Handling Defined

A good handling car—you know EXACTLY what that means. So did my grandmother. And I guarantee her definition didn't agree with yours.


"Good handling" means vastly different things to different people. Race drivers judge handling largely by the stopwatch—if they're fast, it doesn't matter so much that the steering feedback is poor or the car's a bit tricky to drive. Yet, few non-racers include extreme cornering grip, understeer/oversteer balance, or stability in radical transitions in their definition of good handling. Instead, they cite such things as confidence-inspiring steering feel, controlled ride, and ability to track straight down the highway. Even though Granny's Country Squire went around corners like a pig on ice, she said it handled well because its over-boosted power steering allowed her to easily execute tight parking-lot maneuvers.

Cruise or Corner?
The average driving enthusiast employs below-the-limit criteria. This is because very few of them intentionally exceed half their car's cornering potential, especially on dry pavement. Don't believe that? Check out the tire shoulder area on performance cars: Many still bear mold vents and rubber nubs, which would have been worn away by the first modestly hard corner.

The average driving enthusiast employs below-the-limit criteria.
Many confuse a single component of handling with the entire concept. This is regularly true for "perfect understeer/oversteer balance"—a condition during at-the-limit driving when front and rear tires lose grip at the same time and rate. Some who modify cars appear to subscribe to the Bactine Theory of handling: If it hurts it must be good: They seem to believe that since their rock-hard suspension pounds them like a Conestoga wagon on a corduroy log-road it MUST handle well. That's horribly inaccurate. The truth is: Suspension should be soft as possible and only as stiff as necessary.

Responsiveness
Unless you're heading to the race track or autocross course, focus on the sub-limit portion of handling. In everyday driving, notice how the car responds to steering inputs quick and slow, and small (up to 10 degrees) and larger (10 to 20 degrees). Can you feel the tires working or does the steering feel dead? Does the nose move immediately or is there a delay? Can you drive the car to the edge of road with confidence or does the car require constant adjustment to maintain a path? Is there a clear notch on-center or is it mushy. Next, try larger inputs of up to 45 degrees. Do you get a response equal to your input or does the car lag behind and then catch up and overshoot? All the while, notice the rear of the car. Does it work in harmony with the front or does it feel disconnected?