cr8nA4

Most of the side streets were unplowed with 30cm of wet, sticky snow. I had no trouble on fairly steep hills in my neighbourhood.

As I posted last week, Consumer Reports gives the RSI top marks for snow and ice traction, but downgrades them for dry traction, cornering stability and resistance to hydroplaning.

Following the snowstorm, we had heavy rain, and I can confirm that the tread pattern is not the best for avoiding hydroplaning. I also avoid high-speed lane changes with these tires.

Turbonater

Hydroplaning should never be a problem with front or all wheel drive because when the traction disappears the wheel will spin the excess water from under the wheels.

Those Consumer Reports guys are just complete wusses. I have never experienced true hydroplaning in any fwd car. I did rent a Toyota in New Zealand and had the front wheels spin like crazy in what passes for heavy rain down there. We would think of swimming in water that deep. The front tires were nearly down to the wear bars. All that happens is one tire then the other spins and kicks the water out and regains grip.

You'd have to be certifiable to hydroplane an Audi with Quattro and tires with more than minimum tread.

cr8nA4

RSI does not have a tread pattern designed to shed water.

Tires that are hydroplaning cannot steer - regardless of Quattro<ul><li><a href="http://www.tirerack.com/a.jsp?a=AR4&url=%2Ftires%2Ftiretech%2Ftechpage.jsp %3Ftechid%3D16%26amp%3Bcurrentpage%3D35">Tire Tech</a></li></ul>

Turbonater

Nope, I'm just saying what hydroplaning actually is when you're driving. Front and all wheel drive vehicles can't really hydroplane under most street driving conditions because the wheels cannot simply stop turning and ride the wave of water under the tread. Engine torque always spins the wheel before it can ride up on the water.

A hydroplaning front wheel stops turning because it isn't touching the road, that's why you can't steer or brake that wheel. This cannot happen with fwd or awd. Now if you define hydroplaning as hitting standing water so fast the four wheel get lifte doff the road then sure, but that just doesn't happen in the real world except to complete idiots or racers.

Turbonater

Tire rack deliberately tested tires for hydroplaning on a mustang because they know you need rear wheel drive to get tires to hydroplane under normal street driving conditions. Note that they found very little difference between directional tires mounted backwards or forwards. Hydroplaning is a function of tread depth almost exclusively. Tread pattern has dick all to do with the phenomenon, actually. As long as there's enough tread depth to allow the water enough space to pass through the tread without lifting the tire upwards, the tire won't hydroplane. If the tire has no tread depth it doesn't matter what the pattern looks like, it won't grip.

I know what hydroplaning feels like, believe me.

Consumer Reports don't know what they're talking about if they claim that Nokian winter tires hydroplane readily. If they claim that tires on a fwd or awd vehicle hydroplane at all they're just full of...