My First Hydroplaned This Afternoon
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From: California
Originally Posted by 21337R,Feb 6 2009, 11:37 PM
FYI... not trying to be a Mr. smarty pants but that was not hydroplaning. Hydroplaning is when you are moving fast enough to actually ride on top of the water. It is quite the experience! Happened in my CRX a few times when hitting few inch deep puddles that had collected under an over pass while doing about 80 mph IIRC. You lose ALL steering control until the tire reconnects with the road.
You simply lost traction, I highly recommend that you go find an empty parking lot both wet and dry and find out exactly where the limits are and practice correcting them. Tapping the brakes or even lifting the throttle during a slide will upset the balance and cause the fish tailing that you described. Best thing to do is keep the gas steady and point the front wheels where you want to go. You should also find out how long it takes to stop in both wet and dry under FULL braking. You might feel like you are abusing your car but it might save your life someday.
I wish it was mandatory for everyone on the roads to take a driving class (in their own vehicle) to know their cars limits, it would make the world a much safer place.
You simply lost traction, I highly recommend that you go find an empty parking lot both wet and dry and find out exactly where the limits are and practice correcting them. Tapping the brakes or even lifting the throttle during a slide will upset the balance and cause the fish tailing that you described. Best thing to do is keep the gas steady and point the front wheels where you want to go. You should also find out how long it takes to stop in both wet and dry under FULL braking. You might feel like you are abusing your car but it might save your life someday.
I wish it was mandatory for everyone on the roads to take a driving class (in their own vehicle) to know their cars limits, it would make the world a much safer place.
i have to look into this more...it doesn't rain a lot in the Bay, but when it does i have to watch it, or change my tires...im glad that i escaped it...but i know now if i don't do something about it, it'll happen again.
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Yeah, i think you just overpowered/jerked the car a little too much. It is scary indeed. I noticed with the ZT (zexel-torsen) differentials if you let off totally - meaning clutch in, feet off gas, it tries to straighten itself as long as you dont give it too much steering input. Glad you got that sucker back under control. I had one time on my old car where I swear to god I had 5 counters-steers. Finally came straight at the end. What sot of tires do you have? In the rain, I have felt none better than Eagle F1-GSD3's.
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Originally Posted by apxking,Feb 7 2009, 12:06 AM
thanks for good infos...
i have to look into this more...it doesn't rain a lot in the Bay, but when it does i have to watch it, or change my tires...im glad that i escaped it...but i know now if i don't do something about it, it'll happen again.
i have to look into this more...it doesn't rain a lot in the Bay, but when it does i have to watch it, or change my tires...im glad that i escaped it...but i know now if i don't do something about it, it'll happen again.
Maybe too heavy on the throttle mid-corner without visually assessing the road conditions... then lifted off and over-corrected after the first oversteer... etc.
Try out autocross. They probably have novice schools around this time of year.
Post in your local forum, I think there are quite a few autocrossers there.
And is that a picture of your car? If you're lowered that much, make sure you have a proper alignment and that the rear inside of your tires have enough tread... if you're only looking at them from the wheel face and they have 60% tread, chances are they're bald on the contact patch.
(EDIT: I just noticed that's an AP1 with JDM wheels, so I know it's not your car)
General rule of thumb, keep the rpms low in the cold and the wet. And watch the VTEC spike, it can break traction.
I'm going to an S2000 meet later today and it looks like there is a fair chance it might rain. My rear tires are starting to get bald so I'm afraid of this happening. Hopefully it doesn't (*knock on wood*)
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From: MA
Check with your local BMW CCA chapter. Around here they have what they call Advanced Skills Driving Schools (or something along those lines). Unlike the High Performance Driving Events which are on the track and require safety equipment, these teach car control using skid pads (wet included) slalom, etc. You do not need a helmet, hardtop or anything. These would be a great place to learn the limits of the car in a safe environment.
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From: Dry Branch
Originally Posted by CKit,Feb 7 2009, 04:18 PM
AutoX helped me pay attention to road conditions (gravel, cracks, off-camber turns, puddles). I feel it really helps my Winter driving.
LOL, we end up learning new types of excuses for being the slowest car on the course.
It's a fact, and one CKit can confirm - The skills you learn in autocrossing make you a better/safer driver on the street.