Hydroplaning is real

    Ive hydroplaned doing 30. Slowed down in a rain storm. Was going fine then boom sideways in the grass. I don't think it helps that the front tires direct water towards the middle at the back tire. And all the oil and crap sits in the middle of the lane.

    Quote from chad warren

    its has the tire pressure on the roll cage of the SS on the driver side. Its on a black sticker about the size of a business card.

    chad I have those numbers. Was curious with the different tires

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    2015 SL (Yellow) Traded becuase it kept melting

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    @Gadgeteer, glad you all made it thru your instance with minimal injuries. I'm kinda curious like @harleyujoe when it comes your thoughts on the 4 point harness issue. Seems like a lot of us have recently installed them and some of us are looking seriously about installing them in the near future, any thoughts on the subject?

    I like the harnesses. But 2 things they limit your movement to look around. And in everyday driving and traffic that can be a pain. Also in accidents involving harnesses compared to regular seatbelts the are pros and cons. I'm talking in everyday driving not on a race track. Oh yea and 3rd if you have little ones ride shotgun harnesses really won't work because of the size.

    No running stock tires. But I don't think it matters. The design of the SS and the weight are always going to make it susceptible to hydroplaning. There are a couple people on here that have spun out in the rain. I will not drive in the rain in my SS if I don't have to.

    I wonder if riding in rain it would be better to have left front closer to center of lane to allow rear
    wheel to stay out of center oil patch.
    I did this with smaller Triking and JZR but SS being larger may be hard to do.
    But if I get caught in rain will give it a shot and not drive so fast with off center in lane.
    Something to think about.

    Quote from Tripod

    @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!!!

    Thanks, Tripod! Since I just got back from the Smokies, I won't be able to make it to SSIS, but yes, it is delightfully twisty and warrants extra caution, even in dry conditions. The back roads are a blast and very lightly traveled, but there are plenty of blind turns that can hide all manner of things. Heavily traveled routes, especially the Tail of the Dragon (a must for any SS owner), I recommend triple caution. I made the mistake of cutting a blind outside curve too tight and crossed the double-yellow. Almost took out a Harley coming the other way and had to jerk the wheel to avoid. Totally my bad and I can only hope the other guy can forgive me for giving him a scare. Honestly, the most dangerous part of driving a SS is that handles so well that it tricks you into pushing it past the true limits of the vehicle, road conditions, and your skill. Those of us used to riding two-wheelers have a small advantage over the four-wheel drivers, due to training and experience, but as I've found, we are still very susceptible to overestimating those limits.


    All SS drivers, take heed: No matter how confident you feel driving an SS, when (not if) something goes wrong it will not handle like a car or a motorcycle, but somewhere in between.


    "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

    Harley (and others),
    Happy to share and I apologize for my difficulty with being brief. I try, but it just gets away from me. :D Each of the following paragraphs is an answer to each of your questions, in order:


    I've never had the opportunity to ride with a 4 pt. belt, so I can't really judge by anything more than assumptions. So, I would assume 4pt belts may have helped reduce bruising simply because of the greater surface area to distribute shock from the impact. However, any belt is better than none and 3pt's do their job well. Also, keep in mind that even if they are better for impact, they can be a hinderance the rest of the time. I've heard from others, and there's a post here that agrees, 4pt belts limit your ability to move, almost completely. On the track, that's a good thing because of the directional forces put on your body, plus everyone is looking out for each other, so your primary focus can remain forward. On the street, it's everyone for themselves and your ability to move (lean forward, look over your shoulder, etc.) becomes a higher priority.


    To my surprise, the wife was very calm after the initial shock. As soon as we stopped moving, she was scrabbling with the seatbelt to get out. I put my hand on her leg and told her to sit still, relax, and assess her physical condition. This gives the mind something useful to focus on instead of the useless terror of whatever could have happened. Once we verified all parts were still attached and functional, we got out and cooled our heels waiting for someone to stop and assist. My phone was out of juice and when she tried to call 911 on hers, they couldn't hear her, so all we could was wait. After someone stopped and called for assistance, we were waiting for the police or tow truck and she said she was not as rattled as she thought she would be either and felt no fear about getting back in an SS. She also admitted that she probably would feel much differently if we were on our 2-wheeler.


    Before the accident, I felt the stock tires performed adequately, even in the rain. In this case, I'm not sure if different tires would have helped. If anything, better tires may have fooled me into being even less careful than I was. One thing I noticed with the stock rubber, as I was driving through the winter, is that they were noticeably less grippy in the cold. I'm assuming that is due to the compound becoming stiffer and harder. A "better" tire would probably remain flexible at lower temps, so it could handle more consistently whether the rubber was warm or cold. Since rain is great at cooling your tires, well... Still, in my case, the bigger issue was the water was just too deep for the tread and the vehicle too light to overcome the difference to maintain contact. Keep in mind, we were going straight with almost no torque (spinning or dragging) on the rear tire.


    Once I'm back in an SS, I will have no issue pulling a trailer. My little rig handled like a champ and like many others have noted, most of time you never feel like your pulling a trailer. Differences of acceleration and braking were barely noticeable. Of course, we're talking about relatively light weight loads, too. The only time I actually felt the trailer was when I hit the brakes too suddenly and felt the connector thump against the ball. In that instance, I did need a little more brake pressure to counter the weight shift, but not enough to cause concern.


    Finally, I running on manufacturer spec. tire pressure. I generally trust that they've already worked out the best setup for general use. In the future, I will still ride in the rain, I will just be paying more attention to water depth and speed. I can't say how fast I would drive because it would depend on too many variables. Even using posted limit as a baseline, I couldn't say -5 or -10 because it would vary depending on weather, road surface, lighting, fatigue, etc. This is one of those things that Motorcycle Safety programs harp on: read the road and adjust accordingly. For 4-wheelers, you always hear "drive gently" or "be cautious" or some other vague suggestion. This is one of the reasons I am a vocal supporter of Motorcycle Safety programs. In one weekend, I learned more than years of driving experience could teach me. The principles and techniques being taught will help you be a better driver, no matter how many wheels you're rolling on.


    Hope that helps. Ride safe!


    "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 , Glad to hear you two are alright.


    Got our first taste if rain handling today here in Manitoba. Been raining for the past 2 days, and I had an appointment on my day off to run my SS into the dealer to get a service and our new hood bumpers put on (finally and warranty approved, yay). Had to get the oil change today, no choice, because I am traveling to Jackson, Ohio next week just as soon as I am off duty. Anyway ... Lots of standing water in puddles here & there. Plus some construction areas where they have laid one lane of asphalt but that leaves a ridge to hold water.


    So, after reading some of the tales of different people's experiences, I decided to do my own 'research' and dip into a couple on purpose. That rear tire breaks loose so easily. However, I was comforted to know that at speeds of 65 or less, I did not loose the traction in the front end. Has this been everyone's experience as well? I am sure my wife thought I was simply trying to soak her on purpose.


    But everyone is completely correct..... that rear end breaking loose does not feel like any other vehicle I have driven. Adds a whole new level of pucker factor.

    Someone should go to an autocross or a parking lot the next time it rains and try and find a big puddle. Then try and get the Slingshot to spin reliably. That way, it can be tried with and without Traction/Stability control on, less/more tire pressure, etc. I can't believe Polaris hasn't done this (or worse, they did, and know darn well the results)!

    Remember that it is not the amount of water on the road but the timing and conditions. When the rain has been coming down a few minutes is loosens the oils on the surface and causes the first tricky slicky condition. Dead dinosaurs and water don't mix. Hydroplaning is the stage 2 threat condition and as a SS owner I might buy stock in Depends.

    Yeah, I too have had depends moments. None since getting better tires. But this gives me pause. @Gadgeteer knows what he is doing. Kudos for sharing the story.


    Nuts to turning off traction control. Just my opinion, but pretty darn sure that is a bad idea. Really bad.


    Will echo the gadget dude 2x. Read the road and adjust accordingly. And MSF classes rock, if you don't want to die. More so if you put someone in the passenger seat.

    Quote from chad warren

    It was a down pour. Ej ford was behind me and spun out also. Ej has spun out a couple times I believe.

    Never 'lost' it, but had a few slips and slides, always managed to keep the
    Slingshot between the T-poles... Few brown spots on the seat...


    Slow down and be very attentive when in the rain...light or heavy....