Hydroplaning is real

    I am running BFG Comp 2 and just replaced the rear - 28 psi rear / 26 psi up front
    I lowered the rear pressure based on tire wear from my last tire

    The more people I meet

    The more I love my Dog!

    You can always do a chalk test on the tire to see if you are close to optimal air pressure. Basically, just draw a Chalk line accross the tread face of the tires. Roll ahead on a flat surface (driveway or parking lot work good) a few feet. If you are overinflated, chalk will have been removed from the center of the tire. Under inflated, chalk will be gone from the outside edges. Chalk line marked up evenly accross the face, you should be approximately in the ball park of proper inflation and best tire wear. A bit of experimentation may be required if you have never performed this test before.

    Quote from SlingRider

    So I could stay with 32 all way around or drop the front downs to say 30.


    Is that what I am hearing?

    I would think so although most owners lean toward as low an inflation level as possible. I think the stock tires are 44 psi for max pressure. Given that we only have 3 wheels, our weight per tire isn't too far off most compact cars that run higher pressures.

    Hey y'all,
    Logging in here for the first time (coming over from slingshotforums) and ironically, this is the first thread that caught my eye. Why? Because I just trashed my SL a few weeks ago (5/3/16) due to hydroplaning! Whoo-hoo! I'm a statistic! :00008040:


    First, yes, the Mrs. and I are (relatively) ok. We walked away without needing an ambulance or any triage, so I count that a win. She sprained her thumb and the seatbelt inflicted some heavy bruises on her chest and waist. Somehow, I got a hairline fracture in one metatarsal (right foot, about an inch behind my 4th toe) and the seatbelt bruised the the edge of my rib cage, near my sternum, but no visible bruises. Bottom-line: waaaay lucky; 12 inches to either side of center on the SS and it would have been disaster for one, if not both, of us. :/


    Second, yes, we will be back on the road as soon as we get a new SS. With any luck, maybe as early as this weekend! 8o


    So... we lost traction doing a little under 60 m/hr on a straight stretch of I-70, just outside of Frederick, MD. Stock tires, rain building up on the road, 11PM, dark as a raccoon's ass, and almost nobody else on the road. Could I have picked any worse a scenario? I had already hit a couple small puddles that were enough to suggest I slow down and seek a port. As I was bleeding off speed (light touch on the throttle; coasting down vs. engine braking), planning to plod along the slow lane to the nearest exit and only shelter (2 miles away). A couple seconds later, we twisted 90 to the right and we're watching trees zip by like ducks in a shooting gallery. After 3 or 4 trees we twist back to the left and the SS painted its target with the center beams. I couldn't have aimed with that kind of accuracy if I tried. Nothing to do but watch. Oh, I forgot the mention that I was also pulling a small trailer containing a couple of suitcases (Gross wt. about 200-300 lbs.). So, yes, I could have chosen a worse scenario than the one above, and did so. D'oh! In retrospect, it was probably a nudge from the trailer shifting forward on the hitch ball as the front tires hit resistance from a puddle, which caused the backend to swing out. It may also have been the trailer that kept as from spinning any further than 90 degrees (jack-knife) and what yanked us back around to line us up with the tree. I didn't feel a nudge or a yank; just a quick twist, hold, twist back, then straight as an arrow, up the bank to the tree. Tracks in the grass confirmed that there was almost no arc in our line of travel. Too fast to even think about counter steering.


    Other details: We were on our way back from vacation in TN and had been driving all afternoon in the rain, from Roanoke all the way up 81 to Hagerstown. Moderate traffic, average speed was 75, traction felt fine. The weather was wearing us out, so we stopped around 7pm at my mom's place in Hagerstown to rest/relax for a few hours. A little after 10pm, we struck out on the final leg of the trip home in very light rain, crossing the mountains east toward Frederick with no issues at 65-70 m/hr, in light traffic. At this point, I'm sure there's a bunch of you thinking, "that boy is either nuts or stupid." In hindsight, I would have to agree with you. I admit, I was lulled into forgetting how light the SS is and (now) realize that it was probably a fair amount of luck that I even made it over the first ridge. There's probably even some of you that think it was a miracle I made it up 81 to Hagerstown and you might be right.


    Anyway, I lived; I learned; can't ask for much more than that. Hopefully, somebody will learn from it too. When it rains, slow down and be careful. When it pours, get off the road. Crawl along the shoulder with hazards on if you have to, but get off the road as soon as you can. Avoid stopping on the shoulder unless absolutely necessary; if somebody else loses control, you and your SS make a poor guard rail. That's my two cents. Here's some pics for you lookey-loos. ;)



    Repair estimate: about $20k. Most expensive item: replacement frame. Most surprising item: crankshaft. We hit that tree HARD. Shoved the engine backward about an inch. tilted upward slightly. Item that still worked but shouldn't have: center lights. They were shoved back behind the kink in the center of the hood and buried under wreckage, but when I turned the ignition I could see their glow through the crevices of the crumpled mess.


    "Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so."
    ― Douglas Adams

    @Gadgeteer, first off, welcome aboard! I "liked" your post - not for what happened but for the fact, THANK GOD, you & your wife survived this horrific event. THANK YOU for sharing this story with us. Your timing is impeccable as over 200 Slingshots are about to participate in SSITS in an area where rain is a common event & the roads are delightfully twisty. Everyone please take heed & be careful out there!!!

    Slingshots: making children out of adults since 2014

    Wow Gadgeteer..Thank god you and wife survived and walked away !!! And thank you for being honest about things you did wrong.
    But the one thing you did right was post .Thank You !


    Now few questions ... Do you feel 4 point belts would have helped in your situation and impact you and wife had ?
    Will wife be able to get back into SS after accident ?
    Do you feel that you should have changed stock tires?
    And will you still pull a trailer?
    And do you remember air pressure you were using in your tires?
    And how fast would you drive in rain with new SS ?


    I know my wife did not feel comfortable on our BMW RT12 fall last year. And main reason for that is after picking up bike I drove like I did not
    fall and drove back to lodge doing 75 mph in rain and sleet.
    I really have to slow down with this SS and that is hard for me in rain but I am going to listen to your story in back of my head if raining.

    Damn, I'm glad your wife and you are OK. My experience wasn't nearly as bad. I drove it for another ten miles before the steering failed. at my dads house. and mine is back on the road. It's a sick feeling to loose control of a vehicle without warning (other than the fact we knew it was raining.)

    DAMN....That's one crazy intro. Welcome. I'm glad you guys are okay. :) Sorry that happened to you.

    So glad to hear you and your bride walked away without serious injury!!!! As you already know......the Sling can be replaced....people cannot!!!!
    Oh, and by the way......welcome to this great forum!!!!!

    Those who will give up essential liberty to secure a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety


    2016 Slingshot SL Vin# 8855 (born in September 2015) w/ Alpha Stage 2 Turbo @ 7.5psi

    So I'm thinking from hydroplaning in a truck a while back , I was changing lanes after downpour. The sling is a pendulum and if the front tire is following the rule below ,then the reason for the out of the blue hydroplaning, once one of the front tires speeds up ( losing contact) a little and traction control takes over and brakes that wheel - spins us around like a top. Just thinking might not be right , may never know.



    How traction control operates
    Modern vehicles feature electronic traction control, which includes the use of sensors that are used in the ABS system. These wheel speed sensors monitor the speed of the wheels and determine if one or more have lost traction. If the sensors recognize that one wheel is turning faster than all of the others, it uses the brake connected to that wheel to slow it down. This is generally enough to slow the vehicle down and allow the driver to regain control.

    Like the rest of us I'm glad you are OK. As the recipient of more than my share of "I told you so's" in 50 years of licensed driving I would like to add my own. It would seem that insurance rates are high enough on the SS and as the claim record grows we are all subject to the bad luck/choices of a few. Having made some lasting friendships through wrenching with fellow owners, I truly agree with the saying about strangers are just friends I haven't met yet.
    Please,
    DRIVE TO CONDITIONS