I was on my way home today going around 40-50 up a hill and all of a sudden i feel the car loose total control for a slight moment, almost hitting the center divider before i gained traction again.

Anyways, i was wondering why this happened. I was in a really wide turn and i didnt suddenly acc or break....I know our cars suck in rain but does this happen regularly? I've only driven a few times in rain.

In situations like these, what is the best thing to do? Today i just let off the gas slightly and turned the steering wheel to the way i wanted to go, is that right? man it would of sucked to ended the year with a accident...whew...

THANX

by the way, happy new year!

 

yea ive read your supposed to take your foot of the gas and not press the gas. then just countersteer and try to regain control. glad to hear you didn't lose it. Happy new year to you too!

 

If your tires are in good shape and you're not pushing the car, this shouldn't normally be a problem. I've found, so far, that my '04 model does pretty good in the rain although I am a "lot" more conservative with it than I would be in my other vehicle, an '01 Odyssey.

From the number of posts I've read on S2ki.com concerning this issue, I sometimes wonder if there wasn't some other factor involved that the driver was unable to discern. Sometimes the driver is simply being an idiot but it's also possible that there was something else on the road, spilled oil for example or even a freshly repainted stripe on the road, that would contribute to your loss of traction.

At any rate, I'd say that you've now got a new limit set for that particular situation. Take it a touch more conservatively from now on and you should be fine.

I'm glad everything worked out Ok though!

Drive Safe,
Steve R.

 

what condition are your tires in?

was it raining pretty hard?

 

I've only had this problem when my rears were approaching end-of-life. But then, look out! Over 40 in the rain was a no-no. New rear tires fixed this right up.

Now, I'm experiencing similar behavior with my snow tires, but on icy snow. Hoping to get through this winter season, though, without shelling out for new tires.

 

Light car + rain + worn tires + turns + speed over 50 mph = unpredictable traction and high risk of hydroplaning.

Check your tread depth (all the way across the front tires) the insides wear faster. Most people look at the outside of the front tires and think they have adequate tread. However, in most situations the rear tires are more important. If the front tires hydroplane the car will push but basically keep going in the same direction, if the back tires hydroplane the car will start to spin.

Slow down and make sure your tires are not worn past the wear indicator bars.