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- Mechanical
grip
is the adhesion provided by the tires in contact with the track.
This adhesion is influenced by such factors as tire pressure,
tire compound, as well as the angle of the tire in relation to
the track (known as camber). The percentage of the vehicle weight
on a given tire is also a critical factor.
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- Aerodynamic
grip
is the extra adhesion provided by the additional downforce created
by airflow over the wings and, in the case of Indycars, Formula
One cars, and prototype sports cars, the body itself. Wings and
underbodies undergo continuing development to find shapes that
will create more downforce while producing less drag.
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- Traction refers to the
grip available during acceleration.
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- Understeer is the condition
in which the front tires are sliding more than the rear. The
car is tending to go straight on, no matter how much we turn
the wheel. It's also known as "tight" or "pushin'."
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- Oversteer is the condition
in which the rear tires are sliding more than the front. The
car’s tail is coming out; if we don’t correct with
some opposite lock, the car will spin. This is also known as
"loose."
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- Opposite
lock
means turning the wheel in the direction the car is sliding (your
driving instructor may have called this "turning into the
skid"). If you're in a right-hand turn, and the tail starts
to come around - to your left - then you turn left to correct
and, hopefully, prevent the car from spinning.
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- Slip
angle
refers to the angle of the tire's travel in relation to its centerline.
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- Camber refers to the
angle of the wheel and tire in relation to the car's vertical
centerline. Negative camber means that the top of the wheel leans
inward in relation to the centerline of the car.
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