That's what I was going to say -- there are parts of the world that get dumping rainfalls where NO crown on the road will drain the water off quickly enough.
Ricky On Wed, 29 Jan 2003, Henry Bonath wrote: > I also find it very effective to "follow" the person in front of you's Tracks.... > This works very well in those terrential downpours that we get in South Florida! > > -H > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Eddie John Cruz Jr. > To: Robert K. Kuhn ; [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Cc: The Rex list ; where the hooligan's are! > Sent: Wednesday, January 29, 2003 3:35 PM > Subject: RE: CRX: SV: New wheels! > > > I totally agree but driving habits also play a big part of hydroplaning problems. >Highways are built to channel water off of the driving surface. If you drive too >close to the curb or near a center median, you will probably hydroplane there because >there is more water on the surface there. Intersections also are problem areas when >it comes to a large amount of water that may puddle in a specific area. So being >alert to areas where water gathers may be a way to avoid hydroplaning. All modern >roadways and streets are crowned and sloped so that the driving surface retains >little to no water.Due to the design of modern day tires and you drive where the >engineers intended for you to drive, you should not experience any hydroplaning >problems. > > Ed Cruz > 86 CRX Si > Guam USA > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of >Robert K. Kuhn > Sent: Thursday, January 30, 2003 2:01 AM > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Cc: The Rex list; where the hooligan's are! > Subject: Re: CRX: SV: New wheels! > > > On 10:43 PM 01/28/03 -0500, [EMAIL PROTECTED] said... > > > 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. > > > Robert K. Kuhn > 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 > >
