1994 Oldsmobile Silhouette Owner's Manual - Page 146

YourDriving and the Road Hydroplaning Hydroplaning is dangerous. So much water canbuild up under your tires that they can actually ride on the water. This can happen if the road is wet enough and you're goingfast enough. When your vehicle ishydroplaning, it has little or no contact with the road. Hydroplaning doesn't happen often. But it can if your tires haven't much tread or if the pressure in one or more is low. It can happen if a lot of water is standing on the road. If you can see reflections from trees, telephone poles, or other vehicles, and raindrops "dimple" the water's surface, there could behydroplaning. Hydroplaning usually happens at higher speeds. There just isn't a hard and fast rule about hydroplaning. The best advice isto slow down when it is raining. Some Other Rainy Weather Tips Turn on your low-beam headlights not just your parking lights -to help make you more visible to others. Besides slowing down, allow some extra following distance. And be especially carefulwhen you pass another vehicle. Allow yourself more clear room ahead, andbe prepared to have your view restricted by road spray. Have good tires with proper tread depth. (See Tires in theIndex.) Driving too fast through large water puddles or even goingthrough some car washes can cause problems, too. The water may affect your brakes. Try to avoid puddles. But if you can't, try to slow down before youhit them. 144