A question regarding this video.

[Gotmilk]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGywkhONuVE&NR=1"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGywkhONuVE&NR=1[/ame]


Cop car chase.

Now what amazes me is how easily the cop was able to make the guy spin out by tapping his rear.

So I was wondering if the same would happen with a FF or AWD car?

(I'm assuming he was driving a 03 Mustang which is RWD)

[RacingManiac]

Can't see the video at work, did he do that under braking?

[aiasib]

It looks like it is not so much the PIT maneuver that spins the car but the escaping driver's mistake of turning the steering to compensate, thus spinning himself. Classic pit mistake.

I'm guessing front-wheeled drive cars are easier to escape unspun with?

[Matra et Alpine]

yes. This is standard practise in the US and Canada ( afaik ).
In UK, it's generally not used or as effective.

It's not a "tap", but has to be a forcefull nudge/push.
and yes it doesn't take a lot to do it as it's relatively easy to move a car sideways - especially when travelling at speed as the wheel rotation reduces the lateral friction.

I'm not sure if it doens't work so well in the UK because our cars tend to be better tyres and suspension and grip OR - more liekly - that we don't like the idea of making someon crash. We use a "rolling box" to bring them to a halt. Of course another reason might be the lower mass of our cars, making the pit maneuver harder to do. ie once it starts to move with a lighter car it's easier to get it back under control.

[Savageduck]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGywkhONuVE&NR=1


Cop car chase.

Now what amazes me is how easily the cop was able to make the guy spin out by tapping his rear.

So I was wondering if the same would happen with a FF or AWD car?

(I'm assuming he was driving a 03 Mustang which is RWD)

This is the "PIT" or Precision Immobilization Technique, or Pursuit Intervention Technique, depending on which Law Enforcement Tactical Driving Academy curriculum is followed. CHP usually uses "Pursuit Intervention Technique" other departments try to give it a more benign label due to bad press and liability because of "High speed pursuits." Most LE will just refer to it as the "PIT."
It does usually work on FF/AWD & RWD. There can be problems with high CG vehicles, the PIT used with those usually results in a roll over.

[ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PIT_maneuver"]PIT maneuver - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/ame]

[Gotmilk]

Thanks for the replies guys.

Whats a high CG vehicle?

[Gotmilk]

It's ironic lol the people on youtube kept on saying things like "damn that guy can drive" when actually he wasn't countersteering and was very lucky to not crash.