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Hydroplaning? I almost crashed my car today on hwy 101.

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C

chillybright

Banned
This has to be the most dangerous and near-death-experience I have had in my life. I am still shook thinking about it.

TL;DR: Lost control on highway for about 2-3 seconds under heavy rain. Almost hit the shoulder and fortunately no one or car got hurt. Was it because hydroplaning?

This morning I was driving on 101 near LA. And it was literally pouring from the sky. I could barely see the car in front of me even with the wiper at full-speed. Not to mention the splashes coming under every vehicle, even from the other side of the highway.

Anyway everyone was moving around 45 mph and I was on the No.2 lane out of 4 for about 40 min. When suddenly I felt my car was sharply turning right by itself! I was being very vigilant given the weather so I immediately tried to correct by steering left.

Nothing happened for about half a second and I felt the car was accelerating despite my foot was already on the break.

Shit. I thought. I began to tap the break and further steering left. Nothing happened for another half second or so and then the car sharply turned left all of a sudden, and still accelerating.

I was really panicking at that time since it was heading straight to the left shoulder wall. I floored the break and corrected to the right desperately and thought "OMG this is it."

I heard there was a strange sound coming from the engine (like the "vrrrrnnn" sounds when you gas in neutral) and the car slowed down, shaking.

This all happened in about 2-3 seconds.

The cars behind me were all “Duuuuu" at this point. Very fortunately I hit no one during all this and no one tailgated me either. With the remaining momentum I steered my car to the right shoulder. At this point I was totally soaked.

I looked down and saw my stick was in neutral indeed. I really don't remember I touched the stick at all. Maybe I was really panicking and put it in neutral?

It was still pouring outside. I restarted the car and drove it off the highway. It seemed normal. I parked the car and checked all four wheels. No flat tire either. I went to the nearest auto-shop and explained what happened. They checked the car and couldn't find obvious problems, except front left wheel was a little worn, and suggested it might be hydroplaning.

I waited until the storm stopped and drove back. I was going 50-60 mph and didn't notice any problem. Googled hydroplaning and it seems like there is nothing you could do except drive very slowly on slippery grounds and keep tires checked. Really I have never experienced this because you know in Southern California I haven't seen this kind of extreme rain for many years.

So car-GAF, does this sound like hydroplaning? Is there anything else I need to check/change except the front left tire?
 
T

Team Filler

Member
That does sound like hydro planing. I seem to recall that when that happens it's safer to actually turn with the direction your car moves, and not away from.

Scary stuff, though, glad to hear you made it out safely.
 
S

Septimus Prime

Member
I'm glad you're okay.

Don't brake if this happens again, and turn into the skid. It's counterintuitive.

Also, yes, get your tires checked. One of the reasons rain is such a big deal here is because people are lackadaisical about maintaining their tires, so when road conditions are less than ideal, they lose control.
 
K

Korey

Member
I've done this before. Yes, it happens in slow motion.

I've also seen a car in front of me hydroplane and flip on its side, sliding from the left lane, four lanes all the way to the right shoulder. This was on the 5.
 
O

Opto

Banned
That speed and that heavy of a rain on a smooth road? Sounds like hydroplaning. You want to slow down even more if you can barely see with wipers on max
 
Button

Button

Banned
-Putting it in neutral is good
-Keep the steering wheel straight
-Don't brake
-Hope for the best
 
Clockwork

Clockwork

Member
Yeah your car hydroplaned.


Everything else you mentioned during was probably the result of panicking (real or imagined).
 
R

rjinaz

Member
Happened to me like 10 years ago. Got caught in a microburst during a monsoon in Phoenix. Slid straight off the road into a ditch. Cracked the front of my car. The wheel wouldn't turn, I just slid.

I remember my step dad helped get my car out of the ditch, it was right in an ant colony, there were biting ants everywhere and crawling all over us. Good times.

I love rain but some times it's a mother.
 
M

MattKeil

BIGTIME TV MOGUL #2
Yup, that's hydroplaning. Very easy to do in heavy rain on the shitty unmaintained freeways in the LA area, and the 101 is one of the worst.

Also they're brakes, not breaks.
 
A

AlmostMilk

Member
Check the tread depth of your tires. If the depth is less than 5/32, consider replacing your tires, after that your tires start to have less traction on the road. People really underestimate the importance of their tires.
 
Maximus.

Maximus.

Member
Sounds like you hydro planed. I think a majority of drivers don't understand how random and scary it can be. I see it all the time when it rains. People speeding, following too close, really testing their luck.

Good thing nothing bad happened to you though. It is always scary to be in that situation, especially when going that fast.
 
S

Septimus Prime

Member
AlmostMilk said:
Check the tread depth of your tires. If the depth is less than 5/32, consider replacing your tires, after that your tires start to have less traction on the road. People really underestimate the importance of their tires.
Click to expand...
Here's an easy way to tell.

PennyQuarterTest-590x300.jpg
 
T

Tripon

Member
It's the 101. The "the" is important.

The 101 is pretty damn dangerous, especially in the city proper. I always stay in the slow lanes and leave 10-15 feet when it's raining on the 101.
 
M

More_Badass

Member
Word of advice: you should never slam on the brakes. That just makes things worst. When you hydroplane, you lift your foot off the gas and the car's weight will slow the vehicle down and force it down through the water
 
DiscoJer

DiscoJer

Member
Yeah, it's kind of a big shock of adrenalin when it first happens to you.

Generally speaking, most of the time when it happens you are a on a highway that is fairly straight, so nothing really occurs. It's usually over before you realize it, but then you do realize it and you can overreact.
 
S

Skunkers

Member
Mister Saturn said:
That does sound like hydro planing. I seem to recall that when that happens it's safer to actually turn with the direction your car moves, and not away from.

Scary stuff, though, glad to hear you made it out safely.
Click to expand...

No, that's a recipe for a spin. You want to slowly let off the throttle and gently counter steer against the yaw motion; essentially you point the wheels in the direction you want to go because whenever you regain grip, that's where you're gonna be going. You want to do it gently and hold the wheel with a light grip because if the yaw angle is extreme enough you're going to get a sudden whip like the OP did as you regain traction and the weight of the rear end snaps back into line. If you're gripping tightly you'll overcorrect and have to counter steer again like the OP did; with a light grip the wheel should slide through your fingers back to basically straight when the rear snaps in.
 
N

Neverthelesser

Member
As crazy and contradictory as it sounds, you're not supposed to fight your car if it decides to veer somewhere else. Just gently steer it in the direction that it's hydroplaning and your wheels will realign themselves.
 
A

AxeMan

Member
Tyres have markers in them - you don't need a fancy tool or trick to see if you're low on tread

50274cd4-c442-49cb-ab7c-22a1e663415d.jpg


Edit - was about to write what Skunkers explained above
 
L

Laekon

Member
Skunkers said:
No, that's a recipe for a spin. You want to slowly let off the throttle and gently counter steer against the yaw motion; essentially you point the wheels in the direction you want to go because whenever you regain grip, that's where you're gonna be going. You want to do it gently and hold the wheel with a light grip because if the yaw angle is extreme enough you're going to get a sudden whip like the OP did as you regain traction and the weight of the rear end snaps back into line. If you're gripping tightly you'll overcorrect and have to counter steer again like the OP did; with a light grip the wheel should slide through your fingers back to basically straight when the rear snaps in.
Click to expand...

Thats the opposite of everything I've ever seen taught.

The 101 and other LA highways are pretty bad. Since it doesn't rain often oil builds up. A lot of them are also very flat or concave so water pools everywhere.
 
N

NoblesseOblige

Banned
Naudi said:
From rain? Come on now. Just slow it down a bit and you will be fine.
Click to expand...

No. Did you read what I quoted? He could barely see the vehicle in front of him with wipers at full speed.

And if you had read the OP you'd see they were already going slow at 45.

And clearly waiting it out would have been the better option than losing control on a highway.
 
B

Baliis

Member
Tripon said:
It's the 101. The "the" is important.

The 101 is pretty damn dangerous, especially in the city proper. I always stay in the slow lanes and leave 10-15 feet when it's raining on the 101.
Click to expand...

Is that a socal thing or something? I've never heard anyone call it that
 
C

Cotton McKnight

Member
chillybright said:
This has to be the most dangerous and near-death-experience I have had in my life. I am still shook thinking about it.

TL;DR: Lost control on highway for about 2-3 seconds under heavy rain. Almost hit the shoulder and fortunately no one or car got hurt. Was it because hydroplaning?

This morning I was driving on 101 near LA. And it was literally pouring from the sky. I could barely see the car in front of me even with the wiper at full-speed. Not to mention the splashes coming under every vehicle, even from the other side of the highway.

Anyway everyone was moving around 45 mph and I was on the No.2 lane out of 4 for about 40 min. When suddenly I felt my car was sharply turning right by itself! I was being very vigilant given the weather so I immediately tried to correct by steering left.

Nothing happened for about half a second and I felt the car was accelerating despite my foot was already on the break.

Shit. I thought. I began to tap the break and further steering left. Nothing happened for another half second or so and then the car sharply turned left all of a sudden, and still accelerating.

I was really panicking at that time since it was heading straight to the left shoulder wall. I floored the break and corrected to the right desperately and thought "OMG this is it."

I heard there was a strange sound coming from the engine (like the "vrrrrnnn" sounds when you gas in neutral) and the car slowed down, shaking.

This all happened in about 2-3 seconds.

The cars behind me were all ”Duuuuu" at this point. Very fortunately I hit no one during all this and no one tailgated me either. With the remaining momentum I steered my car to the right shoulder. At this point I was totally soaked.

I looked down and saw my stick was in neutral indeed. I really don't remember I touched the stick at all. Maybe I was really panicking and put it in neutral?

It was still pouring outside. I restarted the car and drove it off the highway. It seemed normal. I parked the car and checked all four wheels. No flat tire either. I went to the nearest auto-shop and explained what happened. They checked the car and couldn't find obvious problems, except front left wheel was a little worn, and suggested it might be hydroplaning.

I waited until the storm stopped and drove back. I was going 50-60 mph and didn't notice any problem. Googled hydroplaning and it seems like there is nothing you could do except drive very slowly on slippery grounds and keep tires checked. Really I have never experienced this because you know in Southern California I haven't seen this kind of extreme rain for many years.

So car-GAF, does this sound like hydroplaning? Is there anything else I need to check/change except the front left tire?
Click to expand...

Dear OP, you were travelling at 45 MPH in the rain (or actually faster). Did you know that on the California written test that you clearly passed, there is a question that asks at what speed does hydroplaning start? It's answer is 35 mph, yeah it's raining, and you may not be as skilled in the wet, but slow down. I have taken two written driving tests, once when I was 16 in Missouri, and once when I was 28 in California (when I moved there). Both tests had that question. My wife had to take the test when we moved there and had the same question, and had later asked me, "what the deuce is hydroplaning?" She's from Phoenix, it's like driving in LA, but with more guns. Yes I have hydroplaned before, yes it's not cool, but then I thought, "well you saw the puddle but yet you wanted to drive faster than 35 mph, great job."

And yes check the wear on your tires (it could only help), and for the love of God, slow down if water is actually gathering on the highway, puddles + speed = spin of death.

Baliis said:
Is that a socal thing or something? I've never heard anyone call it that
Click to expand...
It's a weird southern state (not all of them) and west coast thing. I found after some time in California that I did it too. Stopped after I moved away.
 
D

Dylan Sexbang

Banned
Tripon said:
It's the 101. The "the" is important.

The 101 is pretty damn dangerous, especially in the city proper. I always stay in the slow lanes and leave 10-15 feet when it's raining on the 101.
Click to expand...
I don't even live in California anymore and that was throwing me off.
 
S

Skunkers

Member
Laekon said:
Thats the opposite of everything I've ever seen taught.

The 101 and other LA highways are pretty bad. Since it doesn't rain often oil builds up. A lot of them are also very flat or concave so water pools everywhere.
Click to expand...

Well, people have been teaching you how to lose control of a car. Maybe, maybe, you could have made a case for that in special cases during the earliest days of automotive history before modern tire tread; but the last thing you want nowadays is to point the wheels in the direction you're yawing: A) As soon as you gain grip you're gonna go violently flying off in that direction and B) You're actually turning the grooves of the tire away from the direction where water can channel into them thus prolonging your hydroplane and potentially increasing your angle of yaw. No. Bad practice.
 
N

NetMapel

Guilty White Male Mods Gave Me This Tag
Sounds like you were driving way too fast for a weather like that. Remember to slow down in crazy rain like that...
 
S

StopMakingSense

Member
Baliis said:
Is that a socal thing or something? I've never heard anyone call it that
Click to expand...

The first freeways in the area had, and still have, proper names. So there's the Golden State Freeway, San Diego Freeway, Ventura Freeway, Hollywood Freeway, etc. Keeping the 'the' when talking about the freeways just kinda stuck.
 
Mohonky

Mohonky

Member
Yer my car is shocking for this because of tue width of the tyres I have. I drive real slow and careful because of it.
 
E

Eye for an Eye

Member
I've seen a car do a 420 hydoplaning on I-95 in Miami at the Golden Glades inter change. It's a massive interchange of 5 highways, and the higheay is like 6-7 lanes wide at that point as it merges together. It was facing on coming traffic in the middle of the highway. It all happened in the matter of seconds a couple hundred yards in front of me. I was at least in the right lanes and was able to pass.

It's some scary shit to feel the car moving on its own. Drive slow and get good tires. Balding tires can cause you to lose control so fast.
 
R

Rizific

Member
NetMapel said:
Sounds like you were driving way too fast for a weather like that. Remember to slow down in crazy rain like that...
Click to expand...
Ding ding ding! Driving that fast in those conditions? I mean I already knew socal residents shut off their brains as soon an once of water touches the road, but to read about it and have the op absolutely clueless as to what or why it happened...jesus fuck.
 
B

Brazil

Living in the shadow of Amaz
When I was a youngster, my dad lost control of the car when it hydroplaned during a storm coming back from Rio. We spun all the way from the left lane to the other side of the five-lanes long highway. Somehow, all other cars either avoided us or stopped before hitting us.

Shit was hilariously intense, in hindsight.
 
O

OnkelC

Hail to the Chef
hydroplaning means that the car lost its grip on the street. this means that the remaining laws of physics will keep the mass of the vehicle moving in the same direction as before hydroplaning. the orientation of the car is mostly irrelevant during hydroplaning, but will come to the equation with power once the grip of the car on the street is reestablished. so it's best to avoid any changes to the orientation of the car aka keep the steering wheel straight, lift the foot off the accelerator gently, disengage clutch and do not brake.
Edit:
I recommend visiting a training course on how to cope with hydroplaning, it's a day well spent an fun as well. if they have a buttkick machine, the better ;)
https://youtu.be/cwdtCrNwkaI
 
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