+1, true hydroplaning depends mainly on speed and tire pressure.
For a tire at 35psi it works out to 61mph.
I imagine this was even worse when cars had road draft tubes, spitting crankcase spooge on the pavement.
But people drove slower back then.
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An 07 civic is not new. Maybe OP has had it for 1 year or 10? Would think they might have had ok tires at some point. Many posts leave out info like it used to be ok but after 4 mismatched tires it seems off.
Tires can make a huge difference in safety/handling/confidence. I once bought a Toyota Corolla wagon from a college roommate. Every tire on it was a different brand/model.
The first thing I fixed was the brakes: “They work. You just have to pump 'em.”
Soon after: 4 new tires. Big diff, each time.
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I would think it would depend greatly on tresd depth, tread design, tire width and loading also. Tire compound I once had a set of Atlas bucron tires that only had two straight grooves running around the tire to give them a legal meassureable tread depth but were so sticky that the tire tracks behind the car were sucked dry.
They provided amazing wet road traction but wore out in 7000 miles because I used all of that traction. It was great fun hunting sports cars in the rain with a 4100 lb, 4 door sedan.
I suspect the OP’s car handled a bit strangely even on dry roads because of the mis-matched tires, even if the OP didn’t sense that.
As I started reading the posts above, I remembered a disastrous situation I got into right when radial-ply tires were overtaking bias-ply tires, which would have been early 1970s. I had a sweet 1965 Pontiac Lemans convertible, and was driving to Long Island from western Ohio for Christmas. Even then, I loved long distance driving.
I needed TWO tires.
I went to a tire store and a creepy, sleazy, slimy, salesman said that I should buy a set of radial ply “Cavalinos”, which he assured me were fine with the bias tires I had. I know I was openly skeptical about this right then, I remember resisting, and I remember his sleazy tone when he kept repeating the name of the tires. Unfortunately, I gave in to his persuasion. Not sure which end of the car got the radials.
I was too young to have learned yet how bad that would be, but the lesson began on the freeway as I headed east. I was truly scared by the strange behavior of the car at speed, it would abruptly swerve a bit every now and then for no reason I could think of, until I realized it was the tires.
Thankfully, I survived the ordeal and solved the problem with two more tires, but I hope that evil salesman is rotting in hell right now.
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LOL!!!
That’s a good one!
I had a similar experience, but in my case. My plan buy two radials, then buy the other pair the following payday. Could not keep the car going straight over 35 MPH.
Another anecdote, purchased a used Pinto with unknown miles (odometer showed 98,XXX miles, I later noticed it was broken),
Had four different brand tires on it, all the same size. When replaced, noted the different brands actually had different outside diameters, could be seen when old tires were placed side by side.
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They would have been fine IF the radials were mounted on the rear.
Radials rear, bias front, OK. Radials front, bias rear, squirrelly as heck.
Edit: I once bought a 1960 El Camino that had wide (very wide for the time) bias belted tires on the rear and skinny radials on the front and a whole lotta HP under the hood. OK on the drag strip but scary on the freeway. Looked funny switching the tires back to front but a whole lot more stable.
Also, while at the library, check out a book on car maintenance - hopefully your library system has recent publications. Just checked mine and small pickings, but hopefully you’ll be able to get some help.
I learned how to change a tire that way-
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Also check the virtual library bookshelf. My county’s public library has an extensive online presence.
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Where did OP get their new Chinese tire? Does that dealer have better tires?
They have 215/45? I’ve seen 205 width listed for Si too. Maybe a bit narrower tire might help
It appears that it came from Mavis–CR’s lowest-rated tire retailer in The US. Yes, they do have better tires, but Mavis’s prices are… not so good.
If it was really a hydroplane, and it was a rear wheel hydroplane, it likely would only happen once!
Front wheel hydroplane means that the car goes straight and does not respond to steering.
It happens at higher speeds when there is a fairly thick layer of water on the road. The amount of tread, tire width, and weight on the tire affect when it can happen.