Ok these are just a few unrelated questions I have,

1. what exactly is understeer/oversteer? How does it work and affect driving. And I read that first gens can have "snap oversteer" and it can be dangerous to an inexperienced driver, what is this?

2. I was looking on autotrader and an 81 says it has a Mikuni dual side draft carburetor, and I went to the mikuni website and it doesn't say anything. Anyone have any info on it?

Hmmm I think thats all for now, thanks in advance for any help

 

oh by the way, here is the car I haven't contacted the seller, but this seems like a pretty good deal if everything is in good shape, right?

 

Understeer is when you turn the wheel and the car doesn't turn as much as you want it to (or at all). Basically your front wheels loose traction and they continue to skid in the direction the car was going before you tried to turn.

Oversteer is the opposite. Oversteep happens when your car turns more than you want it to. Basically your rear wheels loose traction and begin to slide in to the turn. In severe cases, oversteer causes the car to spin out.

Front-wheel drive cars tend to have a problem with understeer. Oversteer is typical on rear-wheel drive. When your car starts to understeer a bit pressure on the brakes will transfer your car's weight to the front wheels and increase traction. When the car begins to oversteer, a bit of gas will add traction to the rear wheels (assuming the oversteer isn't too bad, which is a whole different story).

Now most people say that front wheel drive is easier to control, but really, it's all in the technique. I actually prefer rear-wheel myself. I like it when my car turns when I turn the wheel.

I'm not 100% sure about "snap oversteer", but it sounds to me like when your car breaks suddenly. Basically depending on car, weight ratios, road surface, and tires, oversteer will occur either gradually or suddenly.
Gradual oversteer is when you slowly feel your back wheels begin to slide in a tight turn. Since it happens fairly slowly, it's easy to correct, either by the gas or by easing up on the turn.
Sudden oversteer occurs when the rear tires lets go MUCH faster and more violently. Gennerally it happens at higher forces, and can be handy when driving fase (i.e. racing). The downside is that it is near impossible to control and will often result in a spinout (especially in inexperienced drivers).

 

Thats new by me. I'll have to remember it, especially when an inexperienced driver (me) spins out, reflex reaction is to hit the brakes.

I used to practice with my 7 in snow covered parking lots, how to control the car in a spin/skid. It helps to know to point the wheels where you want the car to go.

 

Yeah, hitting the brakes is the natural reation when rear starts to slide, but that transfers weight to the front tires making the skid even worse. Now, just a little gas mind you. Just enough to try and accelerate a bit, which tosses more weight onto the rear wheels. Too much gas will spin the wheels and that's even worse.

Well, it works for me anyways, try at your own risk.