Wheelspin

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A wheelspin, also called a peel-out, occurs when the driver of a motor vehicle accidentally or deliberately spins the wheels of the vehicle on the road before moving off.

When done deliberately this is a lesser form of a burnout, because the intention is not to cause excessive tire wear, but merely to spin the wheels. It is performed by revving the engine high with the clutch depressed while in gear, and then rapidly releasing the clutch pedal (without stalling). This causes the wheels to spin against the road, as they briefly struggle to gain grip, before the car moves as normal. It is a technique that can usually be performed with little practice in most cars. It is easier to wheelspin while steering either to the left or right at the same time as accelerating than if going straight on, as the tires have less grip when turning.

Spinning the wheels is extremely easy on snow and ice, as the drive wheels have severely reduced traction on these surfaces. Another advantage is that snow/ice wears tires little if at all. In fact, spinning the wheels very slightly is involved in rocking a car out of the snow. Spinning the wheels in snow/ice can be dangerous though, because if the wheels are spun fast enough, usually above 30-45 mph, the tires can explode^{[citation needed]}, possibly causing car damage and possibly injury. If using a manual transmission, or if an automatic transmission is set in 1st gear, the engine can overrev and be damaged very quickly if you are using full throttle.