Why do car wheels look like they're turning the opposite way in which they're turning?
338364
Wagon wheel effect read about it at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reverse_rotation_effect
145871
The design of an automobile suspension system includes the actions of tires and suspension springs and roll bars which are often optimized to reduce (but not eliminate) the forces that roll a car outward in the opposite direction of a turn.  See the link.\n\nPerhaps it is easier to "see" the effects of turning if you exaggerate them.  The center of mass (or center of gravity) must be above the pavement and it wishes to continue in a straight line ahead as the tires initiate a turn say to the right.  This makes the center of mass lean left.  Imagine that the the car was say 100 feet tall with its center of mass 50 ft above the ground but with the tires only five feet apart.  It would have to lean away from the turn, right?\n\nThis is unlike a bicycle which has only two wheels and where the rider leans into the turn to avoid falling off.  It is also unlike a speedboat where rudder action allows the boat to lean into a turn.  However a navy Destroyer leans away from the turn in a sharp maneuver because the rudder can not overcome the fact that the center of gravity is below the center of buoyancy to avoid capsizing.
1065923
each frame (24ish per second) captures the position of the wheel at a specific point in its rotation. alter the speed of the wheel and you alter the capture position of the wheel. the perception on film is of the wheel spinning backwards because the position of the wheel as each frame is captured is at a point just before a complete rotation.\n\nalso strobe lighting effects and spinning wheels can have the same percieved effect
18257
you were correct.  It appears that the howstuffworks diagram showing the bicycle mentioned in another answer is in error in that the bicycle would be upside down as shown but the tires and handlebars should not be reversed the way shown.  For example if you are looking at a nearby shrub and a distant tree, both would be upsidedown on your retina.  But the order of objects would be tree, shrub, focal point of eye, shrub image then tree image.\n\nAn experiment was conducted where people wore special glasses that inverted objects as the eye does.  After a while they learned to see correctly again and when they took the glasses off everything was inverted until they re-learned to see correctly once again.
596902
Drifting or going sideways is a lot slower. If you notice the new generation WRC drivers like Seb Loeb using a more "racing-like" style through the corners. Its a much smoother style and much gentler on the tyres.
863293
In the opposite direction of the applied force or motion
955164
The simplest explanation I know is in terms of the instant center.  We all think of a wheel as rotating about its axis.  That is true, relative to the tricycle frame.  However, relative to the ground, the axle moves forward.  The point where the tire touches the ground is stationary.  It does not move with respect to the ground.  An instant later, another part of the tire is touching the ground and again, for an instant, that point on the tire is stationary.  \n\nOn any rotating body, the spot that does not move (it may rotatebut not translate) is the center.  At any instant, the part of the tire touching the ground is not moving and is, by definition, the instant center.  The wheel is rotating about this instant center.  SInce the pedal is above the instant center, your forward horizontal force rotates the wheel forward.\n\nYou can prove this all to yourself by trying a few things with the string on the pedal.  Instead of pulling horizontally, raise the angle of the string.  When the line of action of the string passes through the contact point between the tire and the road, you will find that pulling on the string will not rotate the wheel.  If you pull hard enough the trike will move but the front wheel just skids.  Since the line of action of the applied force is passing through the center of rotation, there is no torque to spin the wheel.\n\nRaise the string higher and the trike will roll backwards because the force is acting on the other side of the center creating a torque in the opposite direction causing the wheel to turn the other way.   \n\nIf you don't have a trike handy, you can do this with a spool and a string.  Just wrap the string sround the spool with the end coming off the bottom of the spool.
623548
This happens with fan blades and rims on car tires.\n\nYour eye can only process information so quickly.\nWhen this happens the wheel is turning faster than your eye and brain can process.  So you expect the single point on the wheel to advance to a certain space but it moved so far the next momment your brain can process the information it looks like it is behind where you last saw it.  Therefor it looks like it moved backwards.  This is easier to explain with pictures.  I hope this helps.
992106
It is opposite the direction the bicycle is moving
1173836
If you have one point on the wheel negatively charged, and move a positively charged magnet around it, it would move. \nOr, if you want something less manual, you can motorize one wheel w/ alternationg positive and negative charges around the edges, and then have another identical wheel on an axle right next to it, so as the first wheel turned, the second one would have to turn so that the opposite charges would line up.\nI'm not sure if the second one would work, but i tried. Good luck! =D
932837
forces are opposite and equal, otherwise you would change speed/direction.
162253
When you turn a sharp corner in your car (say going around and round a circle) the rear wheels must travel "different" distances.  The inner wheel is on a smaller circle than the outer wheel.  If both wheels were connected to a fixed axle and were locked to rotate together, one or both wheels would have to slip on the pavement to make up for the different lengths in their paths.  This would increase tire wear and affect handling and braking.\n\nThe differential gear system allows the two wheels to move at different rotary speeds while both still receive power from the engine through the drive shaft.  See the link for details and a good illustration.  BTW, this is not a problem for the front wheels which are used for steering because they rotate independently and are not driven by a fixed axle and drive shaft (except in front-wheel drive!).
641452
opposite force being applied
440213
That is because the fly IS moving at the speed at which the vehicle is moving. By the way, it DOES NOT hover at the same place. Suppose the fly is a little fast than the car , then it appears to the fly that the wind-shield is moving towards it and it then adjusts it's speed to remain in the same place( if it chooses to). In the same way in all other cases, it modifies it's speed.\n Someone above pointed to inertia. Remember inertia only acts if the fly or any other object is in contact with the moving object. Otherwise it does'nt come into picture.
1064813
every one is wrong except one guy it cuz of centriptal force if u want to get in detail here it is   consider earth rotating along its axis gravity is acting along centre any force acting  opposite to it will reduse its effect   take a body on equator as earth is rotating body will have a force acting opposite to tat of gravity it is same as on feel in car when it is taking turn out side right  but when body is at pole it wont have tat force cuz pole is on the axis imagine whole situation  magnetic force wont have ny effect
1135452
Both tires*turn the same, if yours dont, then your four wheeler is f'ed up
317749
Yeah, it well happens in real life, not just on TV.\nIt is due to the persistence of vision, and it is temporary because it depends on the relative speed of the wheel or the fan or the tyre, whatever you are talking about.