Full lock turn - tires walking
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 437
Likes: 5
From: Fresno CA
Full lock turn - tires walking
I don't do full U-Turns very often, but I was in a parking lot today and did a turn from a stand still, turned the steering wheel all the way to the left and started the turn. A little way through the turn it felt like the outside wheel was being drug on the pavement, then it did it a couple more times before the U-turn was completed. Almost feels like the wheels are not pointed in the exact same direction when the wheel is turned all the way.
Any experience with this or ideas?
Any experience with this or ideas?
Le Mans Master
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 6,993
Likes: 25
I think in general both wheels will NOT be at exactly the same angle at full lock on any car. Every time I've ever seen a car with wheels turns to the lock, you could see they were at different angles. I would suspect the pavment where you were making thing feel weird.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 2,170
Likes: 48
From: Yuma CO
Senior Member
Cruise-In V Veteran
I don't do full U-Turns very often, but I was in a parking lot today and did a turn from a stand still, turned the steering wheel all the way to the left and started the turn. A little way through the turn it felt like the outside wheel was being drug on the pavement, then it did it a couple more times before the U-turn was completed. Almost feels like the wheels are not pointed in the exact same direction when the wheel is turned all the way.
Any experience with this or ideas?
Any experience with this or ideas?
My car does this too.
So, I try not to turn at full lock either. I will do a three-point turn instead. 
DSTURBD
Drifting
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 1,377
Likes: 41
From: Chesterfield (St. Louis) MO
I posted a thread about this a while back, and the conclusion was that this was normal. Wide tires + relative light weight. It is really noticeable in colder weather. I have never noticed this in any other car either.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 7,428
Likes: 971
From: Morristown New Jersey
Oldtimer
Heel & Toe
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 19
Likes: 0
From: vernon British Columbia
This is called ackerman and it is the amount the inside tire turns sharper than the outside tire on our race car we set it to coinside with turns at each track . On a street car it is set for the average highway curves ,if it were set for full lock it would scrub like hell on the highway
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Race Director
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 15,766
Likes: 3,283
From: Phoenix area, AZ
It's something that all cars do, it's just more noticeable in Corvettes. With that said, it's not good for the front end parts to do this. It puts excess strain on them and results in shorter lifespans, meaning more $$$ to repair and replace parts that wear out prematurely.