Katy, TX Tire Defect Lawyers Answer: What are " Slip Angles ?"

 

A:

The slip angle, or sideslip angle, of a tire is basically the difference (angle) between the directions in which your wheel is actually pointing and the actual direction in which it is traveling.

• A ratio of the front wheel slip angles to the back wheel slip angles that is greater than 1:1 results in "under steering." If you have an ESC system in your vehicle, it might apply a brake to the rear inside wheel to correct his perceived problem.
• A ratio of the front wheel slip angles to the back wheel slip angles that is LESS than 1:1 results in "over steering." If you have an ESC system in your vehicle, it might apply a brake to the front outside wheel to correct his perceived problem.

You may be wondering: how can there be a difference between the direction in which the tire is actually pointing and the direction in which it is traveling? Well, ideally, if your tires, road conditions, and driving are all perfect, you will have a slip angle of zero and there will be no difference.

But wet or icy road conditions, for instance, can give your tires extra "lift" or separation from the road. You may know from experience that your car and the direction of travel of its tires are hard to control under these conditions.

The tread wear on your tires, your tires' inflation, and the width of your tires can all affect the size of a tire's "contact patch." If the tires' contact patch is too large for your vehicle, your car may respond with sluggish handling. If the tires' contact patch is too small, your car may not grip the road sufficiently to provide for your safety. The ideal size of your tires' contact patch is different in the heat than in the cold, and in wet versus dry road conditions. New, well-made tires actually respond to these different conditions appropriately because of the complex make-up of the many alternating layers of carefully-composed materials in the treads of the tire.

As your tires wear down, or if you've chosen the wrong type of tire for your vehicle, the ability of your tires to respond appropriately to road and driving conditions and to hug the road with a proper sized contact patch will degrade. This causes your car to "slip" slightly from its intended direction of travel. The size of the slip angles will tend to increase over time if you don't replace worn tires (or as road conditions worsen from a light snow into a hard blizzard). Once the slip angle reaches a certain degree, you will have a road accident. The slip angles for fatal rollover accidents tend to be particularly high.

If you have been injured in an accident when tires suddenly lost traction or veered from their intended course, the cause may have been a wide slip angle. And the cause of the high degree of your slip angle may have been a tire defect. If this is the case, you could be entitled to financial compensation from the tire manufacturer for the costs of your accident injuries.

Should you have questions about an accident and want to learn who is liable to you for your accident losses, kindly give us a call at (877) 307-9500. Our Katy, TX tire defect lawyers could discuss the specific facts of your case with you and help you understand who all might be at fault and what your legal options might be to make them pay for your injuries. We've helped many other injured victims make successful financial recoveries after their undeserved accidents. We could help you too.

Call us now at (877) 307-9500 for a free legal consultation to discuss your Katy, TX accident case. We will also give you a free book on making a valid accident claim in Texas!