Hydroplaning...

[rydahog]

I'm thinking about this can am rt-s. I want to buy, but, was curious about HYDROPLANE issues with rear wheel?
I ask because here in fl. I have a slingshot and the Florida monsoon rains cause my sling to go wacko..pucker up time.
What about these can ams. ? Same thing..thnx.

 

[Jeriatric]

Like anything else. Ride for the conditions and you'll not have a problem. Some here prefer one tire over another in wet conditions. Personally, I let the conditions dictate how I ride.

 

[canamjhb]

Some tires are better than others at dispersing water. My personal thoughts; little difference between the "best" and "worst" wet weather tires. You may be able to drive a few MPH faster with the best. But no tire can provide good non-hydroplaning driving when you are going too fast. Doesn't matter what kind of vehicle you are driving/riding. Speed=hydroplaning. Lighter vehicles will hydroplane at lower speeds than heavier ones will given the same tire contact patch area. So to answer your question, It depends..... Jim

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

As an LEO, I had a lot of specialized training for accreditation to be a Legal expert in " Accident Investigation ". One of the area's of extensive training was in " Hydroplaning ". I can tell you it is way more complicated than folks realize... I agree Speed probably has the most to do with it.... but one can also Hydroplane at very low speeds, it depends on the conditions ….. I can say that 99.99% of tires can hydroplane …. there isn't a tire made for auto's that won't hydroplane..... The Wet surface tires that they use on Formula One cars probably cost upwards of $1000.00 EACH …. and even they will hydroplane. …. Thankfully the Nanny will keep you out of trouble in most cases, but I still recommend the better wet weather tires that are available. They can be the difference. ….. I also agree that you have the ability to prevent or limit this occurrence …. ride safe - ride happy …. Mike hyea:

 

[ARtraveler]

Yes they do. There used to be a warning page in the owners manual which talks about it.

Speeds over 50 and driving through water more than an inch will usually kick it off.

I had it happen to me twice. The nanny kept things under control. After the second time, I learned well. No further incidents.

 

[PMK]

Living in SoFlo, even with a high grip Yokohama rear tire, riding two up the Spyder has hydroplaned at lower speeds. Yes it slipped the tire and got a bit sideways. I sensed it and worked the throttle, never seeing the Spyders on board Nanny kick in.

This was not a one time event, so it does happen.

If anything, it can be difficult to find good grooves to ride with Spyders narrow front treadwidth and single rear tire. With gullied roads you sometimes must truly pick your line.

More of a concern is the rear tire needing brake on the greased area of the road. Bake that asphalt in the sun all day, get an afternoon show bringing the oil up and simply choose carefully.

 

[spyder01]

I got caught in a nasty downpour on rt 90 leaving Cleveland a few weeks back.Half the cars on the road had their blinkers on and were doing 45.I put my blinkers on and kept up with traffic and had no trouble,but I was very nervous because of some of the stories Ive read here.If I would've been on my GW I would've been under a bridge for sure.

 

[BajaRon]

The Spyder is more prone to hydroplaning than most vehicles. Though from what I've heard, less prone than the Slingshot. I've hydroplaned my Spyder. I watch for it in any wet conditions so it does not take me unaware. I don't think it is any particular problem if you ride sensibly in the rain and keep good, proper rubber on the wheels.

 

[ChicagoSpyder]

I'm thinking about this can am rt-s. I want to buy, but, was curious about HYDROPLANE issues with rear wheel?
I ask because here in fl. I have a slingshot and the Florida monsoon rains cause my sling to go wacko..pucker up time.
What about these can ams. ? Same thing..thnx.

The Can Am doesn't have anywhere close to the amount of pucker up moments that a Slingshot has in dry or wet conditions, if you can launch your Slingshot hard without smoking the rear tire you will have no problem on the Spyder.

 

[PistonBlown]

In normal rain you can actually have fun riding on a Spyder, while at best on a motorbike its a chore and can be downright miserable.

But your right, in very heavy rain when the road starts turning into a shallow lake then like any vehicle the Spyder will aquaplane.

To give an example I had this a number a few times when riding through a tropical cyclone earlier this year. It was 24 hours of torrential rain after a month of dry so the roads were pretty slippery with some flooding. First couple of times aquaplaning it was pretty worrying but actually the Spyder handled it well. There was a few seconds of jarring as nanny got everything under control but it kept its line and didn't drop too much speed in the process i.e. not dangerously so if something was behind you. Only the rear was affected and my choice of tire probably didn't help as I was running a summer performance one on the back. It was just a case of riding to the conditions and letting the 'nanny' do its thing when the rear wheel lost grip.

I have a 2011 RS so I'm guessing the later models probably have a more advanced nanny than mine.

 

[AeroPilot]

Learning to account for road conditions is part of all motoring. Getting experience with low traction conditions allows safer travel with better speeds and stopping control which in short is slower and greateer following distances. Those with experience on ice and snow covered roadways usually have an easier time adjusting to road conditions. Just like with winter conditions, tires also help but the driver adjustments are key.

 

[Bob Denman]

Like anything else. Ride for the conditions and you'll not have a problem. Some here prefer one tire over another in wet conditions. Personally, I let the conditions dictate how I ride.

:agree: :thumbup:
This is the best advice that you'll ever see on this issue! nojoke
Having ridden through quite a few "Toad-Stranglers": the bikes are pretty darn stable, and easy to ride... AS LONG AS you follow that advice!

 

[Spyderlass]

Aquaplaning can be an issue, particularly on the rear of a Spyder because the tyre is very wide for such a light load but tread design has a marked influence on the road speed at which it will happen. Narrower section tyres are at an advantage, as are open tyre treads.

It's important not to confuse aquaplaning with wet road grip. In aquaplaning the tyre leaves the road surface completely by riding up a wedge of water and it then stays on top of that water until a change allows it to penetrate the water and regain road grip.

Whilst slowing and riding to the conditions is good advice, it is still possible to be caught out, say, a shallow flood puddle on a bend or a deeper stream across a road that's not visible in a downpour, this is where a good tyre can save your bacon.

But, a Spyder on a good set of tyres should give you little cause for concern.

 

[AeroPilot]

A couple of nights ago my wife rode through several miles of heavy downpour typical of the afternoon "Pop-up" showers here along the front range... she mentioned numerous cars that had hydroplaned off the roadway and were stuck in the muddy shoulders. I asked if she had much trouble and she said "No I've seen worse.. you just slow down" She was practically dry by the time she rode the rest of the 10 miles home on her commute.

Current tires are the General Altimax at 14,000 miles and Federal Formoza fronts at 8,600 miles on her F3T