What Causes Vehicle Braking Skid?
2 Answers
Here are the reasons for vehicle skidding: 1. Slippery road conditions due to wetness, oil stains, or ice, etc., which reduce the coefficient of adhesion and create asymmetry between the left and right sides. The wheel load and road adhesion also decrease, making the wheels prone to skidding with slight lateral force. 2. Imbalanced resistance during braking among the four wheels, such as unequal braking force on the left and right wheels, varying coefficients of adhesion, or a load center of gravity biased to one side, leading to "pulling" and easily causing wheel skidding. 3. Improper braking, such as excessive or abrupt actions, causing the wheels to "lock up and drag." The rear wheels usually lock up before the front wheels, which can also easily lead to wheel skidding. 4. Improper steering operations, such as high speed, sudden steering, improper braking during sharp turns, or an excessively high vehicle center of gravity (overloaded), which increases the inertial centrifugal force and makes the wheels prone to skidding.
I've seen many friends complain about their cars skidding during braking, which is most commonly caused by an unbalanced braking system. Simply put, it means the braking force is uneven between the left and right wheels. For example, if one side's brake pads are more worn and provide weaker braking force while the other side is too strong, the car is prone to skidding sideways. My old car had this issue—upon inspection, we found the brake caliper was stuck or hydraulic fluid was leaking, causing one wheel to brake slower. Tires are also a critical factor—insufficient grip can lead to skidding, such as when the tread is worn out or tire pressure is low, causing the wheels to lock up during hard braking. Driving too fast also increases this risk. I once drove too fast in the city and found the car pulling to one side when braking, but slowing down later helped a lot. Regular maintenance is essential to prevent these minor issues from turning into major problems. In short, checking and maintaining everything from brake pads to tire pressure can effectively prevent such issues.
