I live in Western Oregon, and a tire guy told me that going to 14's (I have the
stock 13's on my car right now) might increase hydroplaning. Since I drive in
the rain all the time, that would be a problem for me. Was he right? I
hydroplane a bit now, if I'm accrlerating up a hill in pouring rain for
example.
Ed Miller
'89 DX
(* snip *)
The size of your wheels makes no difference.
"Hydroplaning" is the result of your tires moving fast across a wet surface (keeping in mind that "fast" is a relative term)... So fast that they do not have sufficient time to channel the water away from the center of the tire which then results in the tire being lifted by the water up and away from the road thus losing traction.
The following all play a part in determining at what speed the tire will begin to hydroplane:
- Tread design
- Tread depth
- Weight of your vehicle
- Tire pressure
- Depth of the water and even the consistency of that
water (whether it is highly aerated or not, for example)
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 too.
Having said all that... there has been debates and arguments as to the width of the tire. Some argue that a wider tire is best when it comes to water (because it offers a wider footprint) while others say that a thin and taller tire is best (because it's able to cut through the water).
Both, IHMO, have their valid points but it comes down to how well said tires can channel water away from the center of the tire. This is one reason why uni-directional tires tend to perform better in wet conditions.
CRX Owners Group President (http://www.crx.org/southcal)
1990 Honda CRXsi (http://www.hooligan.cc)
ICQ # 3714283 (nickname: godzilla)
Alpine Drive (San Diego County) - February 8, 2003
http://www.crx.org/southcal/events.html
