Low speed off-tracking

Low speed off-tracking

• A. The driver makes a right turn
• B. Is when the rear tires pull outward from the steering path
• C. Is when the rear tires are pulled inward of the steering path
• D. Is when centrifugal force is greater than traction when entering a curve

Answer: (C)

When a vehicle with multiple axles turns, the rear tires don’t follow the same path as the front tires. They tend to follow a smaller circle, staying closer to the center of the curve. At low speed, this effect is noticeable because the front wheels swing through a tighter arc for the same steering input, pulling the rear closer to the curve’s inside. This inward pull of the rear tires relative to the steering path is what low speed off-tracking describes. The other ideas—just turning in a direction, or relying on centrifugal force, or the rear tires moving outward—don’t capture this geometric behavior of the rear wheels during a turn.

When a vehicle with multiple axles turns, the rear tires don’t follow the same path as the front tires. They tend to follow a smaller circle, staying closer to the center of the curve. At low speed, this effect is noticeable because the front wheels swing through a tighter arc for the same steering input, pulling the rear closer to the curve’s inside. This inward pull of the rear tires relative to the steering path is what low speed off-tracking describes. The other ideas—just turning in a direction, or relying on centrifugal force, or the rear tires moving outward—don’t capture this geometric behavior of the rear wheels during a turn.