Lets say you are traveling at a speed of 80, and there are no other variables like braking and acceleration, and you hit a giant puddle with the wheels COMPLETELY straight, why would the car suddenly jerk in one direction causing a spinout? Shouldn’t the car just continue in the direction of the wheels regardless of traction loss?
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In your ideal scenario, sure, but in the real world you can’t ignore friction, acceleration, or the fact that your wheels are never perfectly straight. Your wheels don’t hit the puddle all at the same time. Your front wheels hit first. Now the friction is different on water (hydroplaning) than it is on the road. So your front tires are experiencing different forces than your back tire. If your car is a front-wheel drive and you were maintaining speed, this sudden change in friction would cause a momentary acceleration of those tires. Alternatively, if your car is rear-wheel drive, then it will continue pushing the front with high grip on the road while your front is no longer providing the same resistance it just was, causing your back to accelerate. When there is a difference in scceleration between the front and back, you will fishtail snd spinout.
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