KZN130 - Aquaplaning on road.

[V8voodoo]

Hi all,

I'm still relatively new to my Gen2 94 3.0D auto Surf and I'm learning all the time.
It's not rained much since I've owned her, so not done many miles on road in the rain.

After the latest wet weather, I've done a bit more on road, wet weather driving.
I've found that at speed (40mph+), she pulls fairly severely to one side or another when hitting patches of standing water an inch to a few inches deep.

I have standard rims with BF Goodrich All Terrain T/A KO tyres in 31x10.5x15. All have good tread depth.

The pull to either side (depending on where the water is) is more severe than in a normal hatch with regular tyres.

Is this normal?

[V8voodoo]

Am I the only one with this issue?
Do I need to start worrying?!

[RebelV8]

Oversize tyres will cause this, especially if only one of your front wheels is hitting the water and depending on the depth of the water. I have the same size tyres on mine, plenty tread but if I drive head on into a deep puddle where only one wheel hits it, it will pull in that direction.
I'd say no need to worry, you only need to be careful of what speed you're hitting the water at, it is possible to break steering links if you hit water deep enough at high enough speed.
No harm in getting your tracking checked if you're worried by it though. But, if it's only doing it when you hit water, I ( personally ) wouldn't worry about it.

[tweak'e]

the other thing is check how much play there is in the steering and suspension joints. worn parts can mean it will pull more.

[V8voodoo]

Thanks for your replies gents. You've certainly put my mind at ease. All steering and suspension joints are either new or good.

It seems from Rebel's reply that the pulling if one wheel hits the water is SOP. That's exactly when it strikes, but it seemed more than I'd expect from two tons of truck! I guess it's something to bear in mind when I see a puddle on the near side on the many country roads I drive on. Seems a lot better below 40mph than above, so I'll just ease up a bit.

Apart from that, I'm bloody loving my Surf. One of the most useful, fun to drive things I've owned..!!

Thanks again for your replies chaps!

[RebelV8]

Just to set your mind fully at ease, you could always go looking for a quiet stretch of road ( preferably a private one or an industrial estate type, when the business's are closed ), find a large puddle ( small flood, lol ). Then drive through it slowly and see what happens, try it a couple times at different speeds, this should help see what effect standing water can have.
Be careful though, don't want you to get in trouble for soaking innocent bystanders or dog walkers

[voituer]

My take on this is that if you hit the water at speed the water cannot move away quickly enough sometimes for your tyres to run on the ground, the result is you are aquaplaning. Also the movement of the water will stop your tyre rotating and may cause a drag effect which can in turn pull your steering towards that tyre.

[Karma Supra]

It's not aqua planning, more the increased resistance of the water...

The effect is like dabbing the brake on, on that wheel only and can draw you off course.

Fatter tyres do it more as there is a larger cross sectional area to increase the drag.