A wheelspin occurs when the force delivered to the tire tread exceeds that of available tread-to-surface
friction
Friction is the force resisting the relative motion of solid surfaces, fluid layers, and material elements sliding against each other. Types of friction include dry, fluid, lubricated, skin, and internal -- an incomplete list. The study of t ...
and one or more tires lose
traction. This leads the wheels to "spin" and causes the driver to lose control over the tires that no longer have grip on the road surface. Wheelspin can also be done intentionally such as in
drifting or doing a
burnout.
Applications
Differentials
Standard
differentials (also referred to as "open" differentials) always apply equal torque to each wheel. In low traction situations, the total torque delivered to each wheel is limited to the torque that is required to make the wheel with the least traction slip.
During a turn, the weight of the vehicle shifts away from the inner radius and to the outer radius, therefore the inner drive-wheel will often lose traction on hard cornering, and especially when accelerating through a curve.
Locking differentials and
limited slip differential
A limited-slip differential (LSD) is a type of differential gear train that allows its two output shafts to rotate at different speeds but limits the maximum difference between the two shafts. Limited-slip differentials are often known by the ...
s modify the manner in which torque is distributed to the wheels to reduce wheelspin and improve traction in situations where it is limited.
Wheels can also lose traction when surface conditions reduce available traction such as on snow and ice. As an open differential delivers only enough torque to cause the "weakest" wheel to spin, if one drive wheel is stationary on a low traction surface (mud, ice, etc.), the deliverable torque is limited to the traction available on it.
Oversteer
Oversteer
Understeer and oversteer are vehicle dynamics terms used to describe the sensitivity of the vehicle to changes in steering angle associated with changes in lateral acceleration. This sensitivity is defined for a level road for a given steady state ...
is typically the result of wheelspin, causing the vehicle to lose traction and turn too sharp through a turn. Oversteer can be caused in two different ways, power oversteer and lift-off oversteer. Oversteer can be performed either intentionally or accidentally through these two methods and if the driver doesn't know what they are doing then it could result in an accident. Oversteer is a common trait of
rear-wheel drive
Rear-wheel drive (RWD) is a form of engine and transmission layout used in motor vehicles, in which the engine drives the rear wheels only. Until the late 20th century, rear-wheel drive was the most common configuration for cars.
Most rear-whee ...
cars and can also occur in
all-wheel drive
An all-wheel drive vehicle (AWD vehicle) is one with a powertrain capable of providing power to all its wheels, whether full-time or on-demand.
Types
The most common forms of all-wheel drive are:
;1x1 : All unicycles Reflects one axle with ...
cars. It can be performed in
front-wheel drive
Front-wheel drive (FWD) is a form of internal combustion engine, engine and transmission (mechanics), transmission layout used in motor vehicles, in which the engine drives the front wheels only. Most modern front-wheel-drive vehicles feature ...
cars as well, but it is not as common as they tend to
understeer
Understeer and oversteer are vehicle dynamics terms used to describe the sensitivity of the vehicle to changes in steering angle associated with changes in lateral acceleration. This sensitivity is defined for a level road for a given steady state ...
.
Power oversteer
Power oversteer is the process of applying power through the throttle pedal while turning to break the traction forces on the driving wheels. Doing this causes the vehicle to slide, and is also known as a powerslide, and the vehicles movement is primarily based on the non-driving wheels (usually the steering wheels).
Lift-off oversteer
Wheelspin can also occur when changing gears while the vehicle is in motion, as the inertia of the engine and flywheel rotating at a higher rate than the next highest gear tries to bring the input shaft of the transmission to the same speed. This is known commonly as
lift-off oversteer
Lift-off oversteer (also known as trailing-throttle oversteer, throttle off oversteer, or lift-throttle oversteer) is a form of sudden oversteer. While cornering, a driver who closes the throttle (by lifting a foot off the accelerator, hence the ...
.
Understeer
Understeer is also a result of wheelspin and traction loss. It results in a vehicle not being able to turn enough when driving through a curve and causes the vehicle to continue forwards instead of turning in the curve. It is caused by using too much power into a turn causing the tires to slide sideways into the curve, preventing the vehicle from turning. Understeer is the easiest form of wheelspin to correct and can usually be done by lifting off of the throttle.
Similar terms
In railway engineering, the term
wheelslip is used as a
synonym
A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means precisely or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are a ...
for wheelspin.
Prevention
Traction control
Traction control is an electronic system installed in most modern automobiles since 1985. It monitors individual wheel speeds through the
Anti-lock Brake System (ABS) or wheel speed sensors and controls engine inputs to maintain stability and traction to the vehicles wheels. When the traction control system notices wheelspin on any of the wheels it limits the fuel provided through the onboard engine management system and controls the speed of the vehicle to prevent excessive wheelspin.
Driving techniques
There are several driving techniques that you can follow to prevent wheelspin:
* Be easy on the throttle and make smooth inputs
* Do not enter turns too fast, take it slow
* Do not make aggressive braking inputs in the turn
* Do not lift off of the throttle mid-turn
* Do not shift gears in the turn, select your gear before you enter
* Make smooth steering inputs to prevent a large weight shift
References
Bibliography
*
*
See also
*
Burnout (vehicle)
A burnout (also known as a peel out, power brake, or brakestand) is the practice of keeping a vehicle stationary and spinning its wheels, the resultant friction causing the tires to heat up and smoke. While the burnout gained widespread populari ...
*
Drifting (motorsport)
Drifting is a driving technique where the driver purposely Understeer and oversteer, oversteers, with loss of traction, while maintaining control and driving the car through the entirety of a corner or a turn. The technique causes the rear slip ...
Driving techniques
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