The vehicle experts at Acura of Honolulu want you to be an informed driver and understand the key differences between the terms oversteering and understeering. Each concept is used to describe how sensitive your vehicle is to steering. Both occur in response to the difference in the slip angle measured between the front and back wheels.
With understeering, the driver generally sees less control over the steering function. Conversely, oversteering causes the vehicle to spin when cornering. While understeering happens when the front wheels move forward despite turning the steering wheel, oversteer happens if the back of the vehicle is engaged in a fishtail.
It is important to note that understeer is more likely to happen with front-wheel-drive vehicles with oversteering more likely with rear-wheel-drive. In general, oversteering is the end result of a vehicle turning more than the driver intends with understeering being the opposite of this driver control.