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No, this is not the latest fashionable disease, but a drag racing speciality!
During burn-out, the driver spins the wheels of one axle (with the brakes applied to the other axle). This is mainly used in drag races (acceleration races); as the tyres spin, they heat up, which ensures better grip on the track. Burn-outs are also often used as a show act at car meetings, stunt shows and races.
Burn-out is not banned on public roads in Germany, only the noise and odour often associated with it. Not only does burn-out consume a lot of fuel, but the entire drivetrain of a vehicle is subject to enormous stress: the tyres wear out very quickly and are usually unusable after a burn-out. Gearboxes and drive shafts as well as all torsionally stressed components (especially the flexible disc and clutch) are subject to considerable wear, and even the failure of individual or entire assemblies cannot be ruled out. During a burn-out, however, it is not only the drivetrain that is put to the test (similar to the stress of a bang start), but the engine must also withstand this stress (usually high speeds and the associated high temperatures without sufficient cooling).
In Switzerland, burn-outs can be reported under the offence of ‘failure to control the vehicle’.
Standing Burn-out
With standing burn-out, the drive wheel or drive wheels spin when stationary (standing burn-out).
Rolling Burn-out
If the rear wheel or wheels spin while driving, this is referred to as rolling burn-out (wheelspin). The spinning and therefore freely controllable rear wheels allow you to draw lines or circles (donuts) on the tarmac using the rubber abrasion.
Quelle: Wikipedia