Cruise Control and Aquaplaning

[Amled]

I'm passing this on to you just in case.
If just one of you have cruise control and don't know about this, then it's well worth it.
Had my car aquaplane on me once, luckily traffic was light and it only lasted a few seconds.
For sheer terror and helplessness try it...ON A CLOSED DRIVING RANGE!!!

NEVER KNEW THIS BEFORE...
I wonder how many people know about this?

A 36-year-old female had an accident several weeks ago and totaled her car. A resident of Kilgore, Texas, she was traveling between Gladewater & Kilgore. It was raining, though
not excessively, when her car suddenly began to hydroplane and literally flew through the air. She was not seriously injured but very stunned at the sudden occurrence!

When she explained to the highway patrolman what had happened he told her something that every driver should know - NEVER DRIVE IN THE RAIN WITH YOUR CRUISE CONTROL ON - . She had thought she was being cautious by setting the cruise control and maintaining a safe consistent speed in the rain. But the highway patrolman told her that if the
cruise control is on and your car begins to hydro-plane --
when your tires lose contact with the pavement, your car will accelerate to a higher rate of speed and you take off like an airplane. She told the patrolman that was exactly what had occurred.

The patrolman said this warning should be listed, on the driver's seat sun-visor - NEVER USE THE CRUISE CONTROL WHEN THE PAVEMENT IS WET OR ICY, along with the airbag warning. We tell our teenagers to set the cruise control and drive a safe speed - but we don't tell them to use the cruise control only when the pavement is dry. The only person the accident victim found, who knew this (besides the patrolman), was a man who had had a similar accident, totaled his car and sustained severe injuries.

NOTE: Some vehicles when the windshield wipers are on, you can not set the cruise control. Like the Toyota Sienna Limited XLE is one of them.

[Debbie]

Had this happen to me on ice - once. Learned then, never ever to use cruise control in that situation.

[Parihaka]

Noted. My latest car is the only one I've had with this function, I'll keep it in mind, thanks Amled

[omon]

i have driven all my cars with cc on in any weather, never had any problem. all you need to do is tap on the break as soon as you feel car acting wierd.
many people think that cc is like autopilot. you gotta know how to use one right way.
one of my cars would shut off cc as i click turn indicator, i tought that was made like that, untill i found a broken wire.

[gunnut]

Interesting...that could be a problem of older cruise controls. Newer cruise controls monitor the speed of the car rather than engine RPM. Some will actually use brakes to slow down the car if cutting back gas is not enough.

[ArmchairGeneral]

Originally Posted by omon

i have driven all my cars with cc on in any weather, never had any problem. all you need to do is tap on the break as soon as you feel car acting wierd.
many people think that cc is like autopilot. you gotta know how to use one right way.
one of my cars would shut off cc as i click turn indicator, i tought that was made like that, untill i found a broken wire.

You have to be careful putting on the brakes when you're on cruise control. We were driving to Florida, had cc on, ran into a thunderstorm, put on the brakes, not hard or anything, just to slow down, and BAM! we were out of control, spinning around, on to the medium and almost in to the other lane. It was kinda fun, actually. Scary, but fun. I was more scared when my dad had to cross the interstate to find a garage. So, unless absolutely neccessary, it's probably best to just let off the gas. The most dangerous time for hydroplaning is right after the rain starts, because the water and the oily crap on the roadway make a slick film on the asphalt.

And if you're in winter weather and run into ice, DO NOT tap on your brakes. Just let off the gas, slowly. It's rather incredible how easy it is to lose control on ice.

[Horrido]

My sister's hyrdoplaning event was rather poetic... Brown '79 Volvo sedan sliding off a sharply curving highway exit with the stereo playing Presidents of the US' song "We Are Not Going to Make It" at the line:

"We're not gonna make it
Oh, no!
We're not gonna make it

Cause we don't have the talent
And we don't have the time..."

And they were right: She took out two posted notices and a road sign. Still amazed at how it only left a little dent on the roof as the billboard sailed over as she slid under.

[omon]

Originally Posted by ArmchairGeneral

You have to be careful putting on the brakes when you're on cruise control. We were driving to Florida, had cc on, ran into a thunderstorm, put on the brakes, not hard or anything, just to slow down, and BAM! we were out of control, spinning around, on to the medium and almost in to the other lane. It was kinda fun, actually. Scary, but fun. I was more scared when my dad had to cross the interstate to find a garage. So, unless absolutely neccessary, it's probably best to just let off the gas. The most dangerous time for hydroplaning is right after the rain starts, because the water and the oily crap on the roadway make a slick film on the asphalt.

And if you're in winter weather and run into ice, DO NOT tap on your brakes. Just let off the gas, slowly. It's rather incredible how easy it is to lose control on ice.

no man i meant tap on the break to shut cc off, of course you don't want to hit it hard in the rain.

[highsea]

I have never heard of a car "taking off like an airplane", but I had an interesting time landing a 172 in a microburst one time.

I touched down just as the rain hit, and as I started to apply the brakes the plane just went sideways on me. I was fortunate to still be going fast enough to have decent rudder authority, and straightened out without mishap. But it was a very odd feeling skidding down the runway sideways at 60 kts. in a rented Cessna. All I could think was ground loop, and that's not a pleasant thought.

I was foolish to try to beat the squall, I saw it coming and should have just waited for it to pass over. Dumb.

That was the longest rollout I ever did, lol. My normal habit was to take the taxiway at midfield, but I used the whole 3100' that day.

[ArmchairGeneral]

Originally Posted by omon

no man i meant tap on the break to shut cc off, of course you don't want to hit it hard in the rain.

Yes, but even then you have to be careful. It really doesn't take much at all sometimes to lose control. When we hydroplaned, my dad had just barely put on the brakes and we started sliding. And again, never tap on the brakes if you run into ice.

[ArmchairGeneral]

Originally Posted by highsea

But it was a very odd feeling skidding down the runway sideways at 60 kts. in a rented Cessna.

Now you know how those B-52 pilots feel when they land in a strong crosswind.

[omon]

Originally Posted by ArmchairGeneral

Yes, but even then you have to be careful. It really doesn't take much at all sometimes to lose control. When we hydroplaned, my dad had just barely put on the brakes and we started sliding. And again, never tap on the brakes if you run into ice.

can't diagree with that. but the most dengerous thing on the road is black ice, looks just like wet payvment, can't really tell apart. occures when slightly wet road freezes, so i was told by a cop. never seen it in nyc,(sanitation dept. dumps a lot of salt on the roads before water freezes), but where roads are not salted, watch out.

[J`ve]

Wierd. When you brake while CC is on, it must be deactivated automatically and when your car fly over the water , your car doesnt touch the ground. if your car does not touch the ground, you cant change speed or direction.
as i know.

[glyn]

Originally Posted by J`ve

Wierd. When you brake while CC is on, it must be deactivated automatically and when your car fly over the water , your car doesnt touch the ground. if your car does not touch the ground, you cant change speed or direction.
as i know.

We might be unable to change speed and direction, but something does it for us on unfortunate occasion. Fate? Lap of the Gods? Or just evil misfortune? Personally I have actively avoided buying cars with cruise control fitted.

[J`ve]

Originally Posted by glyn

We might be unable to change speed and direction, but something does it for us on unfortunate occasion. Fate? Lap of the Gods? Or just evil misfortune? Personally I have actively avoided buying cars with cruise control fitted.

You can turn it off

While CC is on, you can "click" brake to disable it


But Sir, if you want everything under your control, i completly agree, i dont like this type of accessories in a car -cruise control, automatic lights, rain sensor- but some of them like ESP, can save lives.