Driving in the rain

[adamr7 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close adamr7]

I just slow down a bit and rely on a good set of wiper blades. As for cruise, I reckon you have a bit more control with it off in the rain.

[tassie tiger Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close tassie tiger]

Funny but not in Tassie......

[ATaylor Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close ATaylor]

The best sunglasses to use are with a polarized lens, this cuts out a lot of the stray light and will improve your vision.

Not convinced about doing it at night though.

And yes I have experienced cruise control initiating a skid. As the car naturally slows down in a corner due to steering I have had my car accelerate and break away.. terrifying at the time.

[geograzza Member Find all posts View Profile Close geograzza]

The main thing I find happening in the rain at night is that white lines become invisible, but black lines where they have painted over previous white lines just about leap out at you. I read somewhere recently that in the USA they have started painting the gap between white lines in black for this reason. In areas where there are lots of street lights, polarising sunglasses can help improve night rain visibility dramatically, by cutting out a lot of the reflections, and I have successfully used them like this. No way I 'd use them on the highway or back streets though.

[croozza Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close croozza]

The main thing I find happening in the rain at night is that white lines become invisible, but black lines where they have painted over previous white lines just about leap out at you. I read somewhere recently that in the USA they have started painting the gap between white lines in black for this reason. In areas where there are lots of street lights, polarising sunglasses can help improve night rain visibility dramatically, by cutting out a lot of the reflections, and I have successfully used them like this. No way I 'd use them on the highway or back streets though.

Well the simple answer to that is to go back to the yellow lines we use to have, never had a problem then.

[Steptoe Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Steptoe]

I have a question for those who said to use Rainex. Do you find any adverse affects of it? I was in my cousins 75series and we drove all the way from Biloela to Brisbane in the pooring rain without using the wipers once because he had applied Rainex to his screen. I was sold so got some and put it on the screen in the Prado. The problem was that after I put it on everytime I had the sun at that akward angle on the windscreen that usually shows up all scratches, I was blinded. It basically made the entire windscreen impossible to see through and was dangerous to say the least. Did I do something wrong when applying it, or have others found the same?

Sorry to hijack the thread.

[starbuck76 Member Find all posts View Profile Close starbuck76]

Never had a problem with using Rainex. I would think you would have no issues getting the windscreen replaced under insurance if there were that many fine scratches.

[AJ120 Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close AJ120]

How to achieve good vision while driving during a heavy downpour.

In the event you face such a situation, just put on your SUN GLASSES
(any model will do), and miracle!

All of a sudden, your visibility in front of your windshield is
perfectly clear, as if there is no rain.

I couldn't help myself the other evening when driving in a very heavy rain storm, put the sunnies on and surprise surprise, it just got darker and the rain looked exactly the same

Cheers Andrew

[MidLifeCrisis Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close MidLifeCrisis]

I couldn't help myself the other evening when driving in a very heavy rain storm, put the sunnies on and surprise surprise, it just got darker and the rain looked exactly the same

Cheers Andrew

AJ120

I have just been presented with a life time opportunity to buy shares in the Sydney harbour Bridge. Seriously. Even an honest country fellow like you would realise this IS the opportunity of a life time. Mate, send ya credit card details and I can secure this today. Only $10,000 per unit. How many would you like? Hurry AJ, this offer is going to get snapped up quick.

[prh Member Find all posts View Profile Close prh]

The problem was that after I put it on everytime I had the sun at that akward angle on the windscreen that usually shows up all scratches, I was blinded. It basically made the entire windscreen impossible to see through and was dangerous to say the least. Did I do something wrong when applying it, or have others found the same?

I love Rainex but I find you really have to buff off the window with a soft cloth to avoid what you mention. You need to change or rotate the cloth as you polish.

Paul

[Jon Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Jon]

I couldn't help myself the other evening when driving in a very heavy rain storm, put the sunnies on and surprise surprise, it just got darker and the rain looked exactly the same

Cheers Andrew

You probably need to try polarised sunglasses

[yowie Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close yowie]

I love Rainex but I find you really have to buff off the window with a soft cloth to avoid what you mention. You need to change or rotate the cloth as you polish.

Paul

Sometimes even a good polishing with a cloth does not always remove the last bit of smear, so a wipe over with a damp cloth ( after allowing time for the Rainex to completely dry) should clear away the last bit.

Yowie.

[chester ver 2.0 Member Find all posts View Profile Close chester ver 2.0]

Well after a few years of long distance night driving and a lot of reaserch into driver safety for work i can share a few experiences

The sunglasses half truth. Yes it can work however first you need a polarised lense second you need a anti glare lense for night (think yellow gun glasses) and then yes it helps. You cant see through the rain but it reduces glare allowing the pupil to dialate further giving you better depth perception and there fore you think you can see better, add some rainex to this and yes i have driven from Sydney to Albury in pissing down rain not using the windscreen wipers. The human eye cannot focus on 2 things at once so the trick is to focus as far up the road as you can and your brain will ignore the rain drops, most people have trouble in the rain as the brain instinctivly focusses on the closest moving object in this case being the rain. It can work with sunglasses to a lesser degree as it forces you to dialite the pupil getting better depth perception but as it is a forced dialation as apposed to a natural adjustment above fatigue will set in quite quickly

The cruise control 1 had me baffled so i spoke to an instructer friend of mine he was not sure but put foward the following theory

Cruise control off
1 aqua plane event commences usually on corner and it is a loss of grip due to over acelleration a pure straight line aqua plane is very rare
2 Under normal driving person lifts off acellerator to move to brake
3 The move from acellerator to brake gives momentary absence of power to the wheels preventing the event deteriorating

Cruise control on
1 aqua plane event commences usually on corner and it is a loss of grip due to over acelleration a pure straight line aqua plane is very rare
2 with cruise control on person goes directly from power to brake
3 Dynamics upset under braking skid event deteriorates

In most people even though they are not aware of it there is still a subconsious feeeling that they are not in full control with cruise control on so will usually brake harder than if they just moved their foot from acellerator to brake which may further add to the deterioration of the skid event

[Steve M Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close Steve M]

Never have I aqua planed on a corner (not that I have noticed or felt), usually on the flat going straight ahead, my wifes car seem to be bad for it, presuming due to it been a front wheel drive, even with brand new tyres on it and especially if Im pulling up a hill, eg mooney Mooney or other side of Hawksbury Bridge, have been down to 40k in absolutely pissing down rain and even at 40 you can see the tacho jumping around up and down while its trying to get traction, this is with brand new good quality tyres as well ?? Never noticed so bad in any other vehicle Ive had or driven, cant say Ive felt the prado's do it ?? Cheers steve PS I never use cruise in the pissing down rain, prefer to back off if I need to.........

[croozza Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close croozza]

The cruise control 1 had me baffled so i spoke to an instructer friend of mine he was not sure but put foward the following theory

Cruise control off
1 aqua plane event commences usually on corner and it is a loss of grip due to over acelleration a pure straight line aqua plane is very rare
2 Under normal driving person lifts off acellerator to move to brake
3 The move from acellerator to brake gives momentary absence of power to the wheels preventing the event deteriorating

Cruise control on
1 aqua plane event commences usually on corner and it is a loss of grip due to over acelleration a pure straight line aqua plane is very rare
2 with cruise control on person goes directly from power to brake
3 Dynamics upset under braking skid event deteriorates

In most people even though they are not aware of it there is still a subconsious feeeling that they are not in full control with cruise control on so will usually brake harder than if they just moved their foot from acellerator to brake which may further add to the deterioration of the skid event

I think it is an old American thing, and we all know how bad American vehicles are. Also you need to remember it would be before the days of ABS, EBD, ESP, ect.