That would definitely scare the hell out of me. I've been trying to find it for years, but there is a really good video out there of a seriously big mother saltwater crocodile in a full out sprint doing over 50mph. It was pretty much just violently thrashing it's tail and hydroplaning.

I guess you gotta be tough if you're going to live where there isn't much water on the whole and all the animals have to spend most of their time congregating around what's there. The ghettos of the animal kingdom.

4) Should the coating be applied on roads and/or tires, what kind of effect will it have as far as tire-grip on a rainy day? (related: will this increase or decrease hydroplaning?)

Increase aquaplaning dramatically, it'll be worse than driving on ice or water on ice. It's close to oil slick in the rain but as i understand it, it would be even worse than that.

It only repels water, thus the name.. It won't help with oily substances, again i really don't know.

I'm going to ask some obvious questions here:

1) How soon can we get this into the general market?
2) When will be able to see this used on cars (windshield/windows primarily)
3) How much will this cost to the consumers to get this?
4) Should the coating be applied on roads and/or tires, what kind of effect will it have as far as tire-grip on a rainy day? (related: will this increase or decrease hydroplaning?)

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1114905353200449375
>> ^deathcow:

shameless!
http://videosift.com/video/Driving-ON-deep-water-on-a-motorcycle

Your video, ATV Hydroplaning, has made it into the Top 15 New Videos listing. Congratulations on your achievement. For your contribution you have been awarded 1 Power Point.

Or Remo Williams.

>> ^therealblankman:

I didn't know Jesus was into ATVs.

I see 4 major problems with this...

I see is tires running on a wet glass road. The glass is a lot flatter than asphalt, and so hydroplaning will be far more prevalent unless specific tires were made to cope.

Further, the cost issue will be catastrophic. Solar panels are very, very expensive. Manufacturing solar cells these days is a fairly dirty process, with many very hazardous bi-products. Producing enough solar cells to cover even just major roads would be problematic.

There is also a huge issue of light pollution. Upward facing LEDs replacing road lines is going light up the night sky to absurd degrees, especially in the already light doused cities.

And finally, there is the issue of shifting roads. No matter where you are, soil is always moving. Look outside at the nearest street and see if you can't find a crack due to soil shearing. This will be especially bad in certain geographic locations. Breaking of the roads will require challenging repairs and custom peices to be made. Further, if the roads are replacing power lines as was suggested, power outages would occur as a result of these road breaks, and restoring power will take as long as it takes to fix the road, weeks probably, longer if there is severe damage from natural disasters, earthquakes, etc.

I love the ingenuity, but it is just not practical...

>> ^alizarin:

Everybody loves sushi


Dolphin sushi?

Your video, Hydroplaning Dolphins, has made it into the Top 15 New Videos listing. Congratulations on your achievement. For your contribution you have been awarded 1 Power Point.

This achievement has earned you your "Pop Star" Level 1 Badge!

>> ^GeeSussFreeK:
I don't think weight has much to do with hydroplaning. It is more a function of the wheels and the tracks ability to displace water.


Actually, weight has something to do with it. Train wheels are beveled, they don't rest flat on the track like a car tire does on the ground. The contact area of each wheel is about the size of a dime, with up to 250 tons resting on it. I suppose it could decrease traction a bit, but 250 tons floating on a layer of water on that small of an area? I highly doubt that's going to be happening...

I don't think weight has much to do with hydroplaning. It is more a function of the wheels and the tracks ability to displace water.

scary! i suppose they don't hydroplane that much tho

>> ^Payback:
>> ^furrycloud:
>> ^alizarin:
Give it time. He'll end up hydroplaning into the wall eventually if he doesn't crack his engine block from water spray first.

Hydroplaning does not work like that! Goodnight!!

Yeah, it does. Hydroplaning is where your tire "floats" along the surface of the water on the road. Your tires no longer have any grip on the road. It gets you into a skid, which on wet pavement is unlikely to end well. Many people have hit walls and other objects due to hyrdroplaning.
I think you are mixing up hydroplaning and plowing. Plowing through a puddle merely slows you down, hydroplaning skips across the top of the puddle.


Oh trust me, I know about hydroplaning. Refer to this video for more information: http://www.videosift.com/video/Futurama-Wind-mills-do-not-work-that-way-Goodnight

>> ^furrycloud:
>> ^alizarin:
Give it time. He'll end up hydroplaning into the wall eventually if he doesn't crack his engine block from water spray first.

Hydroplaning does not work like that! Goodnight!!


Guess you've never seen someone wrap themselves around a tree after trying something stupid like that. Yeah well, assholes and *douchebags get their own special kind of justice in time. Besides, you can crack an engine block with enough water when it's hot. We used to do it in highschool for fun.

>> ^furrycloud:
>> ^alizarin:
Give it time. He'll end up hydroplaning into the wall eventually if he doesn't crack his engine block from water spray first.

Hydroplaning does not work like that! Goodnight!!


A meme is born...?