Is it normal for my new 2019 BMW 330xi (x drive) to hydroplane on the highway?
When I drive through a puddle on the highway, for a second, I feel like I lose control and it’s scary (as if I am about to hit something)… is this normal? Never had this bad of an issue with my previous SUVs/cars.
Tires are Bridgestone stock all-weather run-flat 18" tires. ~10,000 miles driven so far, and just took it for an oil change and dealer told me tires are Good (green?) but need alignment. Tire pressure is as recommended 32 front/38 rear.
18" V-spoke bi-color orbit grey wheels, style 780 with all-season run-flat tires 225/45 R18 95 Bridgestone
Thank you!
How do your tires look? Are you on summers, all seasons, the stock tires?
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Tires are Bridgestone stock all-weather run-flat 18" tires. 10,000 miles driven so far. Tire pressure is as recommended.
18" V-spoke bi-color orbit grey wheels, style 780 with all-season run-flat tires 225/45 R18 95 Bridgestone
A friend of mine has a 2016 BMW 328xi and says he never has this problem and loves driving fast in snow/rain
Depending on how you drive, you might be getting close to the end of the useful tire life in the rear. I have a 2020 M340i with the stock 19" run-flats all-season tires that came with it. At the 10,000 mile service a couple of weeks ago, I was at 4/32" in the rear. I don’t drive it like I stole it, so that seems like some pretty quick wear. You might be have the same thing going on with yours.
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At oil change a couple months ago, dealership said Tires tread and life are Good - in the green
(just needs alignment)
That’s odd. However, it’s still possible to hydroplane on even new tires depending on the speed and the amount of water. Deeper treads displace the most water, but you can still overwhelm their capacity.
I have owned a Nissan Altima, Nissan Rogue AWD, Honda Accord, Scion Tc,
but this 2019 BMW 330xi handles the worst in the rain/snow of them all, why? I have always been told by BMW owners that BMWs drive best in snow/rain… hence my confusion and concern
Can’t say I’ve experienced something similar in a 20 M340i also x-drives - handles great in the snow/rain
So what do I do?
This doesn’t mean anything… if you’re at like 4/32" you’ve got practically no snow/cold rain protection
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Slow down. You haven’t mentioned how fast you’re driving but new tires don’t prevent hydroplaning. They’ll let you go a bit faster but there’s no magic modern cars and tires can do to prevent hydroplaning.
Do you know what your actual tread depths are? As max_g said, 4/32 doesn’t mean much. I’ve had tires slip on wet surfaces with 6+/32
If the hydroplaning worries you that much, maybe do some research and get different tires.
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Its probably your tire pressure. 32/38 sounds off, I run 35 psi cold all around on my 330i x drive and no hydroplaning.
Check your tire depth? You can buy a $5 tire tread gauge. We need to know what the wear is on the tread. Being in the “green” is meaningless for wet and snow driving handling.
I would never drive a 4/32 tread all season tire in the snow if I can help it. Even wet weather might be iffy.
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We need some more details on how it handles worse other than hydroplaning, which is is likely a tire tread issue.
Speed is the answer. If you were going too fast and the puddle was too large and too deep, what happened is expected. Nothing unusual, happened a few times to me in different cars with good season-appropriate tires. Just try to slow down next time and that will not be an issue. Be safe!
Stock all-season run-flat tires Bridgestone Turanza ls100 225/45 R18 H95 (18" V-spoke, style 780) and the front passenger side tire is definitely flat - 2019 BMW 330xi.
What can I do to economically repair or replace the tire if I have about 5 months left on the lease?