In Popular Culture
In the 1940s, the Nazis described the Tatra automobile as the Czech Secret Weapon due to its treacherous and deadly lift-off oversteer handling characteristics.
Attorney and consumer protection activist Ralph Nader described this type of handling in his 1965 book Unsafe at Any Speed
Lift-off oversteer is often exploited in motorsport - particularly on loose surfaces (e.g. in rallying) - as a method of cornering faster as, when controlled, it has the effect of turning the nose into the apex and the car slightly sideways which allows early application of power on exiting the corner.
On April 10, 2010, Consumer Reports magazine rated the 2010 Lexus GX 460 SUV a "Don’t Buy: Safety Risk." A panel of four automotive test engineers determined that the vehicle was subject to excessive lift-off oversteer during a standardized evaluation for emergency handling. The test simulates scenarios such as transiting a highway exit ramp while traveling with excessive speed. On April 19, Toyota recalled the GX 460 and the Toyota Land Cruiser Prado for a software update to the electronic stability control to correct the issue.
Read more about this topic: Lift-off Oversteer
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