Near Death Experience in the Z, everyone please be careful
08-14-2005, 04:03 PM
#41
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Glad your ok Ryan.
I know how powerless it feels to hydroplane. I was driving a mini-van coming back from a trip a few years ago, we were coming out of Nashville,TN. It just started pouring rain and I-40 was in bad shape from semi-truck traffic that had compressed the road making grooves in the lanes that held water like ditches.
Anyway it's pouring, semi-trucks all around me throwing water on the windsheild. It was as if someone was hitting my windshield with a firehose. I can't see sh** and can't pull over due to bumper to bumper traffic(mostly semi's). We basically were in a perpetual hydroplane for several miles. The only thing keeping me going in the right direction was the deep grooves in the road. I was basically floating from one edge of the groove, the tires would bump the edge then it'd float across to the other side of the groove.
I did so much "floating" that day I should have got a boat captain's license.
The kicker is...we were only going about 30-40mph. You don't have to be going fast to hydro.
That was probably the single most helpless situation I've ever experienced.
I know how powerless it feels to hydroplane. I was driving a mini-van coming back from a trip a few years ago, we were coming out of Nashville,TN. It just started pouring rain and I-40 was in bad shape from semi-truck traffic that had compressed the road making grooves in the lanes that held water like ditches.
Anyway it's pouring, semi-trucks all around me throwing water on the windsheild. It was as if someone was hitting my windshield with a firehose. I can't see sh** and can't pull over due to bumper to bumper traffic(mostly semi's). We basically were in a perpetual hydroplane for several miles. The only thing keeping me going in the right direction was the deep grooves in the road. I was basically floating from one edge of the groove, the tires would bump the edge then it'd float across to the other side of the groove.
I did so much "floating" that day I should have got a boat captain's license.
The kicker is...we were only going about 30-40mph. You don't have to be going fast to hydro.
That was probably the single most helpless situation I've ever experienced.
08-14-2005, 04:32 PM
#42
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Tires, tires, tires...... Since going to the Toyo T1-S tires I have had absolutely no problems hydroplaning in the rain since they do a great job clearing themselves of the water and keeping contact with the road. Of course, too deep of water and troubles are almost a given with any tire that is fairly wide.
08-15-2005, 11:48 AM
#46
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FYI: Hydroplaning can happen with any car.
Hydroplaning is basically when the surface area of your tire(s) no longer touches the surface of the road due to the intervening of water.
Most people probably know that water cannot really be compressed, like air, for example. This means that a very thin layer of water can cause huge vehicles to lose control. The reason that they lose control, is because the tires cannot funnel the amount of water out of the standing pool, that the tires need to remain stable.
For example, a racing slick would need very little standing water in order to casuse a tire to lose contact with the road because there is nowhere for the water to go when the middle of the tire comes in contact with it.
However, if you look at most "rain" tires, they have huge troughs for water to be pushed out the sides or the middle.
Speed is a factor because there is a finite amount of water that can be pumped out when your tire make contact with it, if the speed is too great, then you will have less time to pump out water and will not be able to pump enough out before losing contact with the road.
Bottom line is that your treads are what pumps the water out of your way, the smaller the tread, the less ability (therefor stability ) you will have to stay on the road in wet weather.
Hydroplaning is basically when the surface area of your tire(s) no longer touches the surface of the road due to the intervening of water.
Most people probably know that water cannot really be compressed, like air, for example. This means that a very thin layer of water can cause huge vehicles to lose control. The reason that they lose control, is because the tires cannot funnel the amount of water out of the standing pool, that the tires need to remain stable.
For example, a racing slick would need very little standing water in order to casuse a tire to lose contact with the road because there is nowhere for the water to go when the middle of the tire comes in contact with it.
However, if you look at most "rain" tires, they have huge troughs for water to be pushed out the sides or the middle.
Speed is a factor because there is a finite amount of water that can be pumped out when your tire make contact with it, if the speed is too great, then you will have less time to pump out water and will not be able to pump enough out before losing contact with the road.
Bottom line is that your treads are what pumps the water out of your way, the smaller the tread, the less ability (therefor stability ) you will have to stay on the road in wet weather.
08-15-2005, 11:58 AM
#47
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I've never lost it, but I've always felt skiddish in the Z in the rain. No wild hydroplaning experience, but does anyone else just feel like the car's not planted when it'd wet?
-Adam (believes RE040s have a lot to do with shitty wet performance)
-Adam (believes RE040s have a lot to do with shitty wet performance)
08-15-2005, 12:25 PM
#48
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Originally Posted by jcandas
FYI: Hydroplaning can happen with any car.
Hydroplaning is basically when the surface area of your tire(s) no longer touches the surface of the road due to the intervening of water.
Most people probably know that water cannot really be compressed, like air, for example. This means that a very thin layer of water can cause huge vehicles to lose control. The reason that they lose control, is because the tires cannot funnel the amount of water out of the standing pool, that the tires need to remain stable.
For example, a racing slick would need very little standing water in order to casuse a tire to lose contact with the road because there is nowhere for the water to go when the middle of the tire comes in contact with it.
However, if you look at most "rain" tires, they have huge troughs for water to be pushed out the sides or the middle.
Speed is a factor because there is a finite amount of water that can be pumped out when your tire make contact with it, if the speed is too great, then you will have less time to pump out water and will not be able to pump enough out before losing contact with the road.
Bottom line is that your treads are what pumps the water out of your way, the smaller the tread, the less ability (therefor stability ) you will have to stay on the road in wet weather.
Hydroplaning is basically when the surface area of your tire(s) no longer touches the surface of the road due to the intervening of water.
Most people probably know that water cannot really be compressed, like air, for example. This means that a very thin layer of water can cause huge vehicles to lose control. The reason that they lose control, is because the tires cannot funnel the amount of water out of the standing pool, that the tires need to remain stable.
For example, a racing slick would need very little standing water in order to casuse a tire to lose contact with the road because there is nowhere for the water to go when the middle of the tire comes in contact with it.
However, if you look at most "rain" tires, they have huge troughs for water to be pushed out the sides or the middle.
Speed is a factor because there is a finite amount of water that can be pumped out when your tire make contact with it, if the speed is too great, then you will have less time to pump out water and will not be able to pump enough out before losing contact with the road.
Bottom line is that your treads are what pumps the water out of your way, the smaller the tread, the less ability (therefor stability ) you will have to stay on the road in wet weather.
08-15-2005, 12:56 PM
#50
oh man i hate driving in the rain. I use to literally fear for my life when I use to drive my civic in the rain. I had tires that were not water friendly at all, and no power steering! Every time I drove over a water puddle the tire would get sucked into it and veer my steering off. Without power steering I had to always keep both hands on the steering wheel so I could control it when it jerks to the side
08-15-2005, 03:32 PM
#51
New Member
The best tires I ave ever used in the rain were the old Dunlop D60 A2s that I had on my old '85 GTI. I used to drive on highway 17 (Those in CA know what road i am talkin about) at 65-70mph without ever losing control in the rain.
That siad, I have no idea how these tires will hold up, but the car itself got excellent wet weather handling ratings.
That siad, I have no idea how these tires will hold up, but the car itself got excellent wet weather handling ratings.
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