whoaaaa i didn't touch my profile in a loooong time. profile snooper just kidding

miles were the same as the car. little over 30k and it's on 05' and i'm sure the tcs was on because i don't remember touching it. ever.

 

sucks right now I only drive with one hand (broken wrist) wearing a cast! but i do have brand new tires! $400 a piece =) and it's raining pretty bad outside. I shift with the my cast haha

 

Sorry about the fender bender... Is the suspension messed up too?

 

+1000

Seriously, can we have a new thread explaining Z drivers how to drive the Z cautiously when there is water on the road? And what tires are best suited for such circumstances?

I know it all comes down to speed and sensibility - but off late I've been reading posts where ppl say they experienced hydroplaning even on low speeds. So was wondering if the experienced Z drivers had anything to say about this - if at all.

((Wanted to start a post, but was afraid of being flagged down with comments like - 'use the search', 'use ur common sense' etc!!))

 

Never hydroplaned in the Z, only owned it for six months though. (but i live in seattle and its my DD)

I wonder if the new wheel/tire package on the 06's are better in the rain? Honestly the Z aint bad in the wet.

*knocks on wood*

 

ive got the stock tires on my 06...maybe I need to switch any suggestions on a good all weather tire?

 

I'm putting a set of Goodyears Eagle F1 GS-D3's on my Z next week (with new Nismos!!). Very highly rated for wet traction. $1160 out the door, tax, mounted, etc from America's Tire Co. out here in Murrieta. VERY good deal on these tires.

 

The make/model of a tire does not tell the whole story. Need to know how much tread depth there is, suspension mods, last time an alignment was done. What was the driver's reaction when they started to hydroplane? Did they let up on the gas? Did they try to brake?

A bad alignment can drastically exacerbate hydroplaning. In my 97 M3, Even thought he car might track straight, if the alignment was off, I had to drive like 45 MPH in rainy weather. Reason is that all 4 tires don't hydroplane at the same time. It could be just one or two or three tires. The difference in the direction one wheel might travel from the rest will manifest itself when one tire hydroplanes and the others maintain traction. The car changes direction slightly. When the tire stops hydroplaning and regains traction, the rear direction changes again back to "normal". If this happens in rapid succession, It can literally throw the front or back end to one side or the other. If the car is properly aligned, and one or more tires hydroplanes, it'll continue to track straight. Note that alignment might be "right", but in a lowered car with a lot of negative camber in the rear, the two rear tires want to steer into eachother just because they are tilted in. If one of the rear tires looses traction due to hydroplaning, the back-end will drift towards the tire that lost traction. Once the hydroplaning tire regains traction, the car will snap back to its original trajectory.

So... Make sure you have good tread depth and that the car is properly aligned. If you are lowered and have excessive negative camber, drive extra slowly.

My 3 cents...

 

JESUS...Im suprised insurance isnt higher with the way you guys are crashing them.

Thank god I only pay 122/mo full coverage (Im 23)

 

I pay @ $88/mo for full coverage ins.... No accidents or tickets... Yet... Knocks on wood...

 

The stock bridgestones aren't bad in the wet...bridgestones in nature are really good in water bc of Uni-T technology that is incorporated into the treat compound. Even my blizzak LM-22 are pretty good in wet. If your rear tires were bald though, which man Z cars are, there's a good chance that caused your hydroplaning. Maybe I feel like I drive better in the wet bc we do wet testing on our track in our test cars here along with dry.

 

I had the Bridgestone Protenza RE-01 R tires on my last Z. They were the best tires I've ever owned. Extremely predictable and beefy. It took over a week for them to come in. I might have payed too much though - $1,730 for four at Tires Plus. Included mounting balancing etc...

 

What is in the water lately? Mine has personally never seen heavy rain but damn another Z that has hydroplaned! I am getting nervous to even check the board any more.

 

Is that 30,000 miles on the OEM tires?

 

I used to think that too, until i lose traction 8 months after ownership on a wet on-ramp. I was not speeding either...back end came loose and next thing I know...new front bumper. Damage wasn't too bad, but I still had to replace it. Anyways...I've driven in rain before and after my accident. Before my accident, I drove normal, and by that I mean within the speedlimit and never had a worry. No crazy accelerations or anything like that. After the accident, I drive less than the speedlimit in rain and I always feel like I am hydroplaning. I can't explain it.

06 tires aren't any better. They are the same crap as the previous years. End of story. If you driver supercareful, then you should be fine with the stock ones, but like I said, sometimes you never know. I thought I was driving supercareful, but apparently not careful enough.

 

I drove a Summit Point, WV with OEM tires in the rain. The straightaway is good for 100mph plus. No problem.

Standing water can be frightening. Keep the front tires straight, and the car will go straight. Change lanes in standing water and you had better be at the top of your game.


A great place to practice is the skid pad.

What performance tires are safe at high speeds in the rain? Check Consumer Reports.

 

Seattle roads aren't that bad in the rain, because it rains all the time. The drainage is adequate and the oil buildup doesn't get that bad.

rain in socal.. people lose their minds.

 

I like Bridgestone RE960AS Pole Position and they are at resonable price from Tirerack.com

 

I know what my first mod is gonna be.

 

4.5 years, daily driven...snow and rain, never had a problem. snows of course in the winter but stock REo's for the rest of the year.