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im getting differing opinions on understeer oversteer.

Understeer = the tendency of the car to try resist the turn and continue straight. (causes roll feeling?)

Oversteer = causes more of a "fish-tailing" effect.

Most cars from the factory come set to understeer since oversteer is dangerous for inexperienced drivers. I would like more oversteer. I have been told by some that stiffening up the front will cause more oversteer. Others have said stiffening up the rear causes more oversteer. Which one is it?

 
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stiffening the front causes understeer, and loosening the rear does the same. loosening the front or stiffening the rear leads to more oversteer.

 
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OK. So then

-adding a front upper strut bar = tighten front = more understeer
-adding a front sway bar = tighten front = more understeer
-adding a rear upper strut bar = tighten rear = more oversteer
-adding a rear lower sway bar = tighten rear = more oversteer

is this correct?

Where do lower strut bars fit into this equation?

People say they get huge improvements by adding a upper front strut bar. If this is the case - these people are happy with Understeer???? something doesnt make sense here.

 
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as far as i know, the strut tie bars don't do anything to the specific suspension. they just stiffen the entire chassis. a stiffer chassis will transfer more of the weight shift to the suspension instead of deforming the chassis through a turn. so, i don't think that adding a specific tie bar will change the stiffness of the individual suspensions. you would need to get a torsion anti sway bar to do that, which is what my dad does for racing his porsche. the torsion anti sway bar is something that is added to each individual suspension to make each stiffer or looser. i don't know how to describe more of what it is without pictorials, but i hope this helps somewhat.

 
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Thanks AFlyer.

So basically the Upper Strut bars dont do anything to tighten OR loosen the suspension.
Only sway bars affect suspension = therefor only sway bars affect understeer oversteer right?

Sorry - im still a newbie when it comes to performance mods.

 
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it's cool. that's right, only sway bars can tighten or loosen suspension. the only thing is, many people call strut tie bars "anti-sway bars", when in reality anti-sway bars are something completely different for your suspension. we're at about the limit of my knowledge, but i would suggest some research into strut bars and anti-sway bars if you're really into it.

 
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From my experience, it seems like my strut bar reduces understeer. I wouldn't say it causes oversteer, but it definitely reduces understeer. The reason being is that the front wheels track better and are better planted, therefore counteracting understeer (front wheels can't grip).

Anti-sway/stabilizer bars cause less roll. I think that if you tighten the front with stabilizer bars, it'll understeer more because the front will roll less and break away from the pavement more. Tightening the rear should cause oversteer since the wheels will break away more. Someone correct me if I am wrong, but I think the strut bar does reduce understeer.