[D_o_S]

Hi guys,

I've always wondered, is it possible to hit something (wall, another car, etc) with your rear bumper, while going forward, and turning?

Like this:

[Your BMW] [another car]
[/////is////] [/////is////]
[/////here/] [/////here/]

You go to full left lock, and get on the gas (nothing in the way). Is it possible to do this:

\Your BMW\ [the other]
.\is turning\ [car]
..\and hits \[here]

Here is a quick sketch in MS paint:



I'm just wondering if it's possible to actually hit something with the overhang of your bumper on a car our size... I can imagine it is probably possible on a bus, etc.

Oh, and I mean within normal circumstances (not parking really close to the other car on purpose... i.e. normal room for passenger to get out)

Thanks

[dhnew81509]

Unless you gas it and make the rear-end step out due to lack of traction....no.

[NiVeDh]

Good question actually. Try it and let us know (carefully and slowly, of course).

[Kolyan2k]

Originally Posted by NiVeDh

Good question actually. Try it and let us know (carefully and slowly, of course).

i am paying for damages.....you got my word 1st try slow, 2nd time floor it and drop the clutch

[fdriller9]

Umm if you think about it, when you drive, your car goes forward (or reverse)....when you turn, your rear tires are still going forward, not whipping to the left or right. They'll always stay in that line.

Unless you can somehow turn your car without the right, rear wheel moving at all....then no, you won't hit the car next to you.

[Edward]

The only way it is impossible is if the furthest back point of the car is actually the rear wheel/pivoting point. So yes, it's possible, but being that the wheels are pretty far back and the bumper doesn't come off as much as say on a bus or something, it'd be very difficult to hit something in this way. The car you're hitting would have to be like an inch away or something. Also, your turn would have to start from a full left lock to get that rear bumper to swing out immediately. Why the random question? You put a lot of work into this hypothetical scenario haha

[Drivaar]

As the car turns, YES, a little bit of the rear bumper will always stick out just a tad. The more rear overhang, the more will stick out. BMWs have very little overhang, so this problem is not a big one.

The sharper your turn, the more of the rear will "stick out".

[D_o_S]

Wow, 7 views and 6 replies, that must be a record! Thanks for the replies... I was just wondering about it, several times... sometimes when making a T turn, it has happened that I have gotten rather close to things, and then I decided to turn immediately, so I was worried about hitting the other car, next to me...

Today, I parked close to a wall, I watched PDC on the iDrive, and again, I decided it would just be easier for full left lock and just slowly get going... well, nothing happened, but it did scare me... since I've been wondering about it I decided to post

I assume the turning effect is like this:

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/differential.htm

I.e. rear wheels are following the front ones, so virtually no chance of hitting anything?

[dhnew81509]

Again, at normal parking distance between the two cars, no possible way of hitting the car next to you turning at full lock if you're are turning the opposite way and there is no car parked in that space you are turning towards.

[Eights-n-Aces]

The swing on a tractor-trailer can be wide because of the distance from the rear tire and the back corner. The swing will always be a function of the distance from the outside tire to the outside back corner and will vary from car to car. A station wagon or pickup truck would be the extreme while a car like a Z4 would be the minimum.

You can measure it without causing damage. In a clear lot, put a marker on the ground directly below the outside rear corner. Execute your full lock turn slowly and when you gone a few feet stop and place a second marker. Measure the lateral distance between the two. If you have a second person, they could mark the maximum distance without you having th guess at it.

[firenza]

Yes, this did happened when I was a kid and saw my dad was driving his 1974 caddilac out from a parking lot. The Caddilac was super close to another car parked next to it, so when my dad turned his steering wheel all the way left and moved foward, the tail just hit slightly to that vehicle. I believed this would only happen to rear-wheel drive automobiles which their front wheels turning angle are big.

[Wires]

It's goverend by the overhang of the body from the front/rear wheels. Th caddy had a HUGE trunk that stuck out. Typically, same went for the nose.

BMW has hardly any overhang (like most modern vehicles). Putting the wheels further forward/back increases cabin room and vehicle stability.

[E90SLAM]

It all depends hot long is your trunk from your rear-wheel (pivot point).

[nelnelxd]

yes it is definitely possible because when you turn a bit of the back bumper comes out. for example if you turn left your back swings right and if you turn left your bumper swings right. This happens because the end of our car does not end where the top of our rear wheels are. I know this because i ran into a pillar trying to squeeze between a car and a pillar turning. my rear hit the pillar and scraped.

[asuresh8]

lol I'm not the only one who wonders about this. Put up a bunch of cones, try it and see what happens

[masamune]

This is exactly why I don't like being on the right side of a school bus turning left. You can clearly see the end of it projecting outwards when it makes the turn.

[Quasimodem]

IMHO, it's called tail swing.

[2 3pair]

Originally Posted by firenza

Yes, this did happened when I was a kid and saw my dad was driving his 1974 caddilac out from a parking lot. The Caddilac was super close to another car parked next to it, so when my dad turned his steering wheel all the way left and moved foward, the tail just hit slightly to that vehicle. I believed this would only happen to rear-wheel drive automobiles which their front wheels turning angle are big.

Has nothing to do with being rear-wheel drive

[ViciousLord]

great topic