Hydroplaning

I run Toyo MT's 35x12.5x17 at 33 psi. Even when i had 31.5s and 33's i never went past 35 psi and have never hydroplaned once in 8 years of ownership. Just cuz its on the doorjamb doesnt mean its correct

 

Well dadgum.. I know just how critical good tires are (or at least I thought I did...) but I would have thought that a similar tread pattern would produce similar results. And excuse the original typo. 30psi, not 40.. I'll take your word for it that it's mostly due to slightly different tread patterns, but to be clear, I'm talking drastically different hydroplaning response. I've had my hands full at 55mph in the same conditions that would've been just fine at 75 in the other truck. I have no issue with taking it slow, I wouldn't have bought a 14yo midsized pickup if I were in a hurry to get anywhere. I'm just blown away at how much of a difference it is; my current setup is the most susceptible to hydroplaning of any vehicle I've ever owned. I was expecting maybe someone else had similar experience and could perhaps point out another source of the difference. I'm really not trying to solve anything here, I'm just genuinely curious to understand the phenomenon better. The current truck is a 6' bed and the other one was a 5', how much of a difference do you think that would make? I'd imagine the rear tires being further from the center of mass would have a substantial effect.. I guess whenever I get new tires in a few years, I'll know for sure just how much is caused by tires and how much is differences in the vehicle itself.

 

Alignment is a bigger factor than tires, FYI (or just as big). A little too much tow-out, and tires riding in the edge made my 2nd gen hydroplane better than some boats I've owned.

And tread look means nothing compared to water evacuation design, rubber compound, or even age of the tire. Again, I later had some old ass Michelins on that same truck that still had good looking tread, but they were hard and very slippery when wet (and that's one of the top wet weather tires).

If you actually bought similarly -performing tires on both trucks, then my money is on the alignment.

 

Yeah, if they had the exact same tires with similar wear I would be a bit surprised at a significant difference. But "similar" isn't the same.

The 2nd gen appears to be about 250 lbs. lighter based on GVWR numbers, and the weight is likely distributed differently.

 

Fair Enough.

 

I have never had that problem and driven in a lot of rainy situations. Admittedly I take my time when it rains but I really think 40 PSI is too high...

 

Don't speed up when you see a puddle. All terrain tires are not optimal on wet, oily pavement. 40 psi seems a bit high, perhaps for 100% pavement it's OK. All pickup trucks are light in the rear and don't have much traction.

 

They’re the same truck one has a shitty motor for double price.

doubt it.

Also not sure why you have 40 psi when the door sticker says 29 cold.

 

What I’ve learned:

slow = smooth
&
smooth = fast

and as many others have said, drop the psi down unless your hauling weight or towing. You’ll get a softer ride, longer tire life, and more even tread wear.

 

Different tires have different rubber compounds. Soft rubber grips wet pavement better than hard rubber. Tires get harder with age and don't grip pavement as well as they did when new even with good tread. Just a guess, but E rated tires likely have a tougher rubber compound intended to be used on heavier vehicles.

 

OP
What brand and compound tires are you referring to? Were you on OEM rims annd tires on BOTH trucks? Was your suspension altered in any way on either truck? Also weight distribution is a factor. Did you gain weight or lose weight? Are the areas you are hydroplaning more worn out with bigger puddles? Has the weather gotten wetter over the years? See, these details need to be addressed aside from the ole “Hey I’m hydroplaning more now”
Details please.

 

Throwing onto the pile: I've been running Grabbers (E-load) a few years now, first at the "recommended" 45psi for LT tires, then a while later at 32-35psi after getting tired of rattling my teeth and spine out whenever I drove not fully loaded to max gross. Never once hydroplaned (or had any issue) in heavy rain, unless I happened to hit a VERY deep/large puddle at high speed. But never unexpectedly. And I don't drive like a grandma in the rain but I also don't go 20 over everywhere I go.

 

Pliable rubber means a lot for wet traction. I work for a dealership and any set of bfg's ive ever put on will do a burnout on shop floors, softer tires like duratracs or wildpeaks would never. My girls general grabber At's on her 5.7 Ram are 4 years old and hard a rocks, drove it in the snow once and said never again. In 2016 i hit a pole with my truck, young and stupid i bought some 10-11/32nd goodyears RTS's from a buddy that were 6 years old. First snow storm and 8.5k in repairs later really taught me the value of good tires and reading up before purchasing. Turns out they discontinued them after multiple reviews of people totaling their vehicles in rain.....

I do agree with the others though, get a good alignment.