further lessening of the
car's ability to turn in. |
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Under steer can be remedied by
slight modulation in throttle to transfer weight forward to
the front wheels, aiding their traction and ability to carve
the turn. |
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Many cars are designed to have a tendency to under
steer. If the driver gets uncomfortable and "lifts"
off the gas, that will cause the front end to tighten the curve
- a relatively safer, and more predictable condition. |
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When the car's body leans in a corner, the outside
suspension compresses and the inside suspension extends. In
other words, the outside suspension moves in bump direction
and the inside suspension moves in rebound direction. |
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Tuning Tips |
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If the car rolls on the rear outside suspension
during corner exit, increase rebound damping force at the front
inside. The front inside suspension affects the car mostly on
corner exit. By adding rebound damping you will loosen the car
up on corner exit. |
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If the car rolls on the front outside during corner
entry, increase rebound damping on the rear inside suspension. |
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By adding rebound damping to the front on both
sides equally, it will tighten the car some. |
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By adding rebound damping to the rear on both
sides equally, it will loosen the car up some. |
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Note that the shock absorbers do not change the
amount of weight transfer, only the time it takes to transfer
this weight. |
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Only adjust enough rebound into each shock absorber
to eliminate the undesirable characteristic. Adjusting too much
rebound may mask a handling problem of another sort and may
even be make things worse and dangerous. |
