Talk:Fishtailing

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Instinctive response??[edit]

"The instinctive response (to steer right if the rear swings left or vice versa) will worsen the spin." Now, I'll admit that I haven't tried, but could any sane person really respond as the article says? "Hmm.. I want to go right *there*, but the car is pointing too far too the right... How do I fix this?!? I know, let's turn RIGHT!!" ????? I mean, OK, I haven't looked into any research on the subject, but seriously?!? Even three-year-olds know how to work a steering wheel, I can't see how an adult with a drivers license could possibly "instinctively" respond by trying to make the skid worse... Gah, this is just becoming a rant, but, dayum it seems stupid. 94.191.144.28 (talk) 18:36, 1 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Hah, that's the same reason I clicked the discussion page, it seems weird to me too. I instinctively turn the correct way when it happens, and I don't understand why you would do it the other way either. Raduberinde (talk) 00:53, 25 January 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Picture Pictures added.


Both the above posters are correct. You *need* to steer where you want to go (countersteer) *but* if you hold the opposite lock for too long, the car will pendulum back in the other direction, the momentum making the 'opposite fishtail' more violent: it will be faster and the angle will be bigger. The trick is to unwind the wheel *before* the car straightens out (or even apply 'counter-counter steering'): to do this right a driver needs to have some prior practice, I don't think it can be done by someone who did not experience this situation before unless they have a *lot* of luck. Also: fishtail occurs in all cars, not just RWD ones. It is extremely dangerous and can quickly destabilise, spin out or even roll over any wheeled vehicle. It can catch out even experienced competition drivers. Some experts claim (no, I don't have any sources onhand) that modern electronics actually worsens the situation, as both the driver and the stability system 'pull in their own opposite directions' to extinguish the fishtail. I think this article needs a rewrite ASAP or even deletion, as it contains potentially dangerous (mis)information. 83.23.189.219 (talk) 09:10, 11 August 2010 (UTC)[reply]

nonexistent court case?[edit]

"This was illustrated in the landmark NSW case of R v Harmon (2014) in the High Court of Australia before a full bench."

Not even google returns anything about this "landmark" case - is there a typo or something? --144.132.168.61 (talk) 05:39, 27 June 2019 (UTC)[reply]