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Understeer, in an automobile, is when the front tires have a loss of traction during a cornering situation, thus, causing the front of the car to head towards the outside of the corner. Front wheel drive cars are prone to understeer. Understeer is basically a skid where you are turning the steering wheel, but the car keeps going straight, or is not turning as quickly as you would like. As the tires approach their traction limits, they tend to slip sideways across the road. If the front tires approach the traction limit more rapidly, the effect is that the front of the car takes a wider radius curve than the driver intended. The car is said to understeer.
Understeer is safer and it is sometimes desired for better stablity while turning especially front wheel drive vehicles.
See also: car handling, oversteer
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