Other - Cars & Transportation. How Can You Tell If Your Car Is Hydroplaning?

Other Cars Transportation : How Can You Tell If Your Car Is Hydroplaning

Sometimes when I drive on wet roads (especially highways at speeds 70+), my steering wheel has episodes where it is a little harder to steer and it seems like something else has taken control of it. The steering wheel isnt out of my control, just a little more difficult to steer. This more often happens when the car in front of me is quite close and water splashes from their tires directly into my car. Is this hydroplaning? ~~~ duck3182 ~~~

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It does not sound like hydroplaning to me. Hydroplaning is when the car tires actually loose contact with the pavement and skim across the water much like a ski. The steering usually gets easier because there is little or no resistance but you loose all control, similar to being on ice. Normally cars in front of you tend to remove water on the roadway and minimize hydroplaning for you. Things that contribute to hydroplaning are - worn tires with little tread - torrential rains where the rain falls faster than it can drain off the roadway - ponding in the roadway - combination of the above

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Answer 1

It does not sound like hydroplaning to me. Hydroplaning is when the car tires actually loose contact with the pavement and skim across the water much like a ski. The steering usually gets easier because there is little or no resistance but you loose all control, similar to being on ice. Normally cars in front of you tend to remove water on the roadway and minimize hydroplaning for you. Things that contribute to hydroplaning are - worn tires with little tread - torrential rains where the rain falls faster than it can drain off the roadway - ponding in the roadway - combination of the above

Answer 2

Close to hydroplaning, but not quite. When your car is hydroplaning, there is a distinct "feel" (or lack thereof). Its unmistakable. You cant steer a hydroplaning car because the tires are floating on the water (not a lot of water between the tires and the road, granted, but enough), instead of the road. The only thing you can do is slow down by taking your foot off the gas (and hope theres nobody bearing down on you from behind). When you feel the road beneath your tires again, shift your vehicles position in the lane so your tires are on higher ground, or move into a less flooded lane.