1998 Buick Riviera Owner's Manual

Wet brakes can cause accidents. They won’t workas well in a quick stop and may cause pulling toone side. You could lose control of the vehicle.After driving through a large puddle of water ora car wash, apply your brake pedal lightly untilyour brakes work normally.HydroplaningHydroplaning is dangerous. So much water can build upunder your tires that they can actually ride on the water.This can happen if the road is wet enough and you’regoing fast enough. When your vehicle is hydroplaning,it has little or no contact with the road.Hydroplaning doesn’t happen often. But it can if yourtires do not have much tread or if the pressure in one ormore is low. It can happen if a lot of water is standing onthe road. If you can see reflections from trees, telephonepoles or other vehicles, and raindrops “dimple” thewater’s surface, there could be hydroplaning.Hydroplaning usually happens at higher speeds. Therejust isn’t a hard and fast rule about hydroplaning. Thebest.advice is to slow down when it is raining.Driving Through Deep Standing WaterNOTICE:If you drive too quickly through deep puddles orstanding water, water can come in through yourengine’s air intake and badly damage yourengine. Never drive through water that is slightlylower than the underbody of your vehicle. If youcan’t avoid deep puddles or standing water, drivethrough them very slowly.Some Other Rainy Weather TipsBesides slowing down, allow some extra followingdistance. And be especially careful when you passanother vehicle. Allow yourself more clear roomahead, and be prepared to have your view restrictedby road spray.Have good tires with proper tread depth. (See“Tires” in the Index.)4-18