Safety in the Rain

[BigRedZ]

Hello,

Well I have used the search function, and I can not find that much on rain safety with a Z.

I have had a bad experience last February driving in the rain. I was driving, and it started to rain really hard (was a flash flood in that area), I was slowing down (speed was 65 MPH), and water and mug got under my rear tires (Tire size 16x265x60 I think), and I skid across 4 lanes then my car went under a 18 wheeler and was crushed with me in. I was lucky by that the wheels missed my head by a few inches.

Since then I have driven my 4x4 Jeep when it rains, but It is gone now and all I have are my Zs.

SO...

 

How does one make a Z safer (in general, Saw a post, but did not have that much info)

 

And

 

How does one make their Z safer to drive in the rain.

 

Anything you guys can tell me would be great.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

BigRedZ

[hoov100]

best advice is to not drive at all, as the combination of weak headlights, slow windshield wipers and poor aero at higher speeds, makes these cars a nightmare in heavy rain. Your best bet, is to install projectors, upgrade to a honda windshield wiper motor and have a good set of good all around tires on it and use the summer tires for when you plan on doing some spirited driving, or when the skies are clear.

[BigRedZ]

best advice is to not drive at all, as the combination of weak headlights, slow windshield wipers and poor aero at higher speeds, makes these cars a nightmare in heavy rain. Your best bet, is to install projectors, upgrade to a honda windshield wiper motor and have a good set of good all around tires on it and use the summer tires for when you plan on doing some spirited driving, or when the skies are clear.

 

I am in the workings of doing the Honda windshield wiper motor swap(I was trying for the Mazda, but could not find a working one).

 

I have brighter headlights but they are not HIDs.

 

I just grab some rims I had laying around for my other Z that are wider (14x205x75).

 

But is there anything else. Like adding more weight to the rear, (bricks, 45 pound weights, etc) That might help.

 

Thank you guys.

 

P.S. I really do not have the option to not drive it at all, since I have not cash to buy another car, due to the fact that I pay for college in cash. And they charged more for everything this year:fmad:.

[eec564]

Double up what hoov100 said. Good headlights (with new wiring if they draw more power than stock, relays are a good plan too), faster wipers, and GOOD all-weather tires are the name of the game. Wider tires won't help with hydro-planing, as they spread the force out over a wider contact patch forcing water to go a larger distance to get out from under the tires and putting less force per inch of contact on that water to move it. 205/70R14 or 205/75R14 are good sizes, but it's getting hard to find good tires at all in a 14" rim. The best inexpensive tire I found in that series was the Pirelli P400 (and P4000 for larger rims) with excelent wet traction, and hard to beat dry traction for something with 400 treadwear. If you can find old stock of that tire or something similar, I'd jump on it. Talk to someone friendly at a local tire store, they can help a lot. Look at what they stock, and see what they can order. Such as if you see a tread pattern you like, but not in your size, ask if they can get something similar for your rim.

 

You may also try treating your windshield with Rain-X. Anything to help the wipers keep up. When it starts to rain so hard you can't see, slow down, get in the right lane (with all the trucks driving 40) and stay put. Pull over if you have to, I've done that for 5-10 mins in cars that had excelent wipers, because there was raining too hard to see.

 

As for extra weight in the rear, I'd avoid it. Z cars already have a nice balance, and making them rear-heavy could cause you to spin. People add weight to pickups because they have nearly no weight in the rear without a load, and their rear ends can bounce around a lot.

 

-Eric

[hughdogz]

If you have an older z, I think upgrading the alternator would help a lot too.

 

With window wipers, defrost and headlights on, it draws a lot of amps. My accessories worked faster, dash lights brighter, etc.

 

Good tires are the key!

[cygnusx1]

Drive much slower or get much narrower tires. Use a light touch on the brakes, gas, and steering. I found that having AC is mandatory to keep the insides of the windows from fogging. I rigged up a separate AC switch in my 76 so that I can engage the compressor in "fresh air" mode, which is much better at defogging. In fact, I can turn on the AC compressor in any climate setting. Warming up the damp outside air and then pulling the moisture out of it on the AC evaporator is a great way to defog.

[BigRedZ]

Thank you guys for the replays.

 

I am ordering new wires for the front head lights, and I am working on a LED conversion (think GT-R tail lights) for my tail lights.

 

I have used Rain-X before,and that stuff is crazy good (both for rain, and anti-fog).

 

I have a buddy who is the manager for a tire shop, I will see what he can do for me.

 

Thanks for the note on the weight. I will keep that in mind.

 

Since my accident I have always driven 55 on the freeway when it rains.

 

Thank you guys so much, This form is helpful.

 

Anything else you guys think might help, I am all ears.

 

Thank you all again.

[rxsleeper]

All of the other suggestions have centered on making the car easier to handle during wet weather. They are good, accurate suggestions and well worth the time to implement.

 

I am going to suggest that you also improve the driver. I do not mean to imply that you are not capable, but go spend some time in the Z under wet conditions in a safe environment so you can get a better feel for the car. Driving in the rain requires a light touch, looking FAR ahead, and planning FAR ahead of acting. Under wet road conditions, the simple act of lifting your foot from the gas pedal while having ANY steering angle cranked into your car COULD cause the car to want to spin.

 

Check with your local autox club and see if they offer a performance driving clinic of any kind. Look for a PDX or HPDE at a race course near you and have an instructor help you along. Try to find one that has a skid pad that they can wet down for rain driving simulation.

 

I have spent a lot of time at triple digit speed in the rain and instruction/practice improved my confidence more than anything else I did to the car.

 

Good luck

[datsun723]

Great ideas from the other guys on here. Nice to see someone else from Temecula

[cygnusx1]

Wow how did that get past me? It rains in Cali?

[Dragonfly]

Wow how did that get past me? It rains in Cali?

 

Yep, it doesn't happen a lot but it happens... I will not even drive my Z in the rain at all, I actually ride my motorcycle instead because I feel it is safer. You have to remember though that my Z is so modified that gentle maneuvers on a wet surface are almost impossible. Thank goodness I never had an accident but I have been caught a few times in the Z when it has started raining on me, after my first multi lane transition I learned that driving at about 35 mph in the slow lane with my hazards on was much safer than anything else short of finding a place to stop and wait it out.

 

Dragonfly

[DeleriousZ]

Come to Canada and drive around here for a winter in a rwd sports car. You really improve quickly.

[jakeoster]

Noticed your from Socal so you probally already know this... When it first rains down here, there is a build up of oil on the roads since it doesnt rain often it is not washed away frequently. So what happens is the first rains mix with the excessive oil build up on the roads become extremely slick. When it first rains you always hear of a million wrecks because of this. Make sure to take this into account and drive slower, try to avoid freeways and other drives as much as possible.

[eec564]

It also does a number on windshield wipers. Since we have such a long dry season, the rubber on wipers dries out, then the rains come down and nobody can see a thing. It really pays to run the wipers once a week with LOTS of water or wiper fluid to wet them and verify they're still good. When I used to work in auto parts, the day after the first rain we would sell out of wiper blades, and our stock room section for them was HUGE.

 

-Eric

[dhp123166]

While you're at it, forego rubber wiper blades all together.

 

I use PIAA Super Silicone blades and they are so far past rubber blades in performance and quality.

 

I cannot figure out why they are not in every parts store in America because the market is there.

[eec564]

They make those to fit the Z? I have to special order the blades for my 280zx because of the pin-style mount.

[dhp123166]

The universal set I purchased came with (if I remember correctly) 2 plastic clips and one of them was the correct one for the pin-style mount.

 

These are definitely worth hunting down and they are competetively priced with premium rubber washers...

[ZR8ED]

I can attest to having good tires in the rain, and it may seem a bit outside the realm of practical, but good aero can help. Let me give you an example of what happened to me.

 

I had a decent set of tires (bfg comp TA VR4's) on the back 245/45/16's. I also had a California style wing on the back. I had no issues driving in the hard rain. I had to drive reasonable, but worked well enough for me. At some point I removed the wing. The next time I drove in the rain, I could not see my tire tracks in the water on the road behind me. This told me I was hydroplaning. I had no other changes to the car. I had to drastically change my driving style until I resolved the issue.

 

Fast forward to today. I have a wing back on the car, and Yokohama AVS sport's 315/35/17's on the back. They are a GREAT wet tire. My seat of the pants report is that the car handles the rain just as well as it did with the wing/ and old smaller wheels.

 

I absolutely aggree that a smaller tire that is built for rainy climates (that sacrifices some dry handling obviously) can make a big difference in rain performance.

 

Just something to consider.

[neotech84]

Have you had your tires sipped?? I noticed a great deal of improvement in stopping distance with them sipped.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siping_(rubber)

[Iceman]

It's all about hydroplaning (gliding on top of the water with little to no traction). It doesnt matter how much weight you have, once you start to hydroplane, you are just a passenger. Whenever I drive any car in the rain, over 40mph, I move the steering wheel a little bit each way to feel the responsiveness and to make sure I'm still gripping the road. With enough rain, you can be completely hydroplaning at any speed over about 35mph. Narrower tires will help against this like a couple people have said. I dunno about riding a motorcycle though. Between the oil buildup on the road, and the fact that the bike is gone if the brakes lock up, I wouldnt really consider it safer. I've been in an accident in the rain in my Z (t-boned by a drunk driver) and an accident in the rain on my bike (someone turned in front of me and I got on the brakes and the bike disappeared from under me because of the slick road) and I came out of the one with my Z in much better condition.