Over the past few days I've noticed how dangerous it is to drive through (medium sized) puddles.
Was going down the motorway today and doing about 60 due to the heavy rain. I hit a fair sized puddle in the outside lane and the water splashed forward, then up, then covered the bonnet. Water then went straight over the windscreen. I nearly myself as I couldn't see a thing for a second or two. Also gave the Mrs a fright too as the car pulled towards the right (and obviously the central reservation).

I thought cars like this would be fine as they're higher up but it seems not. No water ever hit the windscreen on my Astra, it just covered any passing pedestrians.

So, be careful out there guys & gals.

Haha, that's what happens when 2.7 tonnes hits a puddle, it called displacement!

Add physics to fact that you have two very large tyres ( foot wide) and aqua plain is inevitable especially if you have Tarmac tyres. Mine skated on water, the wipers remained on auto for just this. My L 200 has off road tyres, still throws water up over the bonnet and screen but never looses it footing.
If car had the reaction you describe, you were driving too fast for the conditions😱. Doing 100000 miles plus a year, mostly on motorways, I regularly see accidents caused by exactly what you up. It's a lesson.  2x TDV6. SE and HSE. Both returned to sender with issues👀
TDV8 Sport HSE...... Gone. Loved it but it didn't love me!!
Now rolling in MY10 Fullfat TDV8 Vogue. Slammed it to go round corners🙈
Cruising daily #56 mph in a Volvo V8. 😱
Lots of other toys in the cupboard...😜

i wouldnt consider 60 mph as excessive speed in heavy rain..

Then you've never been in heavy rain.
I only comment because I'm in Scotland, when we have heavy rain you just wouldn't do 60 MPH.
Mind you in my experience it's not the rain it's the pot holes hidden in the puddles that's the problem.

scarey wrote:

i wouldnt consider 60 mph as excessive speed in heavy rain..

then it will be you we sit and watch being extracted from central barrier. Some folk are beyond belief, when will they learn it's appropriate speed not actual speed. Any speed can be too much, it depends on the circumstances not excess. You fly off the road at 20 mph in ice, you still wasn't "speeding" but you still were going too fast. Fact, your car is in the hedge...  2x TDV6. SE and HSE. Both returned to sender with issues👀
TDV8 Sport HSE...... Gone. Loved it but it didn't love me!!
Now rolling in MY10 Fullfat TDV8 Vogue. Slammed it to go round corners🙈
Cruising daily #56 mph in a Volvo V8. 😱
Lots of other toys in the cupboard...😜

It seems whatever speed you do, the water comes right over the screen.
My wipers were on but still a scary experience.

i noticed this, only in rrs, my x5 didnt do it, my ml doesnt do it but the rrs does...

all the coments above about 60 been excessive are these the same people who put rear fogs on in rain and then want to do 40mph in all lanes

normally the outside overtaking lane  Another Pommie Bar Steward down under

MY20 Defender 110 SE P400 Eiger/Ebony
MY10 3.0 RRS TDv6 Fuji/Ebony/Anigre

I know that feeling all to well, as uv encountered the exact same situation where it really did scare me, doing 70mph in heavy rain, but this was in my company car mercedes, and yep your all right, speed is the major factor and not what car it is.

I find that even doing 15mph through a fair sized puddle makes water splash up over the bonnet. Never happened in my 7 series BM which was the closest to the RRS in weight. To me it looks like it's part of the design, as I have never experienced a car that gets dirty faster than a black RRS

At 60mph you're travelling about 88 feet per second or about 30 metres per second.

This means a small 'puddle' of 10 metres in the carriageway comes and goes in under a third of a second. Your reactions times (2 tenths) wont allow you to react or take avoiding action - once you 'feel it' its too late; you're in the lap of the gods .

Not only that but your tyres (even when new) ain't ever going to clear that much water in that time so you're definitely floating.

I used to Rally cars quite competitively but I get overtaken by these lunatic ever time there's heavy rain - If tis raining moderately you need to get you speed down to less than 45mph - you might then stand a chance of being in control.

Guys i was involved in a accident 3 weeks ago, my work van is now a total loss, this has caused me a lot of hassel i dont need all because the car infront of me was travelling to fast in heavy rain aquaplained across 3 lanes of the motorway causing the car next to me to swerve into my lane and hit me, i have a camera on my van which recorded everthing trust me after this i drive like a snail in heavy rain

shadrack wrote:

i noticed this, only in rrs, my x5 didnt do it, my ml doesnt do it but the rrs does...

all the coments above about 60 been excessive are these the same people who put rear fogs on in rain and then want to do 40mph in all lanes

Fog lights says exactly what they are for.....fog. As I'm not allowed to use lane 3 I won't take issue with that comment
Believe me I'm not a born again green preacher, I am quite prone to sculping along at excess the limit, but driving for a living develops a 6 th sense which involves slowing down when conditions demand. Too often I see a car fly by in rain or fog, and two or three miles up the road it's embedded in a barrier or another inocent drivers motor who has been caught in the accident. Two days ago on the slip from M3 to M25 a in Cayenne passed me doing 80+. As I came round the bend he was exiting out on to main lanes backwards having pinballed off three sides of barriers. We ended up sat there for an hour. I showed plod the cctv from my installed system which I am now required by licence to carry to protect me from on push bikes.  2x TDV6. SE and HSE. Both returned to sender with issues👀
TDV8 Sport HSE...... Gone. Loved it but it didn't love me!!
Now rolling in MY10 Fullfat TDV8 Vogue. Slammed it to go round corners🙈
Cruising daily #56 mph in a Volvo V8. 😱
Lots of other toys in the cupboard...😜

^^^^^^^^ Don't get me started on pushbikes