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Why does it slide sideways?
Ivan - 1/3/12 at 07:15 AM

Scenario: Standing on a straight relatively smooth road without much camber, all wheels pointing straight, floor accelerator, car flicks sideways, correct, get some traction but wheels still spinning somewhat and car starts snaking down the road.

Question: Why the sideways action and then snaking down the road.

Suspicion: Some bending and twisting in the rear suspension arms but why the serious flick sideways on takeoff?

[Edited on 1/3/12 by Ivan]

snapper - 1/3/12 at 07:23 AM

Torque effect from the engine spinning in one direction

Without a limited slip diff one wheel will slip first leaving the other with all the grip until that spins, when the other will now have more grip.

[Edited on 1/3/12 by snapper]

loggyboy - 1/3/12 at 08:24 AM

several reasons. The road will never be dead flat, the grip will never be perfectly even, power will never be exactly equal, steering will never be dead straight.

All these factors along with the mass of the car not wanting to move, means the forces the spining wheels create translate down the easiest route, which is sideways as the force only has to move (approx) 50% of the weight of the car

[Edited on 1/3/12 by loggyboy]

omega0684 - 1/3/12 at 08:47 AM

don't worry about the math, just enjoy it, remember you look cool doing burnouts in a kit!

MakeEverything - 1/3/12 at 08:50 AM

quote:
Originally posted by omega0684
don't worry about the math, just enjoy it, remember you look cool doing burnouts in a kit!


U til something goes bang, you hit something or get nicked!

omega0684 - 1/3/12 at 08:51 AM

quote:
Originally posted by MakeEverything
U til something goes bang, you hit something or get nicked!

Fix it, drive more responsibly, buy big padlocks.

[Edited on 1/3/12 by omega0684]

loggyboy - 1/3/12 at 09:12 AM

quote:
Originally posted by omega0684
quote:
Originally posted by MakeEverything
U til something goes bang, you hit something or get nicked!

Fix it, drive more responsibly, buy big padlocks.

[Edited on 1/3/12 by omega0684]

If only it was that simple to avoid posecution, Id have the biggest padlocks and the cleanest licence!

[Edited on 1/3/12 by loggyboy]

Dusty - 1/3/12 at 09:13 AM

If you do a burnout in a trike style car with one wheel at the back putting the power down, two up reasonably matched for weight and on a flat airfield runway does it still slide sideways?

dhutch - 1/3/12 at 09:24 AM

quote:
Originally posted by Dusty
If you do a burnout in a trike style car with one wheel at the back putting the power down, two up reasonably matched for weight and on a flat airfield runway does it still slide sideways?

Because there is nothing stoping it.

Put a airhockey puck on a air hockey table, and it will move off, in one direction or the other. Nothing is ever perfectly flat, balanced, loaded, symetrical, and untill then it will move.


Daniel

Andi - 1/3/12 at 10:32 AM

If it goes quickly and uncontrollably sideways every time then surely something is amiss?
Its never happened to me, not noticed too many drag racing burnouts spinning to one side either

Andi

Daddylonglegs - 1/3/12 at 10:42 AM

I don't think I'll ever have to worry about snakeing in my jallopy, after all, I'm running a 1980's Cortina Anchor

[Edited on 1/3/12 by Daddylonglegs]

A1 - 1/3/12 at 12:22 PM

you might have a big thrust angle. mine used to always slide to the left in similar circumstances, got the thrust angle sorted and now it goes straight.

Dusty - 1/3/12 at 12:42 PM

If you do a burnout in a trike style car with one wheel at the back putting the power down, two up reasonably matched for weight and on a flat airfield runway does it still slide sideways?

quote:
Because there is nothing stopping it.
I would have thought the approach of 'What's making it' would be more profitable. One poster comments thrust angle. Others torque reaction. Weight transfer across the back axle, etc Position of driving wheels well off centre line must exaggerate the tendency to snake. I would have thought something like a scorpion would have only a very small tendency to snake on a flat road. Any trike owners care to comment?

[Edited on 1/3/12 by Dusty]

britishtrident - 1/3/12 at 01:08 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Dusty
If you do a burnout in a trike style car with one wheel at the back putting the power down, two up reasonably matched for weight and on a flat airfield runway does it still slide sideways?


With a live axle it will.

loggyboy - 1/3/12 at 01:32 PM

quote:
Originally posted by britishtrident
quote:
Originally posted by Dusty
If you do a burnout in a trike style car with one wheel at the back putting the power down, two up reasonably matched for weight and on a flat airfield runway does it still slide sideways?


With a live axle it will.

A live axle reverse trike - thats an interesting concept!

maccmike - 1/3/12 at 02:02 PM

dhutch, mine does

Hugh_ - 1/3/12 at 02:07 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Andinot noticed too many drag racing burnouts spinning to one side either


not too many drag racers out there without an LSD...

Ivan - 1/3/12 at 03:03 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Andi
If it goes quickly and uncontrollably sideways every time then surely something is amiss?
Its never happened to me, not noticed too many drag racing burnouts spinning to one side either

Andi


Nope not quickly or uncontrollably - but enough to need correction and only when there's significant wheelspin.

Chippy - 1/3/12 at 04:05 PM

When you plant the throttle, and as long as you don't run a Honda anti clock engine, the car will always, (if you have enough torque), slip left initially due to the engine attempting to lift the left side of the car, even slightly. This effect is less noticable on a heavy old barge, (most tin tops). This is what I was informed some years ago by a guy who knows a great deal more about performance cars than I did, (and still do), :-). Cheers Ray