Hydroplane/RWD

[Avenger]

I have had my Mach-E for 10 months now. I absolutely love it but noticed during rain that I would sometimes feel as though I was hydroplaning. Unfortunately I am now finding out that living in south Florida + RWD was possibly a bad combo for me. On Sunday my car spun out and landed in a ditch. Thankfully I was not injured and neither was anyone else. The car however is likely totaled. Has anyone else experienced this? Is this a Mach-e issue? A tire issue? Or a RWD issue? Or just purely bad luck? I was not speeding. The tires were not worn (14,000 miles). In fact I moved to the center lane several minutes before to stay away from puddles because I felt as though I was sliding a bit. I have to make a decision as to order another mach-e or to move on to a different car so any input would be appreciated. Thanks!

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[Garbone]

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[dj_stang]

I have had my Mach-E for 10 months now. I absolutely love it but noticed during rain that I would sometimes feel as though I was hydroplaning. Unfortunately I am now finding out that living in south Florida + RWD was possibly a bad combo for me. On Sunday my car spun out and landed in a ditch. Thankfully I was not injured and neither was anyone else. The car however is likely totaled. Has anyone else experienced this? Is this a Mach-e issue? A tire issue? Or a RWD issue? Or just purely bad luck? I was not speeding. The tires were not worn (14,000 miles). In fact I moved to the center lane several minutes before to stay away from puddles because I felt as though I was sliding a bit. I have to make a decision as to order another mach-e or to move on to a different car so any input would be appreciated. Thanks!

That’s very sad to hear, the tires in my opinion are criminally inadequate and thin. I kind of enjoy losing the tail and try to be attentive, but in the rain it could be very dangerous. Two things that could help:
- Driving in whisper mode. Slows and smooths out throttle response which makes the car less jerky and need less grip ultimately. They should really make a rain/snow/wet mode like ICE mustangs.
- Tires come way over-inflated from the factory, which again reduces the amount of grip they have. I will be letting some air out of mine soon because I’ve noticed a couple close calls in emergency brake applications.

Edit: Wow very interesting. Apparently higher PSI and/or narrow tires have actually lower risk for hydroplaning. This is counter-intuitive as for the most part a tire that is under inflated will have more grip than one that is over inflated (sweet spot usually being according to mfg spec, we’ll forget about the Ford-Firestone fiasco).

 

[itzbilly]

Glad you came out ok.

Driven in various configurations of cars (FWD, RWD, AWD) in various NYC weather (hurricanes and blizzards). I’m of the opinion that it’s an RWD issue though I’ve also experienced it on a FWD before. Most long term NYers I know will only go AWD because of the weather conditions.

FWIW, have not experienced hydroplaning or traction loss in my AWD MME in the 4 months of ownership.

 

[DadzBoyz]

I also live in FL. I do not have my Mach-E yet. November ETA (fingers crossed).

Right now, I have a 2014 Nissan Pathfinder Platinum. Front wheel drive. FWD cars tend to handle wet and icy weather better because the weight of the front of the car, the engine, and transmission are all over the drive wheels helping traction in those situations. That said, even an over abundance of power/torque can cause wheel slip and torque steer.

Your problem is likely weight distribution and torque at one end of the car (rear) without any countering torque or torque management at the other end (front).
The electric motors have more torque than many/most ICE cars. That said, EV’s are also heavier than ICE cars. At some point, in wet or icy conditions torque can overcome weight and cause slippage. Still, slippage at the rear can be countered by having power and control at the front, instead of dead wheels.

That’s a long way of saying, you would likely have a much better experience with AWD car, be it another MME, or otherwise.

 

[Avenger]

Thank you. These replies are helpful. I’m an ER nurse practitioner and was on my way to work. I have 3 kids so thankfully I was solo. But man was it scary!

 

[RickMachE]

Is this a Mach-e issue? A tire issue? Or a RWD issue? Or just purely bad luck? I was not speeding. The tires were not worn (14,000 miles). In fact I moved to the center lane several minutes before to stay away from puddles because I felt as though I was sliding a bit. I have to make a decision as to order another mach-e or to move on to a different car so any input would be appreciated. Thanks!

If you felt you were sliding out, then the first step would have been to slow way down. Never drive if you think you don't have control.

None of us were there, but you missed one option in the reasons. Not the car, the tires, or RWD. Driver inexperience would be the cause. Not pointing fingers, just stating the obvious.

It can't be bad luck, because you knew you were having control issues.

 

[kltye]

I'm pretty sure RWD/FWD/AWD have little to do with hydroplaning. AWD really only helps you start moving, and gives additional stability when cornering at speed. The RWD MME has 53% of its weight over its rear axle, so it's not like most RWDs people have driven. The stock tires are terrible and I replaced them as soon as I could. Haven't had any issues through rain/snow up here - in fact, it's one of the best performing cars in adverse weather I've ever driven once the tires were replaced.

Also, overinflated/narrow tires usually have less chances of hydroplaning: https://mechanics.stackexchange.com...re-pressure-affect-susceptility-to-hydroplane

 

[DR.J56]

I wrote a couple responses but they all came across as being non compassionate. I think Rick said it best so far. When I was learning to drive I did really stupid things in cars. At 54 so far I haven’t killed myself, or anyone else, and came out a better driver for it. Theres a lot to be said about how the car feels and being in tune with it.

So glad there were no injuries and you are still able to fix those of us who do stupid things.

 

[Avenger]

If you felt you were sliding out, then the first step would have been to slow way down. Never drive if you think you don't have control.

None of us were there, but you missed one option in the reasons. Not the car, the tires, or RWD. Driver inexperience would be the cause. Not pointing fingers, just stating the obvious.

It can't be bad luck, because you knew you were having control issues.

 

[Blue highway]

I live in Portland which means I drive in the rain for 6 months straight. The RWD MME handles this well.

Keep in mind that Hydroplaning is not impacted by which wheels are driven. It's speed, water depth and tread depth.

 

[JohnFoxeSheets]

Glad you came out ok.

Driven in various configurations of cars (FWD, RWD, AWD) in various NYC weather (hurricanes and blizzards). I’m of the opinion that it’s an RWD issue though I’ve also experienced it on a FWD before. Most long term NYers I know will only go AWD because of the weather conditions.

FWIW, have not experienced hydroplaning or traction loss in my AWD MME in the 4 months of ownership.

I live in California, and would just like to experience rain! ?

I too am glad @Avenger Adria is ok and no one was hurt!

 

[ARK]

AWD would only have helped you if you were accelerating when you spun out. If you were braking or coasting through a turn, AWD would not have done anything for you (because you wouldn't be sending power to the wheels in that situation when you are coasting or braking, and spreading the power out over all four wheels while you are accelerating is how AWD helps with grip).

I think the Mach-E is less likely than other vehicles to hydroplane because it is heavy and has narrow tires - all that weight concentrated over a relatively small area makes it harder for the vehicle to float over water at speed compared to other cars.

On the other hand, those narrow tires means when you are in a turn, you have less grip to hold you so it is easier to lose grip and enter a slide, particularly on a heavy vehicle like the Mach-E.

So if you hydroplaned (say going fast on a freeway and all of a sudden your vehicle starts to point diagonal and you lose control), I think a different vehicle won't solve your problem.

But if you lost control in a turn while accelerating, an AWD variant would be better for you. And particularly, if you could get a GT (non-PE), that would give you much grippier (and wider) all season tires, but of course this could be quite a bit pricier than the variant you may have had.

 

[robbinbadams]

My premium rwd has been a dream to drive and I have not had any control issues. We get heavy rain in Texas and hydroplaning can be an issue. FWD only is notorious for hydroplaning. AWD is much better.

 

[bs1055]

Premium, RWD here and live in Coral Gables. Recently drove to and from Orlando multiple times and to Naples as well. Anyone who makes those drives knows that torrential rain is the norm for >20% of the drive.

Have never had a traction issue. At 8k miles now.

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