GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

In light of the current thread: viewtopic.php?f=11&t=39137" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; I'm wondering at what threshold everyones tires start to hydroplane.

During light rain, heavy downpour, standing water, 50mph, 80mph???

Post your brand of tires + mileage on them.

My tires are Hankook Ventus V4es, 2nd set. When new they're very good in the rain with standing water at high speed, very difficult to get them to let go. When at the wear bars standing water affects them more but control is still there, they let go at about 60mph.

The studded Firestone Winterforce would hydroplane around 60mph in standing water, they have about 40% tread left. Low speed sharp cornering on them is a little slick in the rain, high speed is fine.

The old RS-A's would, when new, hydroplane at less then 50mph in standing water...

Fortunately, I have yet to feel any hydroplaning, but trying to get started on a wet surface is a major PITA!!! My tires are Yokohama Avid Touring S.

Kuhmo Ecsta 4x Hi-Performance All Season Tires. Absolutely love these tires in all weather conditions! No hydroplaning, unless driving at higher speeds through abnormaly deep water on the road.

I cannot remember ever experiencing hydroplaning - usually drive cautiously in heavy rain. My sister in law in a Lexus 400 had a serious one car roll over accident on I-64 near Huntington, WV in heavy rain. She doesn't remember much but said she wasn't speeding. Even at 65 mph with enough water on the road I suspect that can happen.

How are we defining hydroplaning?

It would seem to be more complex than just water on the roadway.

Consider that oil and grease, dripped on to the roadway from vehicles, float on top of water and a light rain is enough to bring it to the surface creating an oil slick. No matter what speed you are traveling, you could lose traction and slide around on the roadway.

That said, reducing speed below the posted limit is generally a good idea in bad weather; it gives the driver more of a margin to react and recover in.

The one time I totaled a car was due to this effect. I was on an entrance ramp from I-278 to the GCP in Brooklyn at the Triboro bridge approach. 25 mph around a ramp curve on a foggy February night and the car started going off the road, heading right for a NYPD cruiser at the bottom of the ramp from a previous accident. Turned hard in the opposite direction and the wheels grabbed then spun the car around 180 degrees so that it was facing oncoming traffic in the highway. Got hit by a guy in a Blazer speeding in the middle lane. Spun the car around 270 degrees and hit a second time. Walked away with nothing but a seat belt bruise and a powder burn from the airbag.

I found that goodyear tripletreds really did make it harder to hydroplane than other tires I have had on the car, but even brand new they cut MPGs by 1-2, and wore out fast and unevenly, so now I'm back on Bridgestones that wear like iron and unfortunately have wet traction like iron also

My Nexen N5000s when at the wear bars handled themselves pretty nicely in the water. I was on a wet skidpad with them and the threshold for where the car would lose grip was pretty high. As far as hydroplaning, I've only done that with my old Firestone all-season tires. 55+ mph over some bumps in HEAVY rain. Knocked my alignment off. But I can't say I've ever really lost it in the wet. Going maybe 30mph with close to half a foot of standing water, and the Nexens hold up just fine. The water evacuation channels are big and deep, which is nice.

Both our Vibes have factory Goodyear Eagle F1 AS/C tires for the summer months and Kelly Explorer tires for the winter months. I have never experienced any hydroplaning in either Vibe. As others have said though, I do tend to drive a little more cautiously when it's raining.

Had there been a choice of 130 MPH in five inches I'd have checked it. I suspect others checked the last choice, too, just for the fun of it. I didn't even realize drivers had the time (or lack of common sense) to look at the speedometer when hydroplaning. No offense to anyone, of course.

I have Michelin MXV4s from Costco. They are top rated on TireRack for their category, yet at 50% wear I'm not very impressed. They were great when new but now hydroplane easily. I just got a replacement tire from Costco after a nail entered the side wall and was unrepairable. I was shocked when he measured 1/2 of the life still left in the tire. I was hoping to get rid of these things before the winter set in. I'm stuck with them for a while I guess and will have to slow down in wet weather.
The Hankook 727s continue to perform very well on my Hyundai but I don't drive that car enough to make a good assessment.

I too have not experienced hydroplaning YET in my Vibe. With only 14000 miles on it it may be awhile before it becomes noticeable. Now Junior's Vibe will/should as he has 42000 on the original factory Goodyear Eagle F1 AS/C tires and the rears (which were the fronts when we bought it) are severely worn due to them NEVER being rotated by the previous owner. He'll definitely get new rubber sometime in 2013.