Burnout facts for kids
A burnout is when a vehicle stays mostly still but spins its wheels super fast! This makes the tires get really hot and smoke a lot because of the rubbing (friction). People sometimes call it a peel out or power brake.
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Why Do Cars Do Burnouts?
Burnouts first became popular in drag racing. In drag racing, tires work much better when they are warm. A burnout is the quickest way to heat up tires before a race starts.
It also helps clean the tires from any dirt. Plus, it leaves a layer of rubber on the track. This rubber helps the car get better grip when the race begins. Some drag race tracks even have special wet areas called "burnout boxes" just for this.
Burnouts are also seen in informal street racing. Here, they are mostly done for show. But doing burnouts on public roads is against the law in most places. This can lead to serious trouble. For example, in New South Wales, Australia, police can take a car away for a few months if someone does a burnout.
In 2010, the famous Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton had his Mercedes car stopped by police. This happened in Melbourne, Australia. He was leaving a race track and was accused of doing a burnout.
Winning drivers in NASCAR races sometimes do burnouts too. They do this at the end of a race to celebrate their big win!
How to Do a Burnout
Doing a burnout depends on what kind of car you have.
Front-Wheel Drive Cars
Cars with front-wheel drive (FWD) send power to the front wheels. To do a burnout in these cars, drivers usually pull the emergency brake. This locks the back wheels. Then, they press the gas pedal all the way down. Doing burnouts in FWD cars can sometimes damage the vehicle.
Rear-Wheel Drive Cars
Rear-wheel drive (RWD) cars send power to the back wheels. To do a burnout, the driver usually presses the gas and brake pedals at the same time. The goal is to make the back tires spin while the front wheels stay still. This holds the car in place.
Sometimes, special devices called "line locks" are installed. These make RWD burnouts easier. They hold the front brakes on while letting the driver release the brake pedal. This frees up the back brakes. Line locks are very helpful in manual cars. They also help prevent the back brakes from wearing out too quickly.
Four-Wheel Drive Cars
Burnouts are much harder to do in four-wheel drive (4WD) and all-wheel drive (AWD) cars. These cars have much better grip on the road. This is because power goes to all four wheels. It takes a much more powerful engine to make all four tires spin at once. Even then, the tires usually only spin for a short time before they get grip again.
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See also
In Spanish: Burnout para niños
