“HYDROPLANING”

Quote from Flybuddy

Here's a quote from Discount Tire website regarding tire performance:
"Summer tires generally perform better than both winter and all-season tires in wet and dry conditions. In fact, summer tires generally outperform winter and all-season tires in all conditions except winter. Summer tires should not be used for winter driving conditions."

I currently run a nitto Motivo on the rear and plan on putting them on the front as well. here are the performance charts for the Summer ultra high performance 555 G2 and the All Season ultra high performance Motivo

first the 555 G2

And now the Motivo

As you can see I do give up a little dry performance (4 vs 4.5), but in exchange I get their best wet performance (full 5 bars vs 4.5) and also gain tread life 560 vs 320 and I also get a much more comfortable and quite tire. Again I have not actually run the 555 G2, but considering these tires are both Nitto's I feel comfortable believing it when they say one has better wet traction than the other

As you post from Discount says "generally" - - - and generally it may be very true, but originally I was going to get the Nitto 555 G2 so when I decided to look for better wet traction that was my base line

As a side note, having now put almost 6,000 miles on the Motivo I find it has much better grip even in the dry than the original Kenda so I am very happy with my choice

I thought those 4 performance ratings were from customers and I've taken them with a grain of salt. The UTQG rating which is tested shows the 555 G2 with a higher traction rating.

"The traction rating is determined by the tire’s ability to stop on a straight, wet surface under controlled conditions. Traction scores are given in letterform. From highest to lowest they are AA, A, B, and C."

Quote from Flybuddy

I thought those 4 performance ratings were from customers and I've taken them with a grain of salt. The UTQG rating which is tested shows the 555 G2 with a higher traction rating.

"The traction rating is determined by the tire’s ability to stop on a straight, wet surface under controlled conditions. Traction scores are given in letterform. From highest to lowest they are AA, A, B, and C."

and that is why the traction rating alone is not of great use - wet performance is much more than just the ability to stop in a straight line, it is about maintaining contract with the road under all kinds of wet driving conditions

also I am pretty sure those charts are not the customer ratings, they give those lower on the page for each tire, Personally I would like it if they were. I trust the real world experience of end users of a product much more than what the manufacture says

here is a nice test done by motor trend that includes the Motivo and the Nitto NT05 summer tire and the INVO summer tire Motivo vs summer tires

some quotes

dry performance

"Although the Motivos performed exceptionally well on the dry course, they aren't NTO5s, but they're close. The slick continuous tread, stiffness of the sidewall, and large tread blocks on the NTO5s provided right-on steering response, while the Motivos lagged a bit in the same department. As expected, the same thing happened at the full ABS stop at the end of the course -- the Motivo-shod car didn't stop as abruptly as the cars wearing NT05s and Invos, but the tires remained rigid and sticky, feeling not too far off in performance when pitted against the two summer tires."

wet performance
"Even Nitto's two summer tires excelled in wet performance over the Continentals, but the Motivos took the cake in this category. I was impressed with how much steering command I had with them in tight corners, and I was just as confident in the wet (if not more) than I was in the dry, as I could feel the outer edges bare their teeth and bite into the slippery asphalt, resulting in precise steering. Motivo engineer Alan Ngo further emphasized the tire's performance in deep-standing puddles where most tires would normally have a hard time resisting hydroplaning"

Remember, "summer" tires are for temperatures above 50 degrees, thus the reason most choose not to use them in the northern climes, unless they switch tires seasonally..........

Bill

It is all fun and games until you actually hydroplane....... I have spun out 2 times on light/heavy rain and one after a rain storm due to standing water, so after the 3rd time I decided to call it quits and never ride if there is a chance of rain.

I actually feel safer on ducati vs my slingshot when it comes to driving under rain.

Quote from silver fox

I am sure without question that Polaris has spent long hours and numerous attempts at creating each and every possible scenario to make the SS as safe as possible for the public. However I still believe more studies need to be done to help alleviate the violent actions that slingshots go through when they hydroplane with one front tire.

Sent from my iPhone using Polaris Slingshot Forum mobile app

I am sure they already know the answer and that is why in the owners manual it tells you that the stability control does not work in hydroplaning conditions. If they admitted that the stability control was is what is causing the spins then they could be held liable for damages etc. In their defense, it's in the owners manual, they warned you! Sooner or later there will be an accident with serious and costly enough consequences that an ambulance chasing lawyer will take the case to court and force the issue to be resolved. For now, if there is the possibility of standing water I turn it all off. jes my .o2

Thanks for opening this topic up for discussion, it has motivated me to do more research and help me realize that I really did not understand how the traction control/electronic stability program systems actually work. Even though so far we have not had much issue with hydroplaning with the Grasshopper, we now realize that it has had more to do with our defensive driving skills and experience in such situations rather than any ESP intervention, and now I can see how that intervention can actually be detrimental in a hydroplaning situation. What have I insisted on when encountering a hydroplaning situation, stay off the brakes? What does the ESP do in such a situation, apply brakes?

Duh!

From now on if there is water starting to stand on the road, we too will be turning the ESP off!

Thanks folks!

Bill

Oh, a fun little added note, the ESP indicator light is suppose to flash as the system is actually engaging, right? Now, when under such situations, who is watching for that indicator light?

Hold the button down until both systems are off, about 3 seconds

Quote from wjfyfe

Thanks for opening this topic up for discussion, it has motivated me to do more research and help me realize that I really did not understand how the traction control/electronic stability program systems actually work. Even though so far we have not had much issue with hydroplaning with the Grasshopper, we now realize that it has had more to do with our defensive driving skills and experience in such situations rather than any ESP intervention, and now I can see how that intervention can actually be detrimental in a hydroplaning situation. What have I insisted on when encountering a hydroplaning situation, stay off the brakes? What does the ESP do in such a situation, apply brakes?

Duh!

From now on if there is water starting to stand on the road, we too will be turning the ESP off!

Thanks folks!

Bill

Oh, a fun little added note, the ESP indicator light is suppose to flash as the system is actually engaging, right? Now, when under such situations, who is watching for that indicator light?

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We do have this one pet peeve about the SlingShot where we wish that they would have manufactured it much simpler without all the electronic gizmos and gadgets! I know, we are in the minority where folks today seem to think that they need all of this ju........cra.......stuff!

Whine over!

(It is heartening to know that it has probably been our "old fashioned" training and experience that has been the prime reason for keeping the Grasshopper shiny side up! )

Bill

Good discussion. Had not thought about the EAP aggravating the hydroplaning issue.

I have not had the spin out but have experienced the disturbing back side wiggle in the wet. I simply backed off the go pedal and slowed down. Will seriously consider shutting the system down in the wet.

Sent from my iPhone using Polaris Slingshot Info

Another little something that I am reminded of with our wet weather approaching is that make sure those tires have ample pressure in them, hydroplaning is aggravated by underinflated tires...................

Bill