New concept tires change color when it is time for a new set of tires.

iow, you're projecting your own lack of competence onto everybody else.

fact is, everybody can see when it's raining, and can drive accordingly. if, like you, they're not competent to pay attention or drive within their capacities, it's their own fault.

blowouts can happen any time, and cannot necessarily be anticipated. they can therefore be significantly more dangerous.

what part of being able to allow for something you know, and not being able to for something you don't, is so hard for you understand? is it the "know" part? [rhetorical] or the "understand" part? [sic]

Balls. With bald tires, the possibility of hydroplaning approaches unity with increased speed and rainfall. Blowouts are very rare even on badly worn tires (that are unsafe to drive on due to hydroplaning risks.)

nate

So... these many "literally bald tires" that you claim "shock" you... you find them on "fairly nice" vehicles at crash sites...? -----

- gpsman

I'm not in the habit of stopping when other people crash unless I'm an actual witness, but ockham's razor suggests that that might be a contributing factor, especially in crashes that occur in the wet.

nate

if he's wrong, that must mean that you /do/ hear the "whooshing" noise as the point flies over your head!

but what would we expect from nate "it's raining but i'm not slowing down on my kojak tires, i'm going to keep going and then blame the weather" idiot nagel. just like when you blame us for pointing out when you've said something even more really incredibly stoooooopid than normal.

I guess the whooshing doesn't register anymore. -----

- gpsman

Clearly, you're trying to make some sort of point, but as usual, you're wrong.

nate

The point was you didn't get the point; you're not finding your literally bald tires on crashed vehicles.

Why don't you delay contesting who is wrong by returning to substantiating your assertion that hydroplaning is more dangerous than a blowout due to probability of occurrence...? -----

- gpsman

I hate to tell you this, Jim, but a lot of people actually do that. A co-worker of mine wrecked his jeep that way. I think you'd be shocked at how badly a vehicle can be handling before typical drivers notice.

--scott

Haven't been following this, but I'm positive IME hydroplaning is more common than blowouts, and more dangerous. Though I haven't had a blowout for years, and none were particularly dangerous in terms of safely getting to a shoulder, I've slid past a stop sign and into the intersection a few times due to hydroplaning, even with good rubber. Mostly due I think to poorly performing rear drum brakes that hadn't self-adjusted. My fault in the end, and I've discussed this before. Not even sure if that's technically "hydroplaning" as I don't know the details about how that works with front versus rear braking. I slow down when the water starts piling up, and brake earlier too.

Some people have 'that kind of luck' they can ride a bicycle with a big old knot on the side wall of one of the tires and that tire will never pop.

i'm not denying that for a moment.

right. but the fact still remains, that it's the driver's responsibility if they don't drive according to conditions, especially if they know they have bald tires*. even though it's practically normal for them not to. it is /not/ normal to drive under the assumption that you're just about to get a blowout.

• i myself got caught out at the beginning of the rainy season here. hit some standing water, aquaplaned, SLOWED DOWN, got home, put my deep tread wet weather tires on. that was 100% my own responsibility and my mistake.

Well, yes, but I think you're expecting a degree of competence on the part of the average driver that we just don't have in this country. Five minutes on the highway should demonstrate that.

Right, but the guy behind you probably didn't bother to do this when he started to skid, he just drove on through hoping it would go away. The problem for us is that we're all sharing the road with that guy and he is probably going to be passing us the next time he loses control.

--scott

You're both forgetting that simply driving in the rain in "bald" tires (Jim's word, not mine) is evidence in itself of incompetence and either negligence or poor judgement. If the tires are "bald" enough - and I've seen some in use that certainly would qualify - hydroplaning can occur at little more than a brisk jog.

nate

Oil tends to accumulate at intersections, so more likely is that you slid at stop sign approach speeds.

You're applying your anecdotal experience to conclude hydroplaning is more dangerous than blowouts... and you're not sure if it includes hydroplaning...?

While either condition can lead to loss of control, a hydroplaning condition can be avoided (and corrected) by lessening speed.

A better technique is to let off the throttle sooner, before braking is required... if you're not among the motorists who believe either throttle or brake must always be depressed. -----

- gpsman

and that is precisely why /you/ are such a tool. you keep bleating about hydroplaning - well, that happens when you have bald tires AND DON'T PAY ATTENTION.

don't use the third person nate - what you meant to say was:

"and I'VE used some that qualified because I'M too stooopid to pay attention"

as you would know.

the only differences between here and the other countries is that we drive in straight lines. that doesn't "discover" bad driving habits. but that's where the differentiation ends - other than that, we're just the same as everybody else.

as to competence, my grandmother, who has thankfully now handed in her license, and who is the worst driver imaginable by any other measure, would have her tires replaced every few years even though they weren't more than about 30% worn, specifically because she didn't want any wet weather driving problems. to reiterate, that's a spectacularly bad driver, one who would drive over traffic islands, one who would sometimes mistake the brake and throttle pedals, and who the highway patrol would regularly ticket for things like driving too slow and hogging two lanes, showing "competence".

i'm telling you, if she gets it, anyone can. i myself keep a spare set of wheels with "new" tires on them specifically for wet weather. [because when it does get around to raining here, it doesn't mess about.] if you don't want to slow down and want to keep the rubber side down, it's the price you pay.

maybe i'm a freak, but i keep my eyes glued to the mirror and if there's a likely impactor back there, i'll change lanes or pull over to have them pass. but i learned that the easy way - when i was a kid, i was out with my dad and he said, "this guy behind's not paying attention - he'll hit us in a minute". and he did. but maybe that's selfish and i should take one for the team and not let the next guy get it, right?

You can be paying all the attention in the world and bald tires won't save you.

To steal a phrase from your best and only friend, "unsupported assertion." And a lie as well - I am not so irresponsible to put myself and other road users at risk like that.

As anyone would know who understands the physics involved.

nate