Hydroplaning is real

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Its still my personal belief that under certain circumstances the traction control has no idea how to handle three wheels ......

The common thing in almost all of the hydroplaning accounts is that all the sudden, without warning, it was sideways .... not spinning..not directionally challenged, but sideways.....

Those who have been here from the beginning should remember that the Slingshot initial launch was delayed by what ..... a glitch in the stability control and front end camber set up that showed up when one front wheel hit a rut full of water freaking out the system causing a spin ......

Anything more than a damp road and I can wait .... like many older performance cars it just sometimes gets stupid in the wet and will bite if you push your luck...

DISCLAIMER EDIT : Do not take my comments as supporting turning off the traction control ... I do not

So for somebody simple like me if its raining any in Maggie Valley we get out of the rain and consume mass quantities of your favorite libation. Sounds like a win rain or shine to me

@Gadgeteer, welcome to the party! Glad to see/hear/read you and your wife are all in one piece. As you have probably already figured out...This IS the place to be.

Quote from Orangeman

Those who have been here from the beginning should remember that the Slingshot initial launch was delayed by what ..... a glitch in the stability control and front end camber set up that showed up when one front wheel hit a rut full of water freaking out the system causing a spin ......

Now THERE'S an interesting bit of history I wasn't aware of.

For @Orangeman and everyone else who says not to disable traction control....why do you say that? In my pea brain, if the traction control is tapping the brakes when it feels a spin at the start of the hydroplane, which would make the scenario worse, why not remove that capability? I don't mean, disable it, and keep on with your cross-country ride. I mean, disable it, and find the nearest overpass. Or watering hole.

Not looking for an argument...trying to get perspectives that I don't have.

Quote from KayTwo

Now THERE'S an interesting bit of history I wasn't aware of.
For @Orangeman and everyone else who says not to disable traction control....why do you say that? In my pea brain, if the traction control is tapping the brakes when it feels a spin at the start of the hydroplane, which would make the scenario worse, why not remove that capability? I don't mean, disable it, and keep on with your cross-country ride. I mean, disable it, and find the nearest overpass. Or watering hole.

Not looking for an argument...trying to get perspectives that I don't have.

it's a good theory, just hard to replicate enough to be able to isolate the issue, and who wants to go first? Plus, hard to advocate turning tc off in already slippery conditions. I think there are more factors at work here also, but they are all easily resolved by parking it.

Quote from KayTwo

For @Orangeman and everyone else who says not to disable traction control....why do you say that?

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Even if it has a fault it still has merit ..... this is what a slide turn into with it off ....

So risk/reward, it is IMO better to leave it on ....

EDIT for clarification ...we are discussing the stability control, not traction control, while they do work together when both are on they are separate systems. You can disable the traction control leaving the stability control functioning. Not sure what effect that may have in the wet and should be fairly safe (and maybe fun) to test out in a big empty parking lot in the wet ....

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Ok, I've seen a few posts that are asking for simplification for riding in the rain, so try this as a good rule of thumb...

1. Don't.

2. If you have to, drive as slow as is reasonable, but don't get rear-ended. You know those annoying people that crawl along with their flashers on? Follow their example.

3. In ANY slippery conditions: don't jerk the steering wheel and keep use a soft touch on the pedals.

4. If you don't have to, but can't resist - good luck.

A couple of folks have asked, "so 55-60 in light rain is ok?" As I said before, I can't advise you on that and neither can anyone else. That is a decision you have to make entirely on your own. The afternoon leading up to my accident, I was doing up to 80m/hr in the rain (don't do that; very stupid on my part), but when I lost it I was doing less than 60. Others have lost it going as slow as 30 m/hr.

Golden Rule: Read the road. In every instance mention so far, someone lost it unexpectedly, and everyone of them (including me) lost it for the same reason. We made a mistake. What mistake was made does not matter. What matters is that a mistake was made. You can blame it on deep water, oil on the road, someone cut you off, or anything you want. However, the fault lies with us because we failed to maintain control. Shit happens, but how you react to that shit is the difference between pass and fail. If someone told you it was ok to do 60 on the highway in the rain and you spin out at 50, who's fault is that? Yours.

These SS's are a different animal than anything we have driven and only been on market for over a year now and a learning curve for sure.
Having owned 3 three wheelers before SS and luv ing every one other than Can Am for being to top heavy for my type of driving.
But the other 2 Triking and JZR both having motorcycle tires I never had the concern of driving them as I do with SS.
But SS is more powerful and more car like than other 3 wheelers that I drove.
So those going to Maggie Valley take your time and if it rains will fight you for underpass space..LOL
See You next week those that are going...Safe Travels

Quote from Gadgeteer

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!

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!

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.

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WOW... glad you both are okay brother...that was one HELL of a ride. I can imagine it happened so darn fast. Also happy you will be riding again soon...very soon hopefully

Just got back from my awesome dealer in WV. Drove out to meet the gadget dude and see him pick up his new sling. Sharp looking blue, with 3 miles on the odometer.

Wouldn't you know it, it rained like crazy on the way back. Twisty hilly two lane roads, can't see, ponding everywhere. I thought I would follow his lead and eat a tree. Very upsetting. Phone kept blasting flash flood alerts. Finally found a safe place to pull over and wait it out.

Hydro planing is real. So is getting buckets of water thrown in your face by oncoming traffic.

Gadget dude is back in the saddle, and we didn't die, so today was a good day.

I'm back and ridin' in style. Thanks, ethermion for convincing me to give Tri County a chance to win my business.

Like I said, a sharp looking ride. Nice. Looks even better in person.

But...... Where is the picture of me?

Quote from Gadgeteer

I'm back and ridin' in style. Thanks, ethermion for convincing me to give Tri County a chance to win my business.

AWSOME brother. Glad your back in the saddle

That color in person is awesome.

Quote from chad warren

That color in person is awesome.

Yes, sir.

Yeah, saw my first White & a Blue one at my dealer here as well. While I still love my Black Pearl, I can't argue that these two don't look just as sharp, just not as nice as mine

Whatever other color you may have, when you see that, you think that you "blue" it

Quote from Gadgeteer

I'm back and ridin' in style. Thanks, ethermion for convincing me to give Tri County a chance to win my business.

Lookin' reeeal good Gadeteer! Congrats.

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Quote from ethermion

Just got back from my awesome dealer in WV. Drove out to meet the gadget dude and see him pick up his new sling. Sharp looking blue, with 3 miles on the odometer.

Wouldn't you know it, it rained like crazy on the way back. Twisty hilly two lane roads, can't see, ponding everywhere. I thought I would follow his lead and eat a tree. Very upsetting. Phone kept blasting flash flood alerts. Finally found a safe place to pull over and wait it out.

Hydro planing is real. So is getting buckets of water thrown in your face by oncoming traffic.

Gadget dude is back in the saddle, and we didn't die, so today was a good day.

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I also bought my SS in WV and got to ride some of the best roads I've ridden in a long time (Alps). I still believe that I own the longest hydroplane event - without a crash. Almost 1/4 mile down an exit ramp, across the intersection and onto the lawn of a hotel. Got a few drinks free and pats on the back - spectacular! I'm glad the lawn was on an uphill slope otherwise I would of been in the lobby.

Don't mean to derail the thread, but dealer did say slings with Polaris engines are in our future. Not happy news.