Aquaplaning

S

strugglinauthor

Member
Headed to London on Saturday and on the M40 something happened that I've only experienced once before: aquaplaning. :cry: Luckily I was only doing about 60 as the rain was torrential but for 3 or 4 seconds I was completely out of control. I was too busy trying not to have a motorway pile-up to be scared; the pounding heart came afterwards.

We were in the wife's car and I checked the tyres at the nearest services. The fronts were getting low, but still well within legal limits. Still, a timely reminder and a new set of fronts will be going on next week.
 
strugglinauthor said:
Headed to London on Saturday and on the M40 something happened that I've only experienced once before: aquaplaning. :cry: Luckily I was only doing about 60 as the rain was torrential but for 3 or 4 seconds I was completely out of control. I was too busy trying not to have a motorway pile-up to be scared; the pounding heart came afterwards.

We were in the wife's car and I checked the tyres at the nearest services. The fronts were getting low, but still well within legal limits. Still, a timely reminder and a new set of fronts will be going on next week.
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This problem goes away with the majority of winter tyres & one of the reason,s i have no issue running them year round . Can be a real shocker hitting standing water at speed & feeling the car jump sideway,s :o
Vred wintrac my favourite all year tyre or Pirelli Sottozero,s :thumbsup:
 
strugglinauthor said:
Thanks Mr Wilks, I'll give 'em a look. I know it's a rare(ish) event but I don't want a repeat of that!
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They also offer better braking in the wet & grip in the bends & after running various winter tyres on a mix of cars through all season,s have never noticed excessive wear rate .
The reality of life in the uk (certainly for me in Lancs) r :oops: is we have maybe 6/8 weeks of potential summer with the rest of the year potential rain :cry:
 
Glad all are fine. :thumbsup:

Had a guy overtake me in heavy rain, on the M74. Had to pull over and help him out of his wrecked car a mile later. He was fine. I got wet. :roll:

Modern cars have a habit of making us feel a little too safe, in certain conditions. Always remember you can't beat the laws of Physics. No matter how deep your tread is. If there’s deep enough standing water and your going to fast, you will aquaplane, simples. :wink:
 
buzyg said:
Glad all are fine. :thumbsup:

Had a guy overtake me in heavy rain, on the M74. Had to pull over and help him out of his wrecked car a mile later. He was fine. I got wet. :roll:

Modern cars have a habit of making us feel a little too safe, in certain conditions. Always remember you can't beat the laws of Physics. No matter how deep your tread is. If there’s deep enough standing water and your going to fast, you will aquaplane, simples. :wink:
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Agreed.
 
buzyg said:
Glad all are fine. :thumbsup:

Had a guy overtake me in heavy rain, on the M74. Had to pull over and help him out of his wrecked car a mile later. He was fine. I got wet. :roll:

Modern cars have a habit of making us feel a little too safe, in certain conditions. Always remember you can't beat the laws of Physics. No matter how deep your tread is. If there’s deep enough standing water and your going to fast, you will aquaplane, simples. :wink:
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^^^^^^^ this. Hit deep enough water, and brand new tyres will be no use :|
 
I guess what we're all talking about is percentages. It's true that no set of tyres can guarantee safety, but it's also true that a worn set means you are statistically less safe than with a new set. Whether that statistic is significant is the only question.

As it's only happened twice in my life then I'll happily keep playing the game of percentages - only this time I'll help my chances by replacing tyres when I feel they're getting low, whatever the law might dictate. :wink:
 
Aqua planing is pretty common really, on Sat i went out for a spin towards the Surrey Hills, had a rear-end-wobble once on the A3.

Of course you should try and avoid any large standing water at high speed, but some times this is not safe to do - so you should know how to handle it. As i understand it, keep a light hold on the wheel so you don't start drifting, but allowing a bit of movement will let the tyres follow their own path through the water (rather than forcing them to slip), and let off the throttle, so you're not accelerating. Wait til you're out the other end and then drive much more cautiously :D

I find the Z4 traction control allows enough slippage (at least in my M) to unnerve you, so be wary.
 
jimmybell said:
Aqua planing is pretty common really, on Sat i went out for a spin towards the Surrey Hills, had a rear-end-wobble once on the A3.

Of course you should try and avoid any large standing water at high speed, but some times this is not safe to do - so you should know how to handle it. As i understand it, keep a light hold on the wheel so you don't start drifting, but allowing a bit of movement will let the tyres follow their own path through the water (rather than forcing them to slip), and let off the throttle, so you're not accelerating. Wait til you're out the other end and then drive much more cautiously :D

I find the Z4 traction control allows enough slippage (at least in my M) to unnerve you, so be wary.
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DSC won't save you once you're aquaplanning...although it might help bring you back into line again once the tyres are in contact with Tarmac.
 
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