A lot of car and racing experts often refer to vehicles as being ‘front or rear-wheel drive’, and while these terms seem quite self-explanatory, there are significant differences between them in terms of steering and control.
The basic difference between the two types can be explained as a difference between over and understeering. Understeering is an action seen in front wheel drive vehicles. Because these vehicles rely on the front end to both drive and maneuver the vehicle, it becomes more difficult for the wheels to perform both actions at once. In order to avoid understeering, the driver should take his or her foot off of the accelerator pedal to allow the turning mechanisms to take control around corners and shorten the turning arc.
Oversteering, on the other hand, happens in rear wheel drive vehicles. The rear wheels only move the car forward, and the front wheels only have to change the car's direction. Oversteering means that the arc is much tighter as the rear of the car tries to 'come around' to the front. Oversteering can be countered by applying more speed, and by turning the wheel in the opposite direction. Lifting off the accelerator during oversteering will cause a weight transfer to the front of the car, reducing grip at the rear, which is not good in a rear wheel drive car.
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