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-   -   Driving in the Rains - Tips (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/technical-stuff/20950-driving-rains-tips-4.html)

This solution had been there for ages; only seldom followed..:)

does rubbing tobacco to the windshield makes the rain water to flow off easily???

also once out of the stagnant water pump your brakes to dry the drums and discs off

Nice time to revive this thread:


I keep hearing this if your car stalls in water do not attempt to restart the engine.

Late night driving on highways should be avoided

Nowadays when it rains people switch on both their indicators[hazard sign],is this necessary.

Underbody coating is it needed with water-logged streets becoming a common feature in almost all cities.

Make sure you have good tyres, or learn to appreciate the view of the road in front through your doors' windows.

Once (couple of years ago in M-800) I was driving to office at 8:30 AM in very heavy rain. The sky was overcast and visibility was poor. So, switched on parking lamps. Unfortunately, forgot to switch off the light when I parked the car.

In the evening, when I got in the car and tried to crank, battery was completely flat. Then I realised that I had forgotten to switch off the lights. :Frustrati

Thankfully, I got a mechanic to fit a spare battery while my battery was sent for charging. I got my battery back after 2 days. But, it didnt last long. I replaced my battery shortly thereafter. It had already clocked 3.5 years.

Moral of the story: dont forget to switch off the lights

hazard indicators during heavy rain is needed. I have seen this in singapore. at the sight of rain all cars have their hazard lights on. I realised it really helps in visibility.

On the expressways doing 120kmph through pouring rain it's useful. But ofcourse that's spore. Here I would stick at half the speed of 60kmph when it rains.

Anything wrong in belting over water puddles??

--- It'll do your car a heap of damage as the wheel sticks in the hole that was not just a puddle.

--- Danger of aquaplaning in shallower water. Aquaplaning is speed dependent. It should not be a danger at city speeds, but it depends how you define belting.

---Ever been in a house watching the water level approach your step? Then the idiot speeds past and in comes the wave?

The windscreen thing... its about causing the water to form a film rather than sit in droplets. The film you can see through, its the droplets that disturb your vision. There are commercial products you can apply to the glass (not glass cleaners) that make this effect happen all the time, but you have to keep reapplying them.

In the city we usually don't have the road to ourselves, we can usually see that the guy in front got through the water. On a road where there is no traffic it makes sense to get out and walk the puddle first --- preferably with a stick, so you don't fall down a manhole. You may feel silly when it doesn't even cover your shoes, but what if...

Use all the clues you can... check the water level against the wheels of parked cars for instance.

The high revs thing... Yes, if you have to drive through water that is that deep, slip the clutch and keep those revs really high!

If your street/yard is not flooded, hose that mud off the bottom of the car! it will only encourage rust.

Much of this I have learnt in a country far over the seas where, it sometimes said, everybody drives according to the rules. I won't comment as to how true that is!

Some of it is learnt in Chennai, which is one city that spends most of the year with good reason not to believe that it will ever rain --- and so is always unprepared. I wonder how many drivers find their wipers fused to the windscreen on the day they need them? Regularly exercising the wipers with the washer will help to ensure this doesn't happen.

Now.... about ice and snow... :D

I didn't know about rubbing tobacco, but I have seen that rubbing cigaratte (or any other kind of) ash helps. Reduces the adhesiveness, causing the water to flow off the windshield instead of sticking to it.

Yeah, be sure of their size. A big one can slow you down drastically before you can even react which can result in a rear-end smash if the car foloowing you is too close. At times the excess water that the tyres have to channel can get too much (particularly if the tyres are worn out) and lead to a loss of control/spin. Also, such puddles splash water in huge quantity back at the windscreen which can obscure your sight for a few seconds before the wipers clear it up, so be careful that there is no hazard infront of you.

1. You can drench innocent bystanders :)
2. If you have a big conical air filter, this might cause water to get sucked in (especially if it is located close to the bumper or the wheel well)
3. A big puddle may cause aquaplaning.

Always advisable to take it easy over standing water.

Time to add my two bit. Once you come back to the dry road after driving through some deep water, pump the brake a few times - just false braking and a bit hard - to make them dry. Otherwise it may slip.

no no no, hazard lights are to be used if the car breaks down on a road.
i never understoood why people drive with hazard lights on. i can see your rear lights and break lights, dont want to confused with hazard lights

I don't agree. Hazard lights are very commonly used while driving in heavy rain or fog. Basically, the idea is to make yourself visible to the person behind you, and the BLINKING hazard lights help in achieving this.
The same concept is used in Formula 1 - if you observe a race taking place in the rain, you will see that the cars have a blinking red light at their rear... same concept.
I know for a fact that this practice is recommended in most driving manuals in the US.

PS: i do agree that they should also be used when you pull over to the side (puncture/break-down/emergency stop etc).

Hazards are the best lights to use in the rain. The flashing alerts you, while a regular light may escape your notice. Just my two cents.