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hurt6963 · Oct 25, 2010, 12:29 PM

CaptainRich · Oct 25, 2010, 12:59 PM

Yes, any car can "fish-tail"

hurt6963 · Oct 26, 2010, 02:37 PM

ITstudent2006 · Oct 26, 2010, 02:44 PM

This could be debatable. I say NO. Fishtailing happens when too much power is enforced in the rear of the car for the conditions in which you're driving.

For example:

There's snow on the ground and you start tank slappin (another name for fishtailing) your rear tires are spinning causing the cars rear to move left and right hence a fish tail or a tank slap.

In a front wheel drive car this will not happen. Your tires will spin but the car will either stay in position, or slide right or left not both.

Stratmando · Oct 26, 2010, 03:11 PM

I would think you could get it to fishtail, even without power to the rear, It would not be like a "Power slide" on a 4, 3, or 2 wheel rear drive vhicle, where the driving wheel slides out from excessive power(excessive as compared to the front wheel(s)), You NEVER have too much Power.

ITstudent2006 · Oct 26, 2010, 04:29 PM

The only way you could get a front wheel drive car to fishtail is to do the opposite of a rear wheel drive car, and that's to slam on the brakes in undeal conditions ie: snow, rain etc...

Stratmando · Oct 26, 2010, 06:10 PM

I was hoping this was a slick surface, front braking would help. Once it started sliding you could slowly apply power, too quick and you would lose the slide.
A Slick surface would be excellent.
I love sliding, cars, motorcycles, skis even, Hockey Skates.

amowl · Oct 26, 2010, 11:03 PM

Put a heavy.. 1-2 thousand pound trailer behind it and go down a dirt road... and make sure to tap the brakes repeatedly

Stratmando · Oct 27, 2010, 05:59 AM

Here are some good videos of front wheel drive drifting(sliding):
YouTube - front wheel drive drifting

TxGreaseMonkey · Oct 28, 2010, 07:02 PM

Going forward or reverse?

ballengerb1 · Oct 28, 2010, 07:33 PM

Much of the sliding around you see in that video is actually called a hand brake turn YouTube - Front Wheel Drive tricks

kpick · Jan 9, 2011, 05:34 PM

I can speak from personal experience that YES, a front wheel drive car CAN fishtail if the rear loses grip. Harder to do with a FWD rather than RWD car, but totally possible.

It happened to me last month: I needed two new front tyres, and because it has been a very cold, snowy winter so far I opted for winter tyres on the front, but didn't replace the rear tyres.

Coming around a sweeping right hand bend the rear wheels started stepping out wildly to the left, whilst maintaining grip at the front wheels.

I attempted to correct the skid and the rear wheels snapped back and then out to the other side (presumably I over-corrected slightly). This repeated a few times, each times skidding out less, and the car came back under control.

ballengerb1 · Jan 9, 2011, 05:39 PM

Sliding out in one direction is not fish tailing, just sliding and all cars can do that. Fish tail goes back and forth over and over, pretty much reserved for rear wheel drive

ITstudent2006 · Jan 9, 2011, 07:19 PM

KPick- First off this is is an older thread, long talked about and forgotten and you come along giving me 2 reddies in the same thread. Here's the thing, I am not wrong.

A fishtail is when the back of the car swings left to right, as stated in my sentence. I said a FWD fishtailing is debatable but I would say NO. This is merely opinion. The rest of my post was 100% correct. You need to read the policy on using the rating system.