What To Do If Your Car Hydroplanes

What to do if your Car Hydroplanes What is hydroplaning? (It sounds like a new extreme sport.) When you are driving in wet conditions your tires must displace whatever water is present beneath them before they can grip the road surface. This is why passenger vehicle tires have a tread instead of a smooth rubber design. As they rotate, any moisture present gets pressed into the grooves between the rubber patches so those rubber patches can contact the tarmac. If however, a vehicle is driven too quickly on a wet surface the water cannot be moved out of the way fast enough and the rubber patches of the tire will not be able to contact the underlying surface. Your vehicle will actually be supported by the water and not be in contact with the road! This condition is called hydroplaning. Why is hydroplaning a problem? When a tire grips the road surface it keeps the car under control using friction. This is why the car proceeds in the direction the tire is rotating. As soon as contact with the road surface is lost, so is the friction used to control the vehicle. At that point, it’s like driving on ice. Your car may move in any direction without regard to wheel rotation, thus making it difficult or even impossible to maneuver your vehicle. An attentive driver can feel the point at which the vehicle begins to hydroplane. It will move from side to side without any input from the steering wheel. Also, the vehicle will respond sluggishly or not at all to small steering corrections to keep it headed down the middle of the lane. When you feel your vehicle start to hydroplane, the same techniques apply as if you had encountered a patch of ice. The main rule being: Do not make any sudden changes in speed or direction. Immediate loss of control will be the result if you do. Don’t panic. Your vehicle should continue in the direction it is moving even though it has temporarily lost its grip with the road. The reason you are hydroplaning is because you are over driving your vehicles capabilities for the present conditions. To regain control, slowly reduce the pressure on the accelerator. Do not remove your foot from it completely. This will cause the driven wheels on the vehicle to slow down too quickly and make maintaining control difficult. Reduce the pressure just enough for the vehicle to slowly decelerate. As you slow down, your tires will regain their grip on the road and your car will once again be under your guidance. The above technique assumes you are on a straight road and have enough time and distance to regain control. If you have to negotiate a curve or stop for an intersection you may have to make some very fast decisions, but the main theme remains the same. Decelerate slowly. If you must change direction make very small corrections with the steering wheel as you decelerate. If you noticed your vehicle hydroplaning as soon as it began to, you should only have to slow down a little before you regain control. As soon as you do regain control, you can proceed normally through the rest of the curve or toward the intersection. If your vehicle starts to fish tale or skid, keep slowly decelerating while you point your front wheels in the direction you want to go. As soon as your tires regain contact with the road, your vehicle will move in the direction they are pointed. How can you keep from hydroplaning? You must know your vehicles capabilities. The lighter your vehicle, the wider your tires, the shallower the tread (as in worn tires ), the faster you drive and the more water on the road surface are several reasons that make hydroplaning easier. Once you understand at what speed your vehicle begins to hydroplane, you should remain below that speed in wet conditions. However, if you do go too fast, at least now you know what to do if your car hydroplanes. Category:Home › Autos • Will the trend toward economy-size car models lead Americans back to buying smaller-sized cars? — part 2 • You should never use after-market auto parts when maintaining or fixing your car • Should a new car be rust-proofed? • Will the trend toward economy-size car models lead Americans back to buying smaller-sized cars? — part 1 • Five safest cars in North America • How to ensure your teen drives safely after getting a license • Pros and cons of using an hydrogen generator for your car • DIY automotive maintenance: How to change the oil