Nissan 370Z Forum - Poor Handeling In The Rain

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- - Poor Handeling In The Rain (http://www.the370z.com/wheels-tires/71004-poor-handeling-rain.html)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chuck33079 (Post 2308243)

Were you being chased?

No, this is NJ. We all drive like a$$holes.

Oh. Makes perfect sense.

The stock tires have very disappointing wear and wet weather performance IMO. My Nitto Invos have excellent wet weather performance. In fact, that was one of the main reasons I tried them out in the first place and was a friend's recommendation. My experience with the rear wheels was good enough to replace all four tires with them in my last tire change.

The other option is to slow down :tup:

A few weeks ago I spun out on a highway in a rain that I never had a problem with before. Quite frightening. At one point I was heading south facing north. I'm still surprised and grateful that I didn't hit anyone or thing . Ended up facing south on the left hand shoulder. The tires were " new " Kumho Exta all season.( 18 k miles ). But due to the camber of the car the rears were worn in the center. The front show no sign of wear.
New rubber on order, but like an airplane pilot we should check the tires before each trip.
Damn scary that I could have been the " other guy " who caused an accident and hurt someone.
40 years of driving and this was the first time it ever happened.
The tire store told me this kind of wear is very common to the Zs' and G 37s'.
How can I recommend my guardian angel for a promotion and a fat raise! : )

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigT (Post 2308235)

I'm on stock tires and stock suspension and have done upwards of 80mph in a bad rain storm. Its all about technique. I wouldn't try to accelerate/pass as if it was dry out and I would definitely would give a few extra car lengths to the car in front of you.

Agree I'm running 305's and don't have any problem. But then again, I've been driving for a LOT of years!

Car hydroplanes, slow to safe speed. Sounds like the OP got it exactly right. Every car on the road has its breaking point...... Why go out and spend Crazy dollars on new tires so you can go 100mph in the rain?

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigT (Post 2308246)

No, this is NJ. We all drive like a$$holes.

you would be passed on a Illinois highway LOL:driving:

Quote:

Originally Posted by jlo370z (Post 2317674)

you would be passed on a Illinois highway LOL:driving:

And Florida!

All sporty rear-wheel drive cars should come with a free half-day session of wet and dry runs on a skip-pad and a little slalom course prior to delivery. Imagine how many more lives that would save than yet another factory safety equipment regulation :P

I have a similar issue in really heavy rain in the Z which I don't have in my Camry. Purely due to tire width and type I'm pretty sure, but still, I had to make two such trips from Nashville to Knoxville. Slowest, most stressful road trips of my life. I was going 40 or below while everyone else was still doing above speed limit.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DarkJak (Post 2318042)

Tire width and the fact that your Camry is FWD and the engine's weight is all on the front

Just wait until you add more power... I actually dont drive my 370z in the rain but my 350z was like driving a 600hp car on dry pavement in the rain so it was a little slippery but learning how to control the tires slipping is the best part.

Quote:

Originally Posted by cossie1600 (Post 2308144)

He is on stock tires. What do u expect. They r garbage. I have done 100 in the rain, car was solid

100 in the rain is not smart.:facepalm:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chuck33079 (Post 2306412)

OP, narrower tires are better in rain and snow. The only time wider helps is on dry pavement. You're spreading the weight of the car over a larger contact patch, resulting in less weight pressing the tire down per square inch of contact patch.

Incorrect - contact patch area is based on car weight and tire pressure - a narrow tire has a different shape than a wide tire, but same area and same force per square inch = tire pressure.

It is the shape of the contact patch that makes the difference - think forcing a toy boat through water frontwards or sideways to see the difference.

Quote:

Originally Posted by amytorres5946 (Post 2306394)

Hi, I just took my car out in the crazy rain for the first time and I felt like I was going to crash. I only have 3200mi on the car so the tires are brand new. The suspension is stock with the exception of Eibach Pro Kit which has been great.

I can't believe the car handled so poorly in the rain. I had enough time to accelerate and get into the fast lane, only doing about 55mph, and I had to turn the hazards on and get into the slow lane where at 40mph the car was still struggling. It felt like I was hydroplaning no matter what I did, the back end was trying to slip around and worst my VDC didn't feel the need to join the fun. It was pretty embarrassing to see little Honda CRVs and coups doing the speed limit while I sat in the slow lane wondering my brand new PREFORMANCE car can't keep up. :(

Could this be the stock tires? Someone posted that the wider tires in the rain get less traction but that doesn't make sense since on dry surfaces the wider tires means more surface area to stick to.

:ugh2: experienced similar prob last summer. Kenchan told me new tires have a mold release agent on them. This means they are slick as snot when wet. I had no idea at the time.
I tracked my car three weeks ago (tires now have10k) in the rain and it held track very well for the speed (no more than 70, ikr. Slow. But i didn't want to crash my Z). Anyway, burn some rubber off then hopefully it will be better.