Ths IS350 is my first RWD car. People have been saying that I need to be careful of RWD cuz of fishtailing and etc. I finally got my first taste today on the highway. Sunny day , 70F. I was driving on the highway at 60-65mph, and I kept a pretty good distance with the car in front. Stupid m**her ******er suddenly braked, and I immediately stepped on my brake. The two wheels behind fishtailed a bit!!!!! scarey. It hurt my heart instantly. I need to be more careful driving, especially with alot of ($&#*(# people on the road, and I don't want my baby to suffer that pain anymore!!!!!!!! Also, why the brake on the rear wheels are so small????

 

Any warnings you got about fishtailing in a RWD car had to do with accelerating, not braking. In fact, a RWD car will generally fishtail less during braking than FWD car, since FWD cars are heavier in the frontend than RWD cars.

The brakes on all cars are generally smaller on the rear wheels, but that's simply because weight transfers forward when you brake, and the rear wheels just don't need as much braking power as the fronts.

 

Umm. I see...
but I felt my the back of the car shook a bit? Probably, it was the tires sliding the ground...

 

I think that is more due to nose dive when the weight is suddenly shifted to from the rear to the front.

 

What you may have felt was the ABS doing its job, as well as brake assist, which kicks in hard in situations just like you described. The cars computer senses your quick movement from the accelerator to the brake, and will brake harder for you{whether you like it or not}. The ABS will feel like a hard vibration on your braking foot. It feels weird, but you are supposed to keep the pedal buried. If you try to modulate you foot, you wont stop as quick.

All cars front brakes are larger, because they do the majority of the braking, something like 70% or so I think.

 

I'm pretty sure your rear end was not fishtailing durring braking, unless there were midgets pushing on your quarter pannels......


The laws of physics don't work that way.

Now, durring acceleration in a RWD car, you can make it fishtail. But steering input is what causes the event.

 

Unit RWD cars most definitely can lose the back under hard braking while turning.

VDIM was working to keep you from sliding. Did you turn the wheel at all or hold it straight while braking? If the wheel was slightly turned, the VDIM mostl likely was working one rear wheel more than the other which could feel like a shudder.

I have tried to lose the *** end of the car on a dry 90+ day and I can't right up until around 9 or 10 tenths. With VDIM off I can slide the rear end comfortably if I want to.

 

RWD cars > FWD Cars.

 

Also did you pump the brakes? (probably not) and did you steer into the turn?

 

"Fishtaling" is when the car's rear end swings out sideways while the car is still moving in a forward motion.

You may hear warnings about RWD because it is easier to lose control in certain situations. For instance taking a turn in the rain... if you go too fast, you might spin-out. Or, more commonly, you start to spin (fishtail), over correct, and then smash into the curb, a tree, the gaurdrail, an oncoming vehile, or a midget in a clown suit. Just use a little more caution than you would with AWD or FWD and you'll be fine.

 

Thanks all.

Did you turn the wheel at all or hold it straight while braking? car was on a straight road
Also, I didnt steer in turn. But I will be more careful..

i don't want her to suffer any pain anymore!!!

 

Entering a broad side slide is different than a fish tail. In essence, a fish tail is assumed to be a swapping side to side of the rear end, leaving a wave pattern of frisction marks on the road surface.


I must have looked at it as written.

 

You shouldn't be fishtailing while just even SLAMMING on your brakes going in a straight line. Maybe you turned a bit or it was the ABS or something.

 

why would anyone with ABS and a stability program need to pump their brakes?

 

Sounds like ABS doing it's usual shuddering of the car.