scary experience.

I usually don't mess around with switching modes and i usually drive it in normal mode so i am trying to see if snow/wet mode would have prevented this?

Anyway its raining here in atlanta and i wanted to go pick up some food. I was doing about 40ish in 45mph and i might have stepped on the gas just a tad bit higher as i was passing a car going in same direction as me all of a sudden my car started going to the left... Toward the car that was in the left lane going in same direction. I came within inches of hitting it and ended up somehow turning my car to the right but then it started going toward the curb/sidewalk.

Luckily there was a opening an exit from the shopping center so i actually went partially in the opening and manage to correct the car before the curb started again. It was seriously a miracle because i actually would have hit the curb and probably rally messed up my rims/tires and who knows what if the opening wasnt there.

Lucklly i stayed cool didnt break hard or anything crazy like that just took my foot of the gas and look to swerve and correct the car. Not trying to tout my driving skills but i would say most drivers would have ended up crashing in that situation and its a miracle i didnt end up crashing :bow:

Paint drawing for reference because its kinda hard to explain

i have been driving since i was 16 and i am now 28 and never experienced something like this so i am trying to determine did this happen because i was driving a 430 hp beast or just a simple case of hydroplaning?

Needless to say i will be switching to that snow/wet mode anytime its raining now. After it happened i switched to snow/wet mode and wanted to :hide:

edit: I was going straight and my tires are in really good condition i dont do burnouts or any of that stuff.

wide tires,light weight cars and rain don]t mix.caused by trying to speed up past the car? Atlanta roads leave a lot to be desired anyway. Before retiring brought my managers to alt monthy for meetings

 

Same thing happened to me coming off an on-ramp the first week I had the car. I always use Snow/Wet mode now when it's raining now... Almost put it in a wall. Light rear ends don't help keep that HP on the pavement, which is why FWD vehicles outperform RWD in adverse conditions.


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FWD cars outperform RWD cars in adverse conditions because they are made to be driven all season. They have narrow tires with taller sidewalls and all-season tread.

Put 9" wide drag radials on any fwd car and it will be the same **** as when people try driving their mustangs in the snow when they are all set up for summer.

My car has a 47/53 weight distribution. The "light rear end" theory can only account for so much, you know?


Have you ever driven a 2wd pickup in the snow?

 

Still running the stock tires? I experienced hydroplaning on the stock tires that came with my Mustang. I had a nice conversation with my tire person who steered me towards a good performance AND rain tire. At the same speeds, I did not experience the hydroplaning again.

 

So did you Scotch-guard your seats?

 

Scary Experience.


I have been driving since i was 16 and i am now 28 and never experienced something like this so i am trying to determine did this happen because i was driving a 430 HP beast or just a simple case of hydroplaning?

EDIT: I was going straight and my tires are in really good condition i dont do burnouts or any of that stuff.

You have a performance car with relatively wide & flat performance tires and stiff suspension. This is specialized for dry pavement and aggressive driving. When you specialize, you sacrifice in other areas.

That hydroplaning would never have happened if you had narrower commuter car rims/tires on your car. that had all-season tread.

Tire width and diameter affect the car's wet/snowy condition performance greatly. I live in Wisconsin and 4 out of the 5 cars I have owned were rear wheel drive. I've never been stuck or been in an accident. Tire and rim selection combined with driving skills.

 

I'd guess maybe some fresh oil or something was floating on the OP's road. Anyway not good! What I find helps is near stock tire width with tread depth, correct tire pressure (low makes it really worse) & gentle throttle. The electronics can't change physics but will help keep you pointed when the traction comes back.

 

Miami here--tons of rain in the summer, and yes, always engage the snow/wet mode. Exact same thing happened to me in my 2011 GT some years ago, and I fortunately ended up in the grass median of a large highway. Nowadays I drive extra cautiously in the wet. This car has a lot of power and the tires and electronics can only do so much.


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I was lucky. Yesterday we had our first rain. After the first red light, I eased, I mean really eased, the clutch into first and the rear began sliding into the right turn lane. Clutch in, realigned my turn going about 3 mph, and toggled to wet snow. Yeah. It's a beast. Going to use that from now on.


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You'll have to excuse me but this is the first of heard of "snow/wet mode". Couldn't find anything in my owners manual on it.

Shouldn't the electronic stability control (AdvanceTrac®) kick in when this happens? That's if you can feel it in a case like this.

Oops! this is the '15 section. forget the first comment.

 

Ummmmm, am i missing something? How do I engage the mode in a 14 gt? I've been through every setting and do not recall seeing this. Please advise.

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You are missing the fact that this is for 2015 plus cars

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I already noticed first hand how just having the cooler air negatively affects the grip of these tires, let alone rain or snow. Here in Pennsylvania we can usually get plenty of chances to encounter snow/ice driving conditions, and there were a few times last winter if not having my 4WD truck, I wasn't going anywhere. I'm fortunate enough to not have to drive my GT in the rain, and definitely not the snow/ice.

 

OK so i am not crazy lol...i def noticed that here in Atlanta tires have much less traction when its cold UNTIL they heat up.

I cant even imagine driving my car in Snow lol.

 

Anything below 30 and my tires are useless the first 10 miles.

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The stock Pirelles are horrible in the rain. I experienced quite a bit of hydroplaning in my '12 PP V6 with the stock tires. I switched to BFG Sport Comp 2's and they were so much better. Now, I'm back with the Pirelles because that's what came on my '16. I drive very carefully in the rain, especially now that I have a ton more HP and torque.

Jeremy
2016 Ruby Red PP GT

 

Stock tires and anything other than a feather touch on the accelerator will definately make the rear end want to jump out on you. Welcome to RWD cars and rain/snow.

 

Welcome to Ford Motors using cheap Pirelli AS tires.

 

No pirelli on mine, Goodyear Eagles


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You need 4-wheel/ AWD.
Try added more weight to the trunk.
Best solution is to give me your car, & buy an AWD minivan.
Yup...

 

I have the performance package with pirelli tires.
Lived in oregon for the first couple months of owning my '16 during the winter. For you oregon people i was in Astoria. Rains almost every day.

The only time i experienced any lose of control was if i came out of a corner from a stop.

The wet/snow does ease your driving when it's raining. I used it a few times and found it great if it's really raining. Otherwise try to keep your foot off the gas and/or light.

 

Don't they do "summer only tires" on the performance packages?

 

Pirelli p zeros, i'm too lazy to look it up. I'm guessing it's summer. I would expect as much anyways.

When i got my '12 focus i had the sport package and it came with summer tires as well. I was in oregon... No reason to have summer tires. So it can't be a geographical thing.

 

I guess i'm much like the guy from Wisconsin... I drive up here in RI all the time in the rain. I used to drive a 94GT to work every day in snow, WITH SUMMER TIRES on it just for the added challenge of keeping it straight! hahaha but yeah, to say a FWD is any better than a RWD is total nonsense, most people just don't have to figure out how to drive without traction... (anyone else feel like Doc Hudson in the Cars movie trying to teach Lightning Mcqueen to drive in dirt lol)

Anyway OP, I tend to drive the same route every day, and i learn where the hydroplaning spots are... I know when i lived in SC, the roads would pool up pretty fast so it's much harder to predict down yonder, but yeah you can learn where the road fills up... I never turn it on cuz i can't stand the lack of power... I can't even take off properly because it slugs the engine down so much, so i just keep it in normal in rain. BUT i HAVE tried it while driving, and only thing i have ever noticed, is it's twice as hard to pass someone lol

Everything you read here about this is all true, it's the nature of wide tires. you can do the same thing with 35" mud terrains on a 4x4 pickup cuz their typically about 13" wide too. so yeah, my only advice is when it's raining, only pass if you have a perfect straight shot and plenty of time to do it.

 

In other words, learn to drive?

 

Rofl "learn to drive" and "learn to drive multiple machines way outside their normal operating ranges" are a little different

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So I put my car in wet/snow and it does help. What I think it's doing is taking the power down a little bit. If you put it in snow/wet, punch it, and you'll notice the slight difference in power.

 

Well I know how to drive, Thank You. But my S.O. is another story, on a long trip we hit rain. The Snow/Wet mode is worth every cent they put into it. :thumb:

 

I never said you don't know how to drive. But it's certainly possible that you haven't operated many different machines outside their normal operating ranges.
And yeah, my girl can't drive a standard and that's what I bought lol

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I do agree people need to learn to drive but I will say most FWD cars are MUCH better in the snow. I had a 97 Dodge Intrepid and that thing was like a tank in the snow.


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My focus was the same way.
FWD is preferred because of that reason, better handling.