So there was this video of a woman managing to avoid a crash by steering in a special way. I’m learning to drive rn and people keep saying if you skid you steer into it, but isn’t that the opposite of what it feels like you would do?
In: Physics
Assuming a front wheel steer (not drive) car
Front wheels need to point where you ‘want to go’
If the car over-rotates and the rear loses traction, the wheels will automatically turn in the opposite direction to that which the car is rotating
If you leave your hands off the wheel, this happens automatically…
The trick is then to balance the right amount of throttle and steering lock in order to regain traction (or stay in a constant state of rotation – ie a drift)
In a FWD car you simply nail the throttle (assuming dry conditions) and try and pull the car straight again
In a RWD car you keep revs low (so there is a force trying to push the car along) and then balance the steering lock…
In both cases the car will likely “snap back” so you need to dial out the steering lock progressively as the tyres regain traction
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