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What is oversteering?

I’m in the market for a used car and have been shopping around with my local dealers. I really liked this one model, but the salesman told me to be cautious because it was prone to oversteering. What does oversteering mean?

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Natalie Todoroff · Updated on
Reviewed by Shannon Martin, Licensed Insurance Agent.
Oversteering is pretty self-explanatory. When steering, if your car turns harder or more sharply than you intended it to, you have oversteered. It usually results in the car drifting a little, or even a full spin.
Oversteering occurs if you accelerate too quickly around a turn, causing the back tires to lose some traction with the ground. It can be fun if you’re with a professional on a driving course, but perhaps not what you’d want to feel when you’re making a turn out of your grocery store parking lot.
If you catch yourself unintentionally oversteering, here’s how to fix it:
  • Correct. Keep your front tires pointed in the direction you want to go
  • Pause. Add a slight touch of throttle to keep the weight in the back of your vehicle
  • Recover. Turn the wheels back to straight. If timed correctly, this will align your vehicle in a straight line and get you back under control.
There you have it! Oversteering isn’t a huge deal if you’re prepared on how to correct it.
And just because a car is used doesn’t mean you can forgo
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