November 19, 2003
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Hydroplaning
It was actually beautiful this morning setting out in the pouring rain and the dark to work. Thankfully, I heard some instructions about possible hydroplaning on the weather news before I left the house because I ran into a couple of deep pools of water. I love this time of year when the street lights are shining on the yellow and red leaves that have fallen from the autumn trees and everything is glistening. Here’s some info about hydroplaning. Stay safe.
Hydroplaning is the result of your tires moving FAST across a wet surface – so fast that they do not have sufficient time to channel that moisture away from the center of the tire. The result is that the tire is lifted by the water away from the road and all traction is thus lost.
Of course the word ‘fast’ is a relative term. Tread design, tread depth, weight of motorcycle, tire pressure, depth of water and even the consistency of that water – (whether it is highly aerated or not, for example) – all play a part in determining at what speed the tire will begin to hydroplane. It is a pretty safe bet to assume that any speed in excess of 60 MPH is fast enough to support hydroplaning regardless of the other variables. This is not to say that at 55 MPH you are safe, however.
In any event, there are two absolutely essential NO-NO’s to remember should you experience the beginning of hydroplaning:
Do NOT apply your brakes
Do NOT try to steer in any direction but straight ahead
Though I am not formally trained in the matter I would suggest that the only thing you can possibly do to help the situation is to feather your clutch to moderate your speed without the possibility of drive train ‘snap’ that would result from an abrupt change of the accelerator.
Hope there is an idea in there that you can work with. Frankly, I think if you start to hydroplane the odds are that you are going to go down unless you keep the front wheel pointed absolutely dead ahead and it is of the briefest of durations.
Deep Thought:Anybody who has an identity problem had better wise up and get with the program!
Today I am grateful for: British Bush Protestors.
Comments (3)
I love rain, but I really dislike driving in it – especially at night. My night vision is lousy to begin with, but when everything’s wet, all the lights turn into stars and reflections are horrendous.
I’m with LetMeGoToo. My night vision isn’t bad, but I hate driving in the rain at night, especially on roads with which I’m not familiar. The paint on the roads around here is bad enough to begin with.
Thank you for the good advice!
I will add to that advice,… never use cruise control in that kind of wet weather. Thanks for the tips!