What Is Wheel Hop? Along With Possible Causes and Cures

“What is wheel hop?” is a widely posed question with many explanations. The reason can be as simple as smooth tires or rash driving techniques.

However, the wheel bounce might also signal a faulty suspension part. Whatever the reason, we’ve got your back with this detailed post mentioning all causes and fixes.

Why Does the Wheel Hop in Your Car When You Drive? (5 Reasons)

The wheel hops in your car when you drive because of sudden acceleration due to high engine power that your tires cannot tolerate. Smooth, underinflated, overinflated, or thin tires can also cause a tire hop. Moreover, problems with suspension, weight imbalance, and driving on slippery paths are other reasons.

• Wheel Bounce Due to Insufficient Tire Traction

The most common reason behind bouncing wheels is poor traction. The tires sometimes lose the road grip and make the wheels hop. If you’re thinking, what does wheel hop feel like? It’s just like a momentary leap of the wheel because the tire loses contact with the road.

The tires on your car may lose traction if they are too thin. It happens because the tires only have a small surface area that grips the road. Thinner tires feel a greater impact when they hit a road bump and tend to stay in the air longer.

Similarly, smooth tires can cause wheel bouncing because they have shallow treads. It’s normal for tires to get smooth after some time, but premature wear to the tread points says a lot about the tire quality. Poor quality tires are soft, so their tread gets shallow earlier.

You will also notice that the overinflated tires get smooth quickly. It happens because the central tire surface comes in contact with the road, and friction wears or smoothes that part. In contrast, underinflated tires wear out from the outer side because that part grips the road.

The smooth tires reduce friction while driving and make the car hop. It explains why drag racing cars have wide tires. These cars are known for high performance, and the wide tires make it possible by increasing the ground contact, stability, and durability.Additionally, slippery surfaces also cause tire hop. The tires stay on the ground and move forward because of friction. If you take that away, the tires will hop.

Driving in the following situations can cause the wheels to bounce:

• Wet roads
• Muddy paths
• Icy or snow-covered roads
• Fuel or oil spills on the path
• Moist or dewy leaves covering the road

So, if you have been driving on such paths and your tires hop, you do not have to worry about the car. However, some tires have poor tread patterns that do not channel water or fluids away from the tire. In that case, you must inspect the pattern, and if found guilty, get new tires with better grip.

• Worn or Improperly Tuned Suspension

If you feel a wheel hop when turning, you might have a shabby suspension part or one that needs tuning. These problems usually occur after you hit a pothole or your car undergoes impact. Moreover, having over- or underinflated tires or loose wheel nuts also cause these problems.

Your car’s suspension dampens the impact you get from the road. For instance, if you hit a road bump, the suspension will operate to minimize the jerky feeling.

The suspension does this by using shock absorbers. Sometimes these parts need tuning, or they get worn. As a result, they do not cooperate when the suspension oscillates while driving on bumpy paths, leading to excessive wheel bouncing.

Another function of your car’s suspension is the even distribution of the car’s weight. When you accelerate, the weight shifts on the back side of the car. The front end of the car loses weight and contact with the road and lifts a little.

The suspension balances the weight and makes the wheels maintain contact with the road. A suspension lacking proper tuning adjustments lacks such abilities and makes the wheel bounce. Apart from balancing weight, the suspension controls the traction of the tires. A failure can result in uneven contact of the tires with the road. In that case, you will experience wheel spin followed by wheel hop.

• Weight Imbalanced Car

Your wheels may hop if your car has more weight on one side than the other. This weight imbalance has a huge impact on traction. The tires on the side that weigh more will have a good grip on the road and hence higher traction.

However, the wheels on the lighter side will struggle to maintain a grip on the road. The suspension will try to handle this imbalance resulting in uneven contact of tires (on the lighter end) to the road. Consequently, the wheels hop.

• Sudden Surge of Torque From the Engine

When the wheels get sudden high power from the engine, they bounce. Sudden power goes to the wheels when you accelerate, downshift the gear, or if there is a problem with the engine.

You will experience a bounce if you rashly push the gas pedal to the maximum. To avoid such problems, you should gradually press the throttle so the wheels are slowly introduced to engine power. Moreover, if you shift to the lowest gear while driving, the engine will increase the speed and produce sudden torque.

Although it might seem that wheel bounce depends on the way you drive, sometimes a problem with the engine may be the culprit. If you have recently modified the engine or exhaust, the aftermarket products can cause an upsurge in the torque output.

• Wheel Bounce Due to Aggressive Driving Habits

Some people experience a wheel hop at highway speed because they are harsh drivers. For instance, if you apply great force on the gas pedal, the tires may bounce and lose road grip. It happens because, during acceleration, the weight shifts to the rear wheels, making the front ones light. As a result, the front wheels rise from the road and lose their grip.

You should also know that when you put high force on the pedal to speed up, you are providing excessive power to the wheels. If you have a high-performance car, your tires might be able to bear that power. If that’s not the case, the tires will not handle the power and lose ground contact.

Moreover, tires have limited grip for the power level. If it exceeds that limit, they start slipping instead of speeding up. It not only makes them slip, but the suspension can also get damaged. Hard braking is another driving habit that makes the wheels bounce. In contrast to acceleration, when suddenly pressing the brakes, the car’s weight shifts to the front wheels. The front of the car gets heavier and feels high pressure because it has to slow down the car.

The front tires undergo high stress and sometimes slide and slip. This problem is more prominent in cars with a heavy front part or cars with improper tire inflation. Improper use of the clutch can also cause wheel bounce. The clutch temporarily disconnects the wheels from the engine’s power so you can change gears. Releasing it gradually puts the wheels back in contact with power, but if you release it quickly, the tires may not bear the pressure.

Additionally, taking off road routes for the sake of adventure causes wheel bounce. These include paths with loose gravel, wet leaves, mud, and bumps. Such paths reduce traction, and the tires lose contact with them.

How To Fix a Car That Displays Frequent Wheel Hop?

You can fix a car that displays frequent wheel hop by adopting gentle driving habits such as gently pressing the gas pedal. If the wheels hop because of poor traction, you can check the tire pressure or buy new tires with a suitable tread. Fixing suspension may also help.

• Adopt Gentle Driving Techniques

The first step for fixing the wheel bounce problem is to avoid it by using gentle driving techniques.

Here is a list of habits that can help you in the long run:

• Take your car for regular maintenance to quickly detect suspension faults.
• Evenly distribute the weight inside your car, including passengers and cargo.
• Do not stomp on the brakes. Progressive force application on the brake pedal supports a better road grip.
• Avoid excessive acceleration by gradually applying pressure to the gas pedal. Smooth application of power means better road grip.
• Practice smooth and gradual handling of the clutch. Proper engagement of the clutch involves balancing the application and release of the pedal.

These practices will not only get rid of the bounce but also improve the health of your car’s suspension. Finding a solution to wheel bounce is crucial, because if you ask, “Is wheel hop bad?” one would talk about the many safety concerns and car damages.

• Inflate Your Car Tires To Reduce Bounce

Inflating the tires till they have accurate pressure solves the wheel bounce problem. It might be helpful if you are wondering how to stop wheel hop FWD cars. Inflated tires have higher traction because they have more surface area to contact the road. A better grip will ensure an even drive without tire hopping.

The tire inflation cost is nominal, but it may vary according to the place you go for the service. If you have a pressure gauge and compressor, you can inflate tires in a few minutes. Always make sure that all four tires are equally inflated; otherwise, the tire hop will persist.

• Upgrade the Tires for Ideal Traction

If you have come this far looking for an answer to “How to stop wheel hop RWD?” you should consider improving your car’s traction. There are two approaches to fixing reduced traction, i.e., upgrading to tires with better tread and using traction-enhancing tools.

If you are not familiar with the ideal tread for your car, you should consult a mechanic and buy new tires. You can also use traction-improving devices present in modern cars. These devices improve the contact between the tires and the road.

There are different types of devices; some are mechanical, while others are electronic. For example, the limited-slip differential sits in the drivetrain and efficiently distributes power. When one of the wheels loses road grip, it sends more power to the other wheel to create a balance.

The electronic devices detect a fast-spinning wheel losing traction and reduce its power supply. It can also apply brakes to the wheel with reduced traction to balance the power.

• Modify or Replace the Damaged Suspension Parts

If the wheels on your car hop because of damaged suspension, you should modify or replace the problematic parts. Now you must be thinking about how to fix wheel hop due to faulty suspension. You should start by locating the problem. The suspension works with the cooperation of many units, so damage to any of these parts can cause problems.

You should check the struts, bushings, toe links, shocks, and other components. If you lack expertise, hiring a professional will help with the diagnosis and replacement of parts. The total repair cost depends on the specific suspension unit that needs replacement and labor costs.

Conclusion

Now that you’ve got the answer to “What is wheel hop?” along with the causes and repair methods, you can move ahead to ease your car’s tires and ensure a smooth drive. The following key points will help you diagnose

the culprit behind bouncing wheels and help you fix them:

• The main cause of wheel bounce is weight imbalance due to sudden braking or acceleration.
• Cars with defective suspension parts or tires display wheels bouncing while driving.
• You can fix it by maintaining tire pressure, upgrading to good traction tires, or repairing the suspension.

So, without wasting another moment, repair the tire hop to enjoy a smooth drive.