Abstract

Theoretical laws governing rear‐wheel steering of a vehicle are developed from a linear model having two degrees of freedom. Such laws can aid in improving vehicle transient response. Examples are given of their use to show that the same handling behavior can be obtained in rear‐steering vehicles that are equipped with variant tires as with front‐steering vehicles equipped with standard tires. Tire variants studied were cornering stiffness and relaxation length. The laws also suggest ways to nullify lags in steering actuation.