Heavy Rain, Flooding and Hydroplaning...

We're into much more typical Vancouver weather this early January. The new year has brought us heavy rains that any Vancouverite should be familiar with. With the heavy rains come widespread flooding and with the flooding comes road closures and the possibility of dangerous tire hydroplaning.

Tire hydroplaning occurs (see diagram top left) when your tire(s) lose contact with the road surface due to riding up on a cushion of standing water. When this happens, you lose that tire's ability to control the car with the normal friction vs. road surface that you are accustomed to. Naturally, it's more common for your front tires to hydroplane as the front is the part of the car that hits any puddle first, but you can of course hydroplane with your rear tires as well.

When your front tires start to hydroplane, you will most likely lose steering control momentarily. The safest thing to do when you find yourself in this position is to hold the wheel firmly and wait for the hydroplaning to stop (usually only a split second or so) and be prepared for a jerk or pulling sensation on the wheel when you start to get friction with the road surface once more. Avoid the urge to jerk the wheel left or right or to brake until you feel your vehicle once again in contact with the road surface.

Hydroplaning will be affected by the following factors; tire condition (how much tread remains - more tread reduces the risk of hydroplaning,) water depth (the deeper the water, the greater your chance of hydroplaning,) relative tire width (the wider the tires, the greater the chance of hydroplaning) and finally and most crucially, your vehicle's speed (the greater your speed, the greater the risk of hydroplaning.) If you find your vehicle hydroplaning, reduce your speed to alleviate the problem.