Difference between static friction and kinetic friction I don't understand the difference between static friction and kinetic friction.
I understand that the force of frictional force acting on a stationary object is the static frictional force and we use the coefficient of static friction to determine the minimum force needed to start the object moving, but once the object is moving, the frictional force can be static and kinetic and I don't understand how to differentiate between the two cases.
For example:
When car accelerates gently to a higher speed, the frictional force acting on it is static friction, why ? Why not kinetic ?
If a car "floors it" and peels out of a stop light, the friction is kinetic, why ?
A car takes a turn gently. Static. Again, how and why ?
 A: It doesn't matter whether the object itself is moving; what matters is whether the two surfaces involved are sliding past each other. If they are sliding past each other, the friction is kinetic; in contrast, if they are not, then the friction is static.
When a wheel rolls without slipping/skidding, the part of the wheel that touches the ground does not slide along the ground, and so the friction involved is static. In contrast, when a wheel slips/skids, the part of the wheel that touches the ground slides along the ground, and so kinetic friction is involved.
Applying the above, when a car accelerates gently, the wheels do not skid, so static friction is involved. When a car "floors it" and the wheels skid, kinetic friction is involved. When a car turns gently, without skidding/drifting, static friction is involved. When a car turns quickly enough to skid/drift, kinetic friction is involved.
A: Static friction tries to prevent relative motion between two surfaces when the surfaces that are not moving relative to one another, whereas kinetic friction tries to reduce the relative motion between two surfaces.  
If at the point of contact there is no relative movement between the tire and the road then the frictional forces involved are static whereas if there is relative movement between the tyre and the road, due to slipping/sliding/skidding, the frictional forces involved are kinetic/dynamic.
A: Probably someone has already explained but I would like to add few points:-

Static friction opposes impending motion while
  Kinetic friction opposes relative motion.

