PLEASE DO NOT DRIVE HARD IN WET AREAS/RAIN

This message will save a life because I know one of you is smart enough to take my warning.

I almost died in Hydroplaning and I was driving slower than the speed limit not showing off. Thats what scares me. If I was showing off I would be most likely dead.

If your tires break lose crazy stuff can happen. Be careful guys.

Here is a reason why I worry about US Lancer owners.
https://www.evolutionm.net/forums/sh...threadid=65741

http:://www.CarPhoto.net

 

Actually there's a hydroplaning critical speed for a given tire pressure setting... Are you sure you were going very slow? Assuming your tire pressure is set at 30psi, your critical speed is 57mph, and it goes up as tire pressure goes up.

 

And contact patch. But good info how did you calculate this (so I can be more informed when driving in the rain) And did you use it based on the contact patch?

 

My car does fine in the rain, provided, it is setup to run in it.

 

What happened to the wreck thread??

 

Contact patch is not part of the equation... Go on google.com and search for NASA Critical Speed for Hydroplaning.

 

A few things to consider:

1. That is an equasion for slowing down in a straight line. It does not refer to cornering, which is where most drivers encounter problem with wet surfaces. In physics, turning is considering a type of acceleration, so the change in speed or direction creates a greater force (thus lowering the critical speed)

2. I don't understand the higher tire pressure making a higher critical speed. I know that when I autocross (dry or wet) increasing tire pressure makes it slip easier. Maybe that has something to do with straight line vs. cornering again?

3. NASA mentions that as a "casual" factor, allowing for variables such as tire tread, track width, etc. Otherwise, Indy cars would not have a set of rain tires if the slicks have the same critical speed. And a water box at the drag strip would serve absolutely no purpose.

I think critical speed refers to a speed that allows you to still maintain control of the vehicle, barring any abrupt movements. That's my best understanding of it.

 

One more point to consider is water depth. The deeper the water the slower the speed needed to cause hydoplaning as the treads cannot channel the water out fast enough.

 

 

I can't find the wreck thread anywhere, but I am assuming if it started in any Evo or Lancer forum, it was probably merged with the huge wreck thread in OT. Too many wreck threads all over the forum, so we started combining them.

Anyway, I was thinking more about this and I realized something all of us didn't notice. The critical speed is what is required for the vehicle to hydroplane... meaning riding on top of the water and not on the road. NASA was not making any comments on how good traction was on wet pavement, they were saying what it takes to defy the weight of the vehicle and get the tires off of the pavement. So we were all arguing (kind of) about traction, when this was just talking about hydroplaning (which of course has the least traction of any situation.

In short, traction is the worst when riding on top of a layer of water, which can only be done over a certain speed. Traction is better if you are still on the ground, but depends on how slick the surface is (ice, water, oil, dry, dusty, bumpy etc.). Does that make sense?

 

Here's a much better recommendation:

Do not drive hard when you don't know what you are doing.

That's not a flame, that's my honest recommendation, and one that I hope will save someone from a lot of heartache.

Hydroplaning is not necessarily a big deal. When you h-p, traction essentially drops to zero. If you are driving in a straight line at a constant speed, how much traction do you need? Almost zero. So you can hydroplane down a straight road all day long and you won't necessarily crash or have problems. You'll just keep going straight.

Hydroplaning IS a huge problem when you are already asking something more of your tires - braking hard, cornering hard, etc. If cornering, whatever direction you were heading when the h-p'ing started, that's the direction you are going to continue going. Plus, the backend is likely to come around just to really give you a taste of 'drifting'. Yeeeehaw!

The Evo's are incredibly easy to drive fast. They lack some of the usual vices that cars of this capability possess. But that can lure people into driving way beyond their abilities. And when things go a little bit wrong at those speeds, look out!

I want to encourage everyone, Evo driver or not, to learn to master what you drive. Go to some autocrosses, read up (Going Faster by Skip Barber is THE book to on high performance driving), attend some driver schools. Driving well is a skill, something that you have to work at. Of course, if you studied from the time you were 5 until you were 100, you'd still be learning, but even a little education will go a long ways towards making you a better, faster, and safer driver on the street or track.

Remember, if you are experiencing fear or adrenelin when you are driving, it's because you are driving beyone your abilities. I would recommend one of two paths for you if that's the case: slow down or improve yourself.

Joe
www.joe250.com

 

Found the big merge..

https://www.evolutionm.net/forums/sh...threadid=42683

And agreed going straight and a cosntant speed it's just annoying when you start banging of the rev limiter, but throw in a little twist of the wheel and it's time to be up on the skills..

 

I agree. I had my Evo up to about 115 MPH in the rain, on a road course, with a driving instructor sitting in the passenger seat. No problem. But in the rain, you do brake earlier -- a lot earlier.

Racing instructors say that the most dangerous drivers aren't the beginners, they are the intermediate drivers -- the ones who are no longer nervous on the track, but who haven't been around long enough to really become complete drivers.

I think one "problem" with the Evo is that it allows anybody to feel like an intermediate driver in very short order. The car gives you a feeling of competence and predictability as you push harder than you really should. As long as nothing goes wrong, you're going to do fine. But eventually, somewhere, somehow, something will go wrong; if you don't have the skills and experience to handle the situation, all you can do is hang on and pray...

(Oh, and if you look at my avatar... I sometimes do drive hard in wet areas. )

 

I actually took advantage of the rain at the December autocross out here, as it gave my car the right balance of oversteer. Almost got a trophy. But that was in an autocross, and I agree with the above that when you're on the road and there's so much more at risk, don't even go near your limits. I drive on the streets at about 50% of the car's capability, and even then surprises can sneak up on you.

 

That's right, seat time in such condition is invaluable. Racing in the rain is such humbling experience, really separates the boys from the men.