Tolerating wheelspin

[Jayson Woodruff]

Hey FWD guys:

What driving-wise do you do about open diff wheel spin? Floor it and let dynamic friction take its course, or feather to minimize the spin?

Its going to be a while before I can make hardware changes.

Jay W

[Adam Tarnoff]

I don't know about the other guys, but when I start roasting my front left tire on course, I let off a bit so I can actually turn then get back on the gas. I tried left foot braking to control wheel spin, but Hyundai decided that that's bad and it shuts power down when brake+throttle are used together.

[Craig Naylor]

When I drove the Integra, I just floored it... with most Honda products right handers might have some wheelspin, left handers rarely. Many FWD cars w/o limited slip experience something similar right/left wise.

[Craig Naylor]

...Hyundai decided that that's bad and it shuts power down when brake+throttle are used together.

Yep. You can thank all the "sudden acceleration" claim people for that. On Toyota's now, if your over 5mph, with the gas pedal more than 1/3 open, apply then apply the brakes for more than 1.5 seconds... you cut power. Many other companies have now adopted similar systems.

Play with it though... you may find overrides. On Toyota' again, if you hit the brake first, then apply the gas... it does not turn on. This was done so you could for example accelerate up a hill without rolling backwards. So get off the gas, brake, then apply gas while continuing to trail brake.

[Bobby Beyer]

Lift enough to keep momentum without getting spin, and wait until the push goes away and slowly get back on it while straightening out the wheel.

[Will Kalman]

Let it spin a bit as long as it's not keeping you from holding your line. But don't light it up.

Also, minimize the issue by making sure you're getting more turning done earlier and under trail braking into the turn so you have less turning to do on the way out. Obsess over turning as little as possible out of the corner - *drive* to the outside (or whatever the next turn dictates), don't hold too much steering and push out under one-wheel-peel power.