Tight vs. Loose Conditions and Adjustments

 

Tight: Also known as understeer. This occurs when the front wheels loose traction before the rear wheels. It causes the stock car to have trouble steering sharply and smoothly through the turns as the front end pushes toward the wall.

 

Loose: Also known as oversteer. This occurs when the rear tires of the stock car have trouble sticking in the corners. This causes the car to “fishtail” as the rear end swings outward while turning in the corners.

 

 

During a pit stop, one of the crewmen will sometimes add or subtract spring pressure by attaching a ratchet and manually rotating it one way or the the other. This tightens or loosens the spring and brings the frame and trailing arm forward or away from each other, applying more or less pressure on the tire when the cargoes into a turn. This is known as adding or subtracting wedge.