A cornering skid occurs under what condition?

A cornering skid occurs under what condition?

• A. When turning at low speed
• B. When traveling in a turn at high speed causing tires to lose rolling friction
• C. When braking in a straight line
• D. When accelerating in a straight line

Answer: (B)

When a car goes through a turn, the tires must supply lateral grip to change direction. The amount of grip available between the tires and the road is finite. As you increase speed in a turn, the required centripetal force grows with the square of speed, so there comes a point where the tires’ grip is exceeded. When that happens, the tires stop providing stable rolling contact and begin to slide, causing a skid in the corner. This is why the scenario described—traveling in a turn at high speed causing tires to lose rolling friction—is the situation that leads to a cornering skid. Turning slowly stays within the tire’s grip, so skidding doesn’t occur. Skidding in a straight line from braking or from accelerating also involves traction loss, but it’s a different situation where direction isn’t being changed, so it isn’t a cornering skid.

When a car goes through a turn, the tires must supply lateral grip to change direction. The amount of grip available between the tires and the road is finite. As you increase speed in a turn, the required centripetal force grows with the square of speed, so there comes a point where the tires’ grip is exceeded. When that happens, the tires stop providing stable rolling contact and begin to slide, causing a skid in the corner.

This is why the scenario described—traveling in a turn at high speed causing tires to lose rolling friction—is the situation that leads to a cornering skid. Turning slowly stays within the tire’s grip, so skidding doesn’t occur. Skidding in a straight line from braking or from accelerating also involves traction loss, but it’s a different situation where direction isn’t being changed, so it isn’t a cornering skid.