Winter Car Skids

A little learning is a dangerous thing but a lot of ignorance is just as bad. -- Bob Edwards

An article from Popular Mechanics covers the basics of Maneuvering your Car Out of a Skid.

Although there isn’t much you can do when your car is pirouetting out of control, you can maneuver out of two basic types of skids before things get messy.

When the front tires slip, you’re understeering or plowing. This occurs when a motorist takes a turn too fast, at too sharp an angle or uses the brake or throttle excessively. The tires lose grip and the car’s momentum pushes it straight instead of through the curve. When you lose traction up front, steering has no effect; so slow down by gently reducing throttle. The tires will eventually grip and pull you in the direction you want to go.

Rear-wheel slippage is called oversteering or fishtailing. It happens during cornering when your rear wheels exceed the limit of their lateral traction before the front tires do, causing the rear of the vehicle to head toward the outside of the corner or front of the car. For rear-wheel slippage, you need to apply “CPR”—correction, pause and recovery. Correct by steering into the direction of the skid. Pause to let the unsprung weight of the car settle and the tires grip. Recover by steering the car straight; make your movements slow but sure.

Bottom Line

“Look where you want the car to go. Stare at the pole, and you will hit the pole.” —Jeff Robillard, Skip Barber Racing School, Braselton, Ga.