At 09:23 8/05/2006, you wrote:
Just to throw another gram of info in.
A car will normally aquaplane when it is travelling at approximately
112 kph without cruise control on. There is nothing you can do
about it once it starts.
It happens often on the motorways in the UK.
Ann
There is an old formula relating aquaplaning speed in MPH to some
factor times Square root of (tyre pressure in PSI) - but I can't
remember the factor. I thought there was a 27 there somewhere -
perhaps SQRT of 27 x TP which roughly fits Ann's numbers. Water depth
must also exceed ability of tread to clear the water, so worn tyres
increase the risk. Anyone else remember the formula?
Worst-case scenario is aquaplaning on melted rubber from locked
wheels, which rapidly wears flats on the tyres. However if you lock
wheels the water also accumulates more than if the wheels are
turning, and the aquaplaning speed decreases dramatically - this is
the origin of the Dunlop "Maxaret" anti-skid device which is the
precursor of ABS brakes. Both work by releasing brake pressure if one
wheel stops rotating and the others keep on turning.
Wombat
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