Rain and Tire Pressure.

[TruWrecks]

Ken,

That info is great for cruiser tires, which have way more contact patch already, but it won't do much good with sport tires. They already have a pretty small contact patch.

 

[StromBusa]

Don't spin 'em & don't lock 'em! Seems like wet concrete has about a third the grip as wet, hydroplaning NBD in my experience, slow down for "lakes".

 

[Tufbusa]

yea no kidding

I was fine with the whoremonger but the "Dem" thing? thought we were friends...

Awh Bogus, you know you are a pimp! However, maybe calling you a Democrat was a little cruel? lease: Forgive me?

 

[UncleSteve]

Answer; Increase pressure.

What follows in quotes is a cut and paste from;
Motorcycle Safety Site

"Hydroplaning Avoidance
Tire air pressure

By: James R. Davis


In the article titled Hydroplaning Issues the phenomena was discussed in some detail. It seems to me that a tip is in order that tells how one might avoid experiencing hydroplaning.

If you know that you are going to be riding in the rain you might consider adding 3 to 5 psi of pressure in your tires. Note, I am not suggesting that you inflate them in excess of the maximum pressure specified on the tire sidewalls.

The reasoning behind this suggestion is simple:

Increasing the tire pressure makes its contact patch smaller. In other words, it increases the weight per square inch of the contact patch so that it takes more 'uplift' by water to cause hydroplaning.


Just as increasing pressure makes the contact patch smaller, it also tends to spread out the tread grooves which, in turn, makes it easier to slough water away from the contact patch.

Perhaps it is obvious, but to hydroplane you need a certain minimum depth of water under your tires and, thus, to the extent that you can reduce that depth you can reduce the odds of hydroplaning. How might you do that? By driving closer to the center of the lane than you normally do. Why? Because normal vehicle traffic actually cuts a trough into the pavement where the wheels ride. Those troughs are essentially where we motorcyclists normally track our rides. Obviously water depths are higher in these troughs."
Copyright © 1992 - 2009 by The Master Strategy Group, all rights reserved.
www.msgroup.org]Motorcycle Safety Site

cheers
ken

you are correct, tire pressure is one of the numbers used to determine the speed a tire will hydroplane.
Under inflated tires will hydroplane at lower speeds.
A tire with a high maximum tire pressure will hydroplane at a higher speed.

the speed at which hydroplaning can be expected to occur in a vehicle is 10.35 x square root of the tire pressure.

 

[kml]

you are correct, tire pressure is one of the numbers used to determine the speed a tire will hydroplane.
Under inflated tires will hydroplane at lower speeds.
A tire with a high maximum tire pressure will hydroplane at a higher speed.

the speed at which hydroplaning can be expected to occur in a vehicle is 10.35 x square root of the tire pressure.

That applies to sport bike tires as well?

cheers
ken

 

[mike1180]

I thought hydroplaning also had something to do with the tire width and weight of vehicle?
A tire 1/2 the width on the same vehicle, should not hydroplane at the same speed, should it?

 

[kml]

I thought hydroplaning also had something to do with the tire width and weight of vehicle?
A tire 1/2 the width on the same vehicle, should not hydroplane at the same speed, should it?

You would think given all variables to be constant with the exception of tire width that a wider tire would hydroplane sooner.

a quick stab at all the variables.

Contact patch area
contact patch shape
tire pressure
tread pattern depth
land to groove ratio in tire pattern
vehicle weight

"the speed at which hydroplaning can be expected to occur in a vehicle is 10.35 x square root of the tire pressure."

I don't really understand the above equation.....

cheers
ken

 

[mike1180]

You would think given all variables to be constant with the exception of tire width that a wider tire would hydroplane sooner.

a quick stab at all the variables.

Contact patch area
contact patch shape
tire pressure
tread pattern depth
land to groove ratio in tire pattern
vehicle weight

"the speed at which hydroplaning can be expected to occur in a vehicle is 10.35 x square root of the tire pressure."

I don't really understand the above equation.....

cheers
ken

Those factors seem to matter to me too.
Some car tires have tread that makes them designated as "rain" tires.
I know a bald tire will hydroplane sooner.