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Question

Difficulty: HardSkidding Causes and Correction

If a vehicle begins to understeer on a slippery corner because the front tyres have lost grip, increasing the steering angle will help the front tyres regain adhesion and guide the vehicle around the bend.

Answer: Answer

Answer

False
The statement is false because increasing steering input when front-wheel traction is already lost increases the slip angle, causing the front tyres to scrub across the road surface rather than rolling and gripping. To correct understeer, the driver should smoothly release the accelerator and slightly decrease the steering angle until the front tyres regain grip.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the type of loss of traction occurring at the vehicle's front axle.
The scenario describes understeer, where the front tyres exceed their maximum limit of adhesion and slide straight ahead rather than turning.
Correct recovery depends on understanding which axle has lost grip and how tyre slip angles function.
2
Evaluate the mechanical effect of turning the steering wheel further into the bend.
Increasing the steering lock increases tyre scrub and slip angle beyond the limit of friction, reducing available grip even further.
Tyres require grip to direct vehicle travel; over-rotating the front wheels when traction is lost makes steering completely ineffective.
3
Determine the correct recovery procedure.
The driver must smoothly ease off the accelerator to transfer weight forward and slightly ease off the steering angle until the tyres bite and regain grip.
This establishes that the statement proposing to increase the steering angle is incorrect.

Key Concept

Understeer dynamics and steering recovery techniques
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Skidding Causes and Correction

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