Wet Weather Performance

[SmilinJim]

Okay, I admit that I love my FFH a lot!

 

But the thing that I love most about this car is the balance and the wet weather handling. I have had it in two extreme storms now and I continue to feel safe and in control no matter how bad the roads are.

 

My first long trip in the car took me to Orlando and in the middle of a Florida thunderstorm I hit a puddle doing 70 MPH. first the left side and then the right. The car tracked beautifully. It scared the wife silly :stop:, but the car was stable as a rock.

 

This last week, the skies over Atlanta issued for some seriously sustained downpours. We saw about 2 feet of rain in three days and everything flooded. :titanic: During the rain, I was commuting to work on the interstate, pushing water off both sides of the air dam and in full control. On the way home, because of all the closed roads, it took four hours, but my gas consumption wasn't much higher than on a regular trip thanks to ECO mode.

 

Okay, you might not think much of my driving technique, but you gotta admit that the car is a mudder! (a term for racehorses that perform well on a wet track)

[smr2112]

That's definitely good to hear. My opinion is that extra few hundred pounds the car has in

the front make it more solid and account for this extra stability. I am hoping come

the winter, that the car does better than expected in the snow for the same reason.

[Oman]

I'm hoping for at least reasonable snow traction. Hybrids have been known for extremely poor Winter weather handling. I gave up a AWD/4WD truck with a ton of clearance so I'm hoping that I can still get around this Winter. We are in a pretty nasty drought so I have not really been able to test the wet weather handling.

 

Jon

 

 

That's definitely good to hear. My opinion is that extra few hundred pounds the car has in

the front make it more solid and account for this extra stability. I am hoping come

the winter, that the car does better than expected in the snow for the same reason.

[twiggy144]

The tires play a large part in wet handling too.

[junehhan]

The tires play a large part in wet handling too.

 

 

I agree. I believe the handling the original poaster experienced has more to do with the condition of the tires than the actual vehicle. The vehicle is new and probably still has nearly all of its tread available to help channel away water. 10k miles from now, I would be willing to bet that it will be like almost any other vehicle after the tread starts wearing down.

 

I remember when I first got my 06 Chevy Trailblazer SS(I sold it to order my FFH) and was thinking while driving through heavy downpours how well it was doing in the rain. 20k miles later, I noticed it hydroplaning more than ever.

[rfruth]

hey Jim the car is a mudder ! - is there an ECO button or were you hypermiling ?

[Rodeo]

The tires play a large part in wet handling too.

Not bad for really crappy tires. Don't know about the FFH but the Goodyear RS-As on the 18" wheels are real entry level tires and got really poor ratings. But even a brand new crappy tire beats a good one thats worn out. I wouldn't trust those RSAs for any kind of real weather though, like light snow etc. Then they'll put you in panic mode real quick.

[junehhan]

Not bad for really crappy tires. Don't know about the FFH but the Goodyear RS-As on the 18" wheels are real entry level tires and got really poor ratings. But even a brand new crappy tire beats a good one thats worn out. I wouldn't trust those RSAs for any kind of real weather though, like light snow etc. Then they'll put you in panic mode real quick.

 

 

I have owned multiple sets of Goodyear RSA's on multiple vehicles and have to say that i've been VERY happy with that tire. It does everything you would expect from a basic tire and does it at a decent cost. They have a tendency to get hard fast, but that didn't bother me too much.

 

Some people buy a basic touring tire like the RSA and expect it to perform like a Goodyear Eagle tire and end up getting disappointed.

[mlwaverunr]

My FFH has Michelin Energy MXV4 S8. I'll be curious to hear how the FFH does in snow. I just moved from the midwest and I can imagine that the motor/engine transition could cause some havoc on very slick roads.

[rfruth]

My FFH also came with the Michelin's, it it a down south thing or is there a method to the madness ?

[SmilinJim]

hey Jim the car is a mudder ! - is there an ECO button or were you hypermiling ?

 

Just going easy on the throttle in the bumper to bumper lines threading around because of the closed roads. The (ICE) engine was off most of the time and just coming on to recharge. I went this way for at least a couple of hours. There were probably 20 ways home normally and only a couple were not flooded out, so there were lines of Woodstock (or whatever the biggest traffic snarl you can think of) proportions.

[SmilinJim]

I agree. I believe the handling the original poaster experienced has more to do with the condition of the tires than the actual vehicle. The vehicle is new and probably still has nearly all of its tread available to help channel away water. 10k miles from now, I would be willing to bet that it will be like almost any other vehicle after the tread starts wearing down.

 

Actually, I figure that it is mostly due to the weight distribution with the big battery pack. It is weighted a lot more like a mid-engine car than a FWD.

 

And time may prove me wrong, but I know hydroplaning. That wasn't really the effect that I was indicating. My experience, particularly on the Florida trip was hitting a wall of water with one tire. Having it bite hard and yet not create rotation in the vehicle platform. The tires will have an affect on it, but so will center of gravity, suspension, driver reaction, etc.

 

If it was just the tires, these are the best factory supplied tires I've ever had. Kudos to Michelin.

[junehhan]

Actually, I figure that it is mostly due to the weight distribution with the big battery pack. It is weighted a lot more like a mid-engine car than a FWD.

 

And time may prove me wrong, but I know hydroplaning. That wasn't really the effect that I was indicating. My experience, particularly on the Florida trip was hitting a wall of water with one tire. Having it bite hard and yet not create rotation in the vehicle platform. The tires will have an affect on it, but so will center of gravity, suspension, driver reaction, etc.

 

If it was just the tires, these are the best factory supplied tires I've ever had. Kudos to Michelin.

 

 

Yes, you are right! I forgot about that bigass battery pack in the back which would definately help even out the weight distribution problems inherent in FWD vehicles. However, I think having fresh tires does play a role as well. Right now, everyone has a newish car and we will see once the high mileage club starts coming into play here.

[FtLewis2002]

I had a 2006 Fusion SEL FWD, and it drove like shit in the snow. I have an 09 fusion SEL FWD now, and it too will drive like shit in the snow. AWD on the fusion makes a difference I'm sure, but I have a 4X4 for the snow.

[silver FFH]

My FFH also came with the Michelin's, it it a down south thing or is there a method to the madness ?

 

 

Our FFH came with the Michelins and we are in CT. I am pretty sure all of the Hybrids come with the Michelin energy tires to decrease rolling resistance. My Mazda6i had them also and I would get shocked everytime I got out of the vehicle. I wouldn't try to drive in the snow with them. I had Dunlop wintersports for the snow.

 

The stability and traction control help alot when you hit a puddle with one side of the car. If you have never had it before you may be suprised at how much more control you have over the vehicle in foul weather.

[smr2112]

Anybody have tires other than OEM Michelin MXV4 S8's on their FFH for whatever reason?

There are a few other low rolling resistance tires out there.

[rlawson4]

I have the Michelin tires as well. We have had heavy rain for more than a week in Atlanta. I am very pleased with the wet weather performance of my FFH.

[ace43]

Anyone else here using Rain-X? I've used it on my windshields for years and it works wonders in the rain. I never have to use my wipers.

[black70bird]

I use RainX all the time on headlights and windshield, it works great at speed. The rain just sheets off in tiny beads.

Edited December 9, 2009 by black70bird

[black70bird]

Anybody have tires other than OEM Michelin MXV4 S8's on their FFH for whatever reason?

There are a few other low rolling resistance tires out there.

 

I just ordered 205/60R-16 Continental ExtremeWinterContact XL tires on 16x7.5 Elbrus I04 BDC ICE rims mounted and Hunter balanced with TPMS from Tire Rack for $1065 shipped. They are in transit. I live in Denver and we are having a winter, I am getting sick of driving my 4Runner all the time. The stock Michelin are next to worthless on anything frozen. Tire Rack recommended the Michelin Primacy Alpin PA3 but I wanted a more aggressive tire. The website warned me about a harsh ride with the Continentals due to them being overrated for the application. They weigh 2 pounds more than the Michelin Primacy Alpin PA3s and are rated for a max load of 1565 lbs as opposed to 1389 lbs for the Michelins. I will let you know how mileage is after a couple of tanks.

[flavius]

I put on Hankook W409 snow tires this past weekend.