What to do if your car starts hydroplaning on a wet road
There's a reason most NASCAR races stop when the rain starts to fall, it's called hydroplaning.
What is hydroplaning?
Also called aquaplaning, the phenomenon of physics occurs when water creates a buffer between a vehicle's tires and the road surface. The resulting loss of contact leads to one of the most hazardous driving circumstances and generally a sinking feeling in the pit of the driver's stomach.
What causes your vehicle to hydroplane?
Most likely to occur during heavy rainfall or due to large puddles of standing water, the loss of traction during hydroplaning comes quickly and can be fleeting or prolonged. Either way, it essentially transforms the driver into a passenger, as the tires effectively ski across the surface of the water.
How to avoid hydroplaning
The best way to avoid hydroplaning is fitting tires that have enough deep channels and grooves to expel water on the road surface, certainly not the no-tread "slicks" used by NASCAR. According to leading tire manufacturer Continental, a new passenger car tire can thrust out roughly eight gallons of water per second at 50 miles per hour, but its effectiveness is somewhat dependent on maintaining the correct tire pressure.
Continental officials offered three basic tips for avoiding hydroplaning: reduce speed in wet weather, keep tires inflated and monitor tread depth. The time-honored standard of using a penny to gauge tire tread depth is still valid. It is recommended to replace tires when the tread depth reaches the legal minimum of 2/32 of an inch.
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Without sufficient tread depth, a tire cannot evacuate water swiftly enough to prevent the contact patch where the rubber interfaces with the road from floating on the water's surface. Excessive speed can also overwhelm a tire's water-pumping capacity, leading to hydroplaning.
What do you do if your car starts hydroplaning?
When hydroplaning does occur, the steering wheel generally feels lighter as feedback diminishes. Experts from Continental and other tire experts recommend lifting off the throttle, steering gently in the desired direction and waiting for the front tires to regain traction.
Gentle brake application while steering is acceptable for vehicles with anti-lock brakes. However, abrupt steering or braking should be avoided to prevent a skid.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: What is hydroplaning and what to do if it happens while you're driving
