Experienced Aquaplaning! Attention...

[cmyX6go]

Kind of a subjective question. I probably wouldn't do more than 70 in normal rain and would reduce that speed considerably in torrential down pours and puddling conditions.

To the OP: I would not recommend hitting the brakes while going through a puddle. Slow up before you hit it, then take your foot off the brake and hold on.

[peanuto]

Being quite familiar with hydroplaning, speed has a lot to do with it but a lot of the time there will be nothing to avoid planing. The WORST thing you can do is brake, this will cause you to lose all control of the car. What you generally want to do is just lay off the gas and keep the wheel as straight as possible and all should be ok. If you brake that will cause the side to side and slippage. There is nothing any electronic safety or suspension device can do about hydroplaning unfortunately.

[x5GuyInLA]

Originally Posted by mtech8

What would be the "fastest" recommended speed for the 214 wheels with the Dunlop runflats to drive in rainy conditions?

I'm no expert with driving in the rain since I'm out in sunny California. In sedans with tires with less tire width. I've typically gone 60-70 with no problems. Would driving at these speeds be okay with a X5 with 214's?

Thanxs for the advice.

as we've all learned from taking our driver's license test, go with the flow of traffic. On a rainy day, i've noticed that traffic is usually no faster than the posted speed limit (except for the one crazy yahoo with a deathwish) and on average, is about 5-10 mph slower than that. also, since we do live in sunny California and don't get that much rain, make sure to drive extra careful during the first rain as the roads are slicker than a normal rainy day because of all the oil that has accumulated.

[rh71]

Also wouldn't do more than 60-70 when raining, and only if it's a straight road. I've hydroplaned in another SUV before (Goodyear Eagles on 16s - never trusted those again). Scary is putting it lightly. Thankfully I ended up on a sandy/rocky platform instead of the concrete wall overpass I stopped just in front of - no lie. I had a friend who's sister died from hydroplaning. Not a fair way to go. Be careful in the rain.

[Viperfreak2]

I was riding in a VW Golf on the Autobahn at 230kph in a rainstorm, but the driver said "it's safe, the Autobahn drains well". It does, there weren't even the slightest hints that the car could hydroplane. Amazing. I was going 35mph in a downpour on a back road in South Carolina yesterday in a Miata and the car was all over the place!

[mtech8]

Thanks for the tips.

I'll definitely be more careful. I'm pretty good in the rain with sedans. This will be my first performance SUV, so I'll just assume it's even more prone to hydroplaning than sedans and drive accordingly.

[GPSnV1]

Unlike the OP, I was only going about 70 mph on TN I-40 when a somewhat heavy rain came along and suddenly a brief aquaplane/hydroplane.

I don't know whether to worry about that particular road (near Chattanooga) or the 2008 20" OEMs or the fact that already at 9K the thread looks like there is not many miles left.

[peter530i]

don't blame the car !!! come on, driving 150km/h in heavy rain especially with 214 wheel???
this is simple as physics!!! , has nothing to do wheter the car is good or bad.

[jimsaq]

dead horse flogging in this thread!

[peter530i]

Originally Posted by peanuto

Being quite familiar with hydroplaning, speed has a lot to do with it but a lot of the time there will be nothing to avoid planing. The WORST thing you can do is brake, this will cause you to lose all control of the car. What you generally want to do is just lay off the gas and keep the wheel as straight as possible and all should be ok. If you brake that will cause the side to side and slippage. There is nothing any electronic safety or suspension device can do about hydroplaning unfortunately.