How much ice does it take to lose control of a car?

A friend told me it only takes one square foot of ice to make a car spin out of control. That seems unlikely. But how much does it take? Do two wheels have to be on the ice at the same time? 3? 4?How much ice does it take to lose control of a car?
It depends on a few factors. You might pass over a large ice spot and be fine or you could lose control from just a tiny ice patch.





Is the car front or rear wheel drive?





For an average driver it is more likely to lose control on ice with a rear wheel drive. The reason is that when power wheels hit the ice patch (especially during active acceleration) you may get a little wheel spin and cause the rear end to wonder to the side (pitch sideways). In this case you will have to employ your countersteering skills to get control back. It could take an ice patch the size of a large tile for this to happen. This effect could amplify if you are cornering at the same time.





Fron wheel drive is a different story. The rear of the car is just getting pulled along and will not get pitched to the side if the front power wheels hit the patch. In order for the car to start sliding, the patch of ice will have to be bigger than in rear wheel drive case. For small patches you may not even notice the slip effect before you front wheels regain traction.How much ice does it take to lose control of a car?
well kind of right if you was turning and going to fast maybe it would but id have to say it dont take much to lose control one tire if turnning would do it but think it would have to be bigger but there is always that but
People lose control of their cars in the summer on dry pavement, so yeah 1 square foot patch might be enough for some drivers, but it shouldn't really be a problem, since 1 square foot patch will only affect one wheel, and you really shouldn't be losing control of your car with 3 wheels on the pavement.
You would need to hit a larger patch of ice to loose control and 1 wheel would be enough.
it would if you were turning the weight shifts off the in side wheels so you only have the grip of two.


things like frost on a bridge can make cars spin around
as far as i know if one tire gets on even a little tiny piece of ice it can spin you out.
the ice only to be as thick as sheet of paper to lose Control