THE DRIVING GUIDE GLOSSARY
Responsiveness


This is the speed and range of the response of the tyre/vehicle to the driver's commands. This response can define the tyre's "sportiness".
WEIGHT TRANSFER
FRONT/REAR WEIGHT TRANSFER
This is a transfer of weight to the front or rear of the vehicle when you brake or accelerate.

When you accelerate, the front of your vehicle has a tendency to rise and the rear to fall; in this case there is a weight transfer to the rear, and the weight of the vehicle is taken on your rear tyre set.

When you brake, the front of your vehicle tends to fall and the rear to lift, and there is a weight transfer to the front. The weight of the vehicle is taken on your front tyre set.
SIDE WEIGHT TRANSFER
When the vehicle corners, the weight transfers from the wheels on the inside of the corner to the wheels on the outside, because of the centrifugal force acting on the vehicle.
OVERSTEER AND UNDERSTEER
OVERSTEER

Oversteer is when the rear axle moves faster than the front axle. The car seems to want to turn more than commanded by the driver. Your vehicle tends to turn too far into the corner.
UNDERSTEER

Understeer is when the front axle moves faster than the rear axle. The car seems to want to carry straight on even though you have turned the wheels. Your vehicle tends to come out of the corner too early.
4x4 TRACTION

On a four-wheel drive vehicle, traction is the equivalent of grip on asphalt. If 4x4 tyres have good traction, they have excellent grip on all terrain types: tarmac, gravel, sand, mud, etc.
DRIFT ANGLE
Drift angle is the difference between the wheel's direction of travel and the vehicle's direction of travel.
BRAKE TORQUE
A technique popular among drag racers and race directors enabling them to improve start line acceleration. It involves using the brakes and accelerating at the same time, increasing the engine's revolutions per minute until the brakes are released.
DRIFT
This term describes loss of grip when cornering or accelerating off the line. The tyres skid instead of gripping the road surface.