Water Skiing On Four Wheels (1978)

traction the adhesion to the earth that permits us to start moving to turn and to stop when we lose this traction well [Music] [Music] reduce traction a condition that often exists on roadways that calls for special driving skills and an adjustment of normal driving habits each year in the United States about 3 million accidents occur on wet roads at least 35 percent of these three million accidents can be assumed to involve skidding as a primary or secondary cause there are a number of different situations that can contribute to reduced traction situations where the needed gripping power of the tires exceeds the traction available on the road surface this can result in increased stopping distance loss of directional stability and loss of operator control the tires on your car have a great deal to do with the amount of traction you have which of these two cars do you think will stop in the shortest distance on dry paper car number one that has radial tires with good tread or car number two that is equipped with well worn tires demonstrations prove that a car with well-worn or smooth tires will stop in a shorter distance on dry pavement many people believe that the tread on tires is for traction on dry pavement not so actually the tire treads main job besides reducing operating temperature and provide long term Eiling is providing traction on wet surfaces if it were possible to drive only on completely dry pavement and you didn't care about tread mileage slick tires would be great but let's try the same stopping demonstration with the two cars on wet bid and you will readily see that slicks or worn treads just don't do the job on wet surfaces a wet weather weekend and a road race will also prove the reduced attraction of slicks on wet surfaces even top race drivers don't look forward to driving in wet weather the reason for this is that the slicks float on the water losing contact with the pavement this loss of traction is known as aquaplaning commonly called hydroplaning when this occurs you can actually lose control of your car when just cruising down a straight stretch of road dynamic hydroplane is the result of water penetrating between tires and the pavement this causes water pressure which can raise a portion of the tire off the pavement the pressure increases with increased vehicle speed until the tire can be completely supported by water and actually be floating at this point the driver loses nearly all control [Music] treaded tires are able to maintain traction between the tire and pavement by channeling the water through the tread grooves in some locations pavements have been grooved somewhat similar to tires to provide greater traction under wet weather conditions regardless of the condition of the tires that are on your car hitting the brakes on wet pavement can instantly turn your car into a giant water-ski and the more ball the tires are the better they ski in this demonstration at a test track a vehicle traveling at 55 miles per hour will pass over a plate of glass covered with only 80 thousandths of an inch of water a green dye in the water permits a high-speed camera mounted below to show you holliness water pressure prevents a partially worn tire from making any contact with the road anytime the water is deeper than the tread depth on your tires hydroplaning can occur complete hydroplaning with a total loss of traction needed for steering and braking can occur at speeds as low as 30 miles per hour actually at even lower speeds partial hydroplaning occurs and is a more common happening which can be every bit as dangerous as complete hydroplaning when it first starts to rain a gooey paste forms on the highway and causes a viscous type of hydroplaning this happens when the first drops of water combined with the dirt dust oil and grease on the road surface and can be slicker than an ice-skating rink and even when heavy rains wash away in much of the muck don't forget that wet pavement is slicker than dry pavement and wet rubber provides less traction than dry rubber viscous hydroplaning can occur without rain a little Dew from the damp night air is all that's needed to take away your traction think about this when you're out driving during the we hours to sum it all up hydroplaning occurs when the condition of the tire tread tire inflation pressure speed of the car and water depth on the road are combined in such a way that the tire loses contact with the road and how can you avoid the dangerous and hair-raising experience of hydroplaning into a wild skin first of all drive on tires that have an open wide groove tread design that lets the water escape quickly and not build up in front the tires low-profile tires have more tread on the road surface and provide for safe and sure handling under nearly all road conditions however with more rubber on a wet road the tire will more readily get up on top of the water some people think that if you met some air out of your tires you'll get better traction on wet pavement actually it's just the opposite if you use maximum recommended tire pressure a car isn't as likely to hydroplane at lower speeds for example with only 16 pounds of pressure your tires could hydroplane at about 41 miles per hour with 24 pounds of pressure the hydroplaning speed is increased to over 50 miles per hour with 32 pounds of pressure under the same conditions your tires wouldn't hydroplane until you were traveling over 58 miles per hour so use maximum recommended inflation for safer driving on wet pavement also try to match your tires so that those with similar tread groove depth are on the same axle if you do hydroplane you may as well do it straight ahead the most important rule to follow and driving under any reduced traction situation is to reduce your speed to fit the road conditions so you can control your vehicle during all driving maneuvers consider that the entire stopping and turning control of several thousand pounds is dependent on only four contact areas with the road each about the size of a man's hand the faster you drive the less traction and control you have be a smooth driver try to maintain an even speed and steady path of travel any increase or decrease in speed or any change in direction may well result in the skid the more abruptly you make any of these changes the more likely you are to skid if the steering wheel begins to feel loose or your tires make a flushing sound your tires are starting to hydroplane this is the time to gradually let up on the accelerator and stay away from the brakes watch for standing water or puddles especially on curves when you see patches of water while the water is deep enough to cover the unevenness of the pavement assume that there's enough for hydroplaning drive toward the center of the road where it is normally higher the water not as deep this also keeps you away from the shoulders that are often soft muddy deep water should be avoided if possible if you must cross a deep area drive at a slow steady speed to avoid water pile up in front of the vehicle which could drown out your ignition apply gentle and steady brake pressure with the left foot to help prevent the brakes from getting wet when you are out of the deep water check your brakes if they need drying depress the brakes gently for a few seconds with your left foot while accelerating tire weights are the tracks left on wet pavement by a vehicle in front of you drive in these tire wipes and you'll have a drier surface and better traction in all cases of reduced traction allow a greater space cushion between your car and other vehicles both to the side and remember our stopping demonstration even the car with new radial tires took almost twice as much stopping distance on wet pavement as on dry pavement passing is one of the most critical maneuvers we make even when road conditions are ideal when you have reduced traction allow a greater than normal space between you and oncoming traffic and above all be patient wait until Road and traffic conditions will allow you to pass safely remember when you start to an intersection or enter a roadway they need more time to make the move whatever the cause of reduced traction might be all drivers sooner or later experience a loss of traction and skidding action of their car if your car does begin to skid remember to steer in the direction that you want the front of the car to go to straighten the car when the rear of the car slides left turn the steering wheel left if the rear of fishtails right in overcorrecting to straighten the car turn the steering wheel right for the safest stop on a reduced fraction surface keep a firm grip on the steering wheel and gently pump the brakes and rapid succession make steering Corrections when you met up on the brake whenever you're on any roadway during conditions of reduced traction throw out the anchor and reduce your speed increase the amount of space cushion between you and other traffic do everything gently remember all of the other drivers on the road are also trying to keep control of their cars under slippery conditions the loss of control by one driver can affect the safety of many others so knowing the condition of your tires learning to judge road conditions and controlling your speed and keep you from the potentially dangerous practice of water skiing on four wheels [Music]