ok so i have a 96 cavalier and its been raing really hard for a while now and i was hydro planning in it and was
wondering what its like in a fiero?

It's not much fun at 70 mph on a crowed freeway. I bought new tires the next day. All mst lost it and it would have been a Nascar type wreck.

You "planning" to hydro plane? Just kidding.

Vinny

The Fiero has very very benign hydroplaning behaviour compared to a front wheel drive (or front-heavy in general) car.

In a FWD car, the rear end will spontaneously hydrplane, pretty much without warning and the car will immediately try to swap ends. Lifting off the gas or hitting the brakes makes the tendency to swap ends much worse.

In a Fiero, you will feel the steering wheel "nibble" and will lose steering authority gradually before fully hydroplaning the front of the car. If this happens, just lift off the gas or tap the brakes and you'll have full control back.

A Fiero is NOT a hydroplaning danger, provided you keep your wits about you and know what the car's trying to tell you.

[This message has been edited by Will (edited 10-22-2008).]

What he said /\, except watch your tires. Fieros handle all kinds of road conditions really well, (except washboard roads) as long as you keep good rubber on them. Of course, this holds true for any car.

if your rear tires are balding and its raining it will become very skittish feeling like the rear wants to swap ends with the front which makes you slow down unless you want to have a front drive Fiero

Given the right conditions all cars will hydroplane.
The best way to avoid this is to pay attention as you drive in the rain, (be careful). Also get good tires that perform well in the wet. That should minimize the tendency to hydroplane.

~Bob

------------------
"Its nice to be important.
Its more important to be nice."

well thanks guys that help me and makes me fell better about driving the car in the rain. so how much fun is the car in the
snow?

I have done some pretty serious snow driving and it is doable. Just be smart and take it easy with everything, gas, brake and turns. Mine is completely stock suspension wise and loves to understeer under normal conditions and that is just amplifed in the snow. I'd imagine a set of real winter tires and the Fiero would be quite the beast in the snow

^^^ true i think that it would be good canadate for sutted tires in the winter. and with the weight over the rear tires it would help
plant it and keep in where it needs to be

Wide tires look good and are great for dry pavement traction but suck in snow and rain. Skinny tires do much better in inclement weather. I'm not saying to put 80-series rubber on your car, but don't expect those 40-series monster meats to do well when it's wet out.

I totally agree with monkeyman. I drove my kit year round and even did a 150 mile trip in an ice storm / blizzard with no problem. Biggest problem was the clear headlite covers icing over...but I had driving lites so not a problem. Traction was fine with 60 series tires. As for just wet or rainy driving, the tread design is very important too. I had some Kumho tires on one of my vettes and they were terrible on wet freeway. Car would spontaniously change lanes on its own, you could spin the steering wheel while the car kept going straight.

yes - its all in the tires.
Fieros are not bad for hydroplaning.
the light nose does make it a bit easier for the nose to skip, de-throttleing slightly plants the nose right back down
the ease in which the weight can be shifted makes hydroplaning almost moot
I'd be more concerned with all out traction loss on wet pavement, than with hydroplaning.
yes - not the same thing. close, but not the same thing.

I've driven a fiero regularly in snow that SUV owners are scared to drive in. it is 70% tires 25% driver ability and 5% vehicle.

I've driven geo metros in stuff that big bad 4X4's get stuck in. Nice icy hill and he's sliding all over and off. I stop and ask him if he needs help, nope, and "you're not gonna make it in that!" comment from him. I shift into 1st and walk right up the icy hill and wave bye at the top.

do not cheap out on tires. you need a summer set and a winter set and a racing set.

quote Originally posted by timgray: I've driven a fiero regularly in snow that SUV owners are scared to drive in. it is 70% tires 25% driver ability and 5% vehicle. I've driven geo metros in stuff that big bad 4X4's get stuck in. Nice icy hill and he's sliding all over and off. I stop and ask him if he needs help, nope, and "you're not gonna make it in that!" comment from him. I shift into 1st and walk right up the icy hill and wave bye at the top. do not cheap out on tires. you need a summer set and a winter set and a racing set.

agreed on the not cheaping out on the tires. i have learned that. Ok so what brand do you guys think works the best for you and state the
season
for example
toyos-Steet adn strip,summer time
bf goodwrench- winter

the only one i can tell you about is the toyos cause i have them on my cavie..

quote Originally posted by FieroBobo: Given the right conditions all cars will hydroplane. The best way to avoid this is to pay attention as you drive in the rain, (be careful). Also get good tires that perform well in the wet. That should minimize the tendency to hydroplane. ~Bob

Yes, yes... the point is that the Fiero (or any rear-heavy car) is a LOT nicer about it than any front-heavy car. The Fiero warns you.
In a Fiero, it can't sneak up on you if you're paying attention. In a "normal" car, there are no warning signs.

[This message has been edited by Will (edited 10-24-2008).]

also dont get suckered into paying an extra $10.00 a tire for "siping" I have driven on siped and non siped tires and there is NO difference in snow and ice.

What does make a difference in ice is studded, but those are illegal outside minnesota.

Rain makes me feel like i have 75 extra horsepower

quote Originally posted by arte444: Rain makes me feel like i have 75 extra horsepower

LOL man thats funny ya i can burn first,second, and the start of third in my cavie in the rain to "D

but i belive i can run studded tires between oct and march there in ks

I drive my fiero all year through Ohio, Michigan, and Indiana.

Tires make the biggest difference as stated.

Traction has never been a problem even in the deepest snow.

Only issue I ever have in the snow is turning the front wheels and keep going straight. There is minimal weight over the front tires to make them dig in on turns.

When the roads are covered with alot of snow and ice I spin the spare tire around and throw a bag of sand in the tire well to add addtional weight on the front tires. Works great.

[This message has been edited by mike-ohio (edited 10-24-2008).]

quote Originally posted by mike-ohio: I drive my fiero all year through Ohio, Michigan, and Indiana. Tires make the biggest difference as stated. Traction has never been a problem even in the deepest snow. Only issue I ever have in the snow is turning the front wheels and keep going straight. There is minimal weight over the front tires to make them dig in on turns. When the roads are covered with alot of snow and ice I spin the spare tire around and throw a bag of sand in the tire well to add addtional weight on the front tires. Works great.

i was going to ask about the sand idea. that was my plan all along for me to do when it starts snowing out here

Seriously, the tires are a huge issue. You need a highly rated rain tire to combat hydroplaning. The Fiero isn't bad at all, with good tires.

However, I did drive one car that was an absolute blast to hydroplane it was a 1960 Oldsmobile. I could hit a large puddle, maybe 8" deep or so, at even 60 mph and the front bumper was shaped like a boat. (the car was a boat too) The water would part in huge sheets of water and the car would kind of nestle down in the trough it created and plow on through leaving a wave of about 30' on each side of the car. It was way cool.

Arn

we have used bridgestone blizzaks for the past 3 years. they are fantastic for winter driving, they give alot of confidence. we put them on in november and take them off in april. we had 2 fieros 1. 86 v-6 5 spd se, 2. 87 2.5 5 spd. the 87 was my daily driver for 7 years,(3 years were driving 100 miles a day to milford proving grounds), the 86 was my sons daily driver. if you are going to drive in the snow invest in a set of winter tires, they are worth it.

quote Originally posted by jerry455: we have used bridgestone blizzaks for the past 3 years. they are fantastic for winter driving, they give alot of confidence. we put them on in november and take them off in april. we had 2 fieros 1. 86 v-6 5 spd se, 2. 87 2.5 5 spd. the 87 was my daily driver for 7 years,(3 years were driving 100 miles a day to milford proving grounds), the 86 was my sons daily driver. if you are going to drive in the snow invest in a set of winter tires, they are worth it.

i have the wheels and tires that come on the car when i bought it that i'll be useing for the winter