  We discuss the influence of tidal spin-orbit interactions on the orbital
dynamics of close intermediate-mass X-ray binaries. In particular we consider
here a process in which spin angular momentum of a contracting RLO donor star,
in a synchronous orbit, is converted into orbital angular momentum and thus
helps to stabilize the mass transfer by widening the orbit. Binaries which
would otherwise suffer from dynamically unstable mass transfer (leading to the
formation of a common envelope and spiral-in evolution) are thus shown to
survive a phase of extreme mass transfer on a sub-thermal timescale.
Furthermore, we discuss the orbital evolution prior to RLO in X-ray binaries
with low-mass donors, caused by the competing effects of wind mass loss and
tidal effects due to expansion of the (sub)giant.
