ellvis

ok today i was driving my rx8 right after i got back on vacation, and i noticed that something was wrong. I was riding with my sister and then i said outloud something is wrong with my car. As soon as i said that i was changing lanes to the right and all the sudden my car started to hydroplane to the left. I crashed into the median of the highway. It wasnot like i was hydroplaning, it was like something pulled the car to the left to start hydroplane and then it was out of control from there. I have several problems with the car all the way to the sun visor breaking to the clutch being burned out at 8,000 miles. I was only driving 75 when this happened the rodes were wet from rain, but i read something about a sensor might have caused this problem. Can anyone give me a reason why this happened becaus this was totally random and should not have happened to this car, especially with 50 50 distribution

Razz1

A rain puddle. You were driving too fast.

A puddle of water will pull the car hard to one direction.

Drive slower in the rain next time.

It looks like you were hydroplaning as you felt it.

ellvis

well it was going in the worng direction i was changing lanes to the left and when i went left the cars *** went to the right

Razz1

I had a beautiful sports car. It was raining like cats and dogs. Turned the wheel about an inch to change lanes and WAM!

HYDROPLANE

Spun 180 looked up and saw a Semi truck drivers face in shock.

Cranked the wheel, spun another 180 and started to head slowly over to the right lane.

Saw a Highweay corner marker and said frick, I ain't gonna hit that. Cranked the wheel again spun a 180 missed the corner marker.

For some damn reason they decided to put a 12" high curb right there on the sholder of the road. SMACK. Bent wheel axle.

Drove to work. Left work drove to dealer and bought a New Mitsubshi 3000 GT VR 4.

It happens. Even with or with out DSC. Even driving slowly and being cautious does not prevent an accident. Driving safley didn't stop my wrek, but HPDE and riding a motorcyle all my life has prevented injury and death.

Try going to a HPDE course and learn from the instructors. Sure beats being dead, disabled or in a Hospital.

ellvis

i agree sounds totally worth it i think i might get into a class like that myself, but its just hard to believe that it would have happened with such a lil movement and with all the other problems i have had with the car im just frustrated with it in general

tr186fla

Wet roads = slow down, stay safe,, glad you guys were not hurt.. I always slow down a bit when its wet out,,, regardless if in the 8 or our Honda Pilot. Especialy when its a light rain, I have been told by state troopers that the roads are more slick then due to the oils that come out of the asphalt, when there is a heavy rain those oils are washed away,, but you gotta watch for puddles and hydo-planing

Fanman

Sometimes you can be driving completely straight and you still hydroplane. When conditions are wet it is no longer a consistent surface. Some spots are wetter/deeper than others. Got to be careful. Has nothing to do with the car. Have to drive to the conditions. You might be able to do 75 on a sunny day, and 45 on a rainy day. Good luck, sorry to hear about your accident.

sunilseru

Was your stability control on?

ellvis

yeah im pretty sure i was. i heard of this same thing happening to a guy in a review i read before i bought this car. something about the steering being messed up

ken-x8

Once the water depth is comparable to tread depth, hydroplaning occurs at a speed, in mph, of about 10 times the square root of tire pressure in psf. That means somewhere between 50 and 60 mph.

75 mph is fast enough to hydroplane. Traffic will sweep away some of the water along the tire tracks in a lane, but there can be deeper water between lanes. The initial hydroplaning can make the car feel just a little squirrelly, then hitting that deeper water can feel like someone jerked the car out from under you.

I take it you and your sister were not hurt? That's good. Bent cars can be fixed or replaced. Of course, your sister will probably rag you about this for years to come.

Ken

hitman408

did you have summer tires?

lone_wolf025

I've hydroplaned on just a wet road before. I was in a left turn lane I eased into the gas to move up, the tires lost grip I let off the gas and the rear swung hard right I turned the wheel into it only to have it go hard left on me, which I responded to by turning the wheel into it again only to have it go right and finally stop slightly to the right of center.

And that was just a wet road without standing water or in rain

Point is it happens even on good tires w/out stability control

Brettus

iTrader: (2)

I've done it on a racetrack with a large puddle of water on one corner . The car felt like it was being yanked the opposite direction to what you would think it should go. After several laps I got used to it & the DSC kept me in line every time .
Another heavy brand new Ford v8 in front of me was not so controlled & slammed into the armco. OUCH !

BunnyGirl

I hydroplaned in heavy rain in early November. It was raining really hard and was a little difficult to see. I was only going around 35 and fortunately I was in the outside lane. I saw the car a little bit in front of me and in the inside lane start to spin out as his headlights were facing me, then tailights again, and then a loud bang. He sput out and hit the wall. I let off the gas when I saw that happen, and it was right about when I came to the same spot in the road. I felt my car lose it. It felt like it just came up off the ground and just started spinning, and so much water was flung up onto my windows I couldn't actually see anything but water. I spun at least 180, but I don't really know for sure because I couldn't tell and I was panicking, thinking I was going to wreck my car. My car came to rest on the shoulder facing the wrong way on the highway with the driver's side in the gravel. I ended up pretty much right across from the guy what wiped out into the wall. I was okay and out of the road, so I got out to see how that guy was (not a super busy stretch of highway at night on 213). When I got out of my car the standing water was up over my ankles in shoes that had at about a 1-1/2" sole on it. I don't know if there was a specific reason the water was so high, but that was when the heavy rains had just started and places were flooding everywhere.

Anyway, I was driving along slowly and carefully and it still happened. Sometimes it can't really be helped. In my case it was just around a corner, so you couldn't see all the standing water beforehand, especially in the dark.

Freddie

Heavy rain ? In Oregon ? In November ? Naaaahh.

Happy New Year, BG ! ! !

labutler

My question as well. I still have my stock tires and I like them as long as the road is warm and dry.

Compared to other cars I have owned, my 8 with these tires, hydroplanes fairly easy.

I don't drive it in snow, but if I lived in an area that got a really bad rainy season, I would get tires for that.

At least you weren't hurt at "only 75 mph."

hoosier

I think it would be easier to hydroplane with the tires we have on the 8. Wider and like skis. Just have to drive safely.

I used to have a 70s Buick Wildcat and when driving on the highway during rain and where the water would collect in the worn in tire grooves, I used to turn my steering from one side to the other and still go strait. Dangerous I am sure but I was young and stupid.

StealthTL

iTrader: (1)

People.....ellvis doesn't want explanations of how a car can hydroplane at "only" 75 mph - he told you he steered left but the rear end went right - he JUST wants to know the name of that sensor that sent him into the curb!

Three times he has replied that it wasn't his fault, you're just not listening....

If you could just supply the name of the part that was faulty, he could get on with his lawsuit. He has been generally disapointed with the car and it's delicate sunvisors, it's time to move on.

S

Spin9k

Was certainly caused by his car’s starboard flux cap leaking, throwing the gizmo sensor's frontal lobe into oscillatory palpitations. That’ll do it every time.

Brettus

iTrader: (2)

Its common knowledge that causes cars to hydroplane to the left & thats not what happened in this case . I call

CTrx8

iTrader: (2)

the answer is that mazda went and made it RWD - must be faulty.

Rhythmic

I have heard the stock tires aren't the best in rain. Either drive slower, or get some Goodyear F1's

ken-x8

His eyeball. Not sure which one - the one that saw it was raining, or the one that saw he was going 75 mph. He might need to sue both.

Ken

DMRH

Guess that answers everything. Being American, thats ground to make a law suit isn't it. This post certainly reads like some fishing for reasons to sue.

I wonder if I can sue my local council for stubbing my toe on the side walk..........

CTrx8

iTrader: (2)

no one ever takes responsibility for their own actions anymore. and sad as it seems, i'm sure someone has sued the city for stubbing their toe on the sidewalk.