What does "off-tracking" refer to in reference to making turns?
- When the vehicle oversteers, causing it to move into the opposing lane
- When the rear wheels of a vehicle follow a different path than the front wheels ✓
- When the front and rear wheels of a vehicle follow similar paths
- When the vehicle understeers, causing it to move out of its lane
Answer: B. When the rear wheels of a vehicle follow a different path than the front wheels
Off-tracking is when the rear wheels of a vehicle follow a different path than the front wheels.
Why this is the answer
The handbook explains that when a vehicle moves around a curve, the rear wheels do not trace the same line as the front wheels, and the gap between those two paths is the off track. It also notes that long wheelbases and combination vehicles produce more of it, and that each set of wheels behind the front wheels turns with some off-tracking. That matches the definition given in the correct choice.
Why the other answers are wrong
- A. When the vehicle oversteers, causing it to move into the opposing lane — Off-tracking is about the rear wheels tracing a different path, not about oversteering or drifting into the opposing lane.
- C. When the front and rear wheels of a vehicle follow similar paths — Similar paths for the front and rear wheels is the opposite of off-tracking, which is the difference between those paths.
- D. When the vehicle understeers, causing it to move out of its lane — Understeering and leaving your lane is a steering problem, while off-tracking simply describes the rear wheels' path differing from the front wheels' path.
Remember it
Picture the rear wheels cutting a tighter line around the corner than the front wheels, and the space between those two lines is your off track.