Aquaplaning

[affy141]

Hi people,

Was driving down the M60 around manchester, it had been raining quite heavily (now there's a surprise) so there was quite a lot of standing water especially where the road surface had large shallow dips. You know whats coming..the inevitable fly-through-massive-puddle-moment when the car feels light and as if it's sliding out of lane...a true sphincter tightening moment that i think is described as aquaplaning. It happened to me a few years ago on a country lane in my old civic and that resulted in the car flying across the opposite lane, miraculously missing a Focus estate, 2 trees and a fence. So thought it was high time i found out what the correct thing to do in this situation is...let off? Brake? Accelerate as if the puddle wasn't there? Left-foot brake? Handbrake it?!! Anyone know?!

[Fargo]

what ever you do, dont brake that will only make matters worse.. apart form that there aint a lot you can do, just coem off the accelorater and steer.

[affy141]

Do wider wheels/tyres make matters worse, i suppose there's greater surface area for the car to err.."float" over the water?? Hmmm i suppose i could always slow down...but the guy in the banged out H-reg renault 19 with its crappy 14" steel rims flew right thru it without skipping a beat..or so it seemed anyway. Are 13's on an IS200 the way forward?!

[Scorpion]

what ever you do, dont brake that will only make matters worse..  apart form that there aint a lot you can do, just coem off the accelorater and steer.

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Sound advise. :)

[jaylist]

Do wider wheels/tyres make matters worse, i suppose there's greater surface area for the car to err.."float" over the water??  Hmmm i suppose i could always slow down...but the guy in the banged out H-reg renault 19 with its crappy 14" steel rims flew right thru it without skipping a beat..or so it seemed anyway.  Are 13's on an IS200 the way forward?! 

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The best thing to do is to align yourself in the way that you want to go, if their is a camber in the road then usually in the middle is the least deep water. Then accelerate to a good speed (not too fast mind) and drivee straight through it.

If you drive to slowly and the water is deep you could stop and flood your engine etc. If you drive to quickly you could build up a large ow wave but that shouldn't affect you too much, but you can't stop remember so if something is coming the other wy you need to take that into account.

If your in a Ford mondeo then reverse out of their cause the air con ducts are low down and you'll have to replace your air con system in that case for about £1500.

I always try and drive through the really deep stuff at about 20 mph any slower and you could stop in the middle. Even if you gain no traction the inertia should carry you through safely to the other side. So if the water strectch is quite long driver fast enoguh to carry you through to the other side.

J

[Purvesh]

Less tyre tread will increase the chances of this occuring.

But like Paul said DON'T brake, just lift off and steer - it all happens so quickly anyway!!

[Fargo]

yes smaller wheels means less area to float with,,

[mudzs]

What causes aquaplaning?

aquaplaning can occur when a combination of speed, tyre wear, tyre inflation or the depth of water on the pavement causes the tyres to lose traction. Essentially, a layer of water creates a barrier between the road and your tyres. This barrier can cause you to lose traction and glide or aquaplane across the water's surface.

In wet weather, the tyres that have been properly maintained and are in good running condition can cut through the water and maintain contact with the pavement at speeds less than 50 km/h. In cases where the tyres are excessively worn (bald tyres) or underinflated, or the water is very deep, you may still aquaplane at slower speeds.

At higher speeds (70 km/h and higher), the wedge of water in front of the tyres may pass under the tyres and the tyres will ride on a cushion of water – resulting in a possible complete loss of traction.

Tire manufacturers are continually working to produce tyres that give you an edge in wet conditions. aquaEdge™, Michelin's latest ultra-premium (mass-market) tyre offers superior performance on dry or wet surfaces as well as exceptional aquaplaning resistance.

"The all-season tyre aquaEdge features dual center grooves that are not exposed to the sipes or other water execution mechanisms," explains Tony Mougios, Michelin Brand Manager for Canada. "This means that these tyres can evacuate water very quickly. Specially angled aquaChutes also reduce the water flow turbulence for excellent overall wet weather performance."

Along with purchasing tyres that offer aquaplaning resistance like aquaEdge, Michelin offers the following tips for preventing and/or dealing with aquaplaning.

To prevent aquaplaning:

* Check your tyres and tyre inflation regularly

* Reduce your speed even more when approaching still water and puddles

* Drive in the tracks of preceding vehicles

Should your vehicle aquaplane:

* Shift to neutral (on a standard transmission, depress the clutch)

* Activate the hazard lights

* Grip the steering wheel firmly and steer where you want to go

* Avoid braking or accelerating

* Check your rear view mirror

[eXOBeX]

Good post Mudzs, well written. ;)

[mudzs]

cant take the glory for the post as i copied it from somewere else ,plus the spellings far to good for me .

[d3fy]

<snip>

water on the pavement

I try no to drive on the pavement, well not much. :P

[mudzs]

i like the Activate the hazard lights bit .like you would be that bothered about your hazards when losing control doing 70mph .i'd be to busy screaming .