Fishtailing

Fishtailing

Fishtailing (also called "tank slapping") is a car handling problem which occurs in rear wheel drive vehicles when too much power is applied for the driving conditions. Typically this applies to low friction roads due to debris (eg. sand, gravel), or bad weather conditions (rain, snow, or ice). Cars with sufficiently great power to lose traction can be subject to fishtailing on any surface. During fishtailing, the rear end of the car swings to a side, which must be offset by the driver by turning in the opposite direction and reducing engine power. Without a proper driver's reaction, the fishtailing car will spin. Most modern rear wheel drive cars solve this problem by using a form of traction control which limits engine power when fishtailing occurs.

Similar behavior is evident during heavy braking in all types of road vehicles. During braking weight transfer shifts to the front, and without the proper distribution of braking force the rear wheels are subject to locking. Most modern cars use anti-lock brakes (ABS) which prevents this problem.

Fishtailing is also a term for the police pursuit techniqueFact|date=July 2008 of deliberately inducing rear instability in a suspect vehicle (see PIT maneuver).

See also


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