Blinded by Puddle Splash

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T

timroperco

10 Year 15 Year
Joined
Oct 11, 2006
Threads
2
Messages
4
Location
Cape Cod
I bought my 1994 LC a year ago, the first SUV I've owned. Despite 180,000 miles, it runs great and is perfect for driving on Nauset Beach, hauling home hardware supplies, winter snow, going to the dump, and lots more.

But whenever I drive in the rain and hit a decent-sized puddle, I suddenly feel like I'm crash-diving in a U-Boat. Water is hurled in an arc over my windshield, giving me a few terrifying moments of water blindness before the wipers clear. I've driven my son's Ford Explorer in the rain and don't recall this happening in his vehicle .. or any other car. My tires are standard size (275x70) with standard wheels.

Is this problem common on TLC's? I have no mud guards on the front fenders; if added, would they help?

I thought about moving to Arizona ... but that seems like a major adjustment ...

BTW, I searched the forums for an answer but couldn't locate anything listed under U-boat ...
 
Ditto- first time it happened was pretty scary, but I've been cautious and prepared ever since. Slow down, wipers on high helps.
 
i think yall' are rediculous. It happens with any vehicle at speed.

actually, i have this problem, when it rains, there is water on my windshield. I feel kind of like i'm in a rain shower and i am forced into turning my windshield wipers on. This causes water to be swiped of my windshield and past my window. very frightening.
 
LOL!

I have hit BIG holes of water and went submarining..just ease off the go juice before you go barreling into huge puddles...

Besides, if you have a bumper on the front you will likely scare most things out of your way anyway...
 
Although I found Alex's reply quite amusing, I too have experienced what is being discussed. I just do my best to predict when it will happen and like everyone else turn my wipers on high to counteract the spray.

I have had this problem on several other cars, so it's not just the 80.
 
I don't really have this problem.

Maybe the mud tires large void between tread blocks allows water to escape rather than splash? Or maybe the lift gets me up out of the way?

Anyway, I guess I haven't noticed this problem.

Of course, I grew up in Portland, Oregon too so... there may be some 'conditioning' here.
 
timroperco said:
whenever I drive in the rain and hit a decent-sized puddle,
Click to expand...

Please define "rain" and "puddle." We must not have these in New Mexico. Do you have any pictures?

-B-
 
My wife's fully stock truck does this a lot worse than my lifted mud terrain truck. I have never been able to understand the dynamic that takes place. Water is squished from under the tire, up under the wheel well then somehow makes a curve out around the flare to land square on the drivers side of the front window...from a puddle on the passenger side. Puddle 4-6" deep on a stock truck <20mph. I have never been able to figure out how it is making that curve around and over the hood.
 
I think the AT's push more water forward. I dont remember the "wall o water" experience until I went from MT to AT. Or it could be that I didnt hit any decent puddles around town until after the tire swap. ???
On a similar subject I was tooling along in the middle lane at about 55mph in a moderate rain one night. The car in the right lane was just a bit ahead of me and and hit a long puddle, water came off his tires like a firehose at my windshield. Instantly I had zero forward visibility, I used the side window to keep position with the truck on my left and used the nascar smoke rule, I accelerated until I was clear of the waterstream. I then continued on home to change my shorts
 
I used to have an fj 40 stock and did the same. Off road magazine back in 1982 or so actually tested 4 off roadrers like the 40 and CJ. And they drove through 8 inches of water at speed. They noted the splashing of water on windshield for the 40 as a negative in review. I just went through the Hawaii flooding and my frontier has the same issue as well as Range Rover sport. However passed other trucks that do not have the issue. Although water is sprayed to other lane and hits that car
 
I was curious on this also and see there is a post on mud about this. One point was that a high approach angel it allows water to rise up in front of car then you drive thru it. Another ai post says has to do with wheel well and fender design. Apparently this is something the 80 engineers did test and design for. To fix it would probably make your 80 look hideous by using rubber skirts all the way to the ground
 
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