I'm gonna try those Pirelli Four Seasons when it comes time to get new tires, they apparently have really long lasting tread life and a 85,000 mile warranty... and it doesn't exactly snow in the Bay Area much, heh.

I AM hydroplaning and not just sliding around. I do know the difference between the two. Obviously hitting big puddles will make any car hydroplane. The deeper the water, the easier it is to hydroplane.

Sometimes there will be a little standing water on the edge of the freeway, or in a little low spot on the freeway and my car will hydroplane, even at around 60mph.(1/2 inch of water) This really isn't a problem because I know when it's going to happen and I know how to drive. I just wanted to know if this was really common with 944, more than other cars. I still think it is a 944 problem more than a tire problem.

What happens to your car when you are driving 60mph and hit a puddle about 1/2 inch deep, 10 to 20 feet long? My car hydroplanes.(not sliding)

these cars have not been commonly complained about when it comes to hydroplaning

is it the front end or rear end or both?

what size tires?
what model?
what pressures?
how old?

Mostly the front tires are hydroplaning, that I can tell.

I didn't drive my car to work today, so I am guessing on the tires
Size - 225s (?) 15 inch
Pressure - 32 - 35psi
Age - about 1 year old
Tread is good
Tires are Negotiator brand (cheap tires) But I have noticed this problem with the last set of tires I had, I can't remember what they were now but they were good tires.

I have never heard of anyone complaning about hydroplaning, which is why I brought it up. I guess it isn't a problem.

if your alignment is out of whack, it will act like it's hydroplaning.

it happens a lot when somebody makes the all too common mistake of adding a bunch of negative camber to try to compensate for things when they really should have addressed those things (like the ridiculous amount of lower chassis flex)

toe out will do the same thing

so will too little positive caster

basically what happens with any of those, is that the car is already predisposed to being twitchy. when you add the lack of grip of the water, all sorts of unpredictable things start happening

flash968
Good call on the alignment of the tires. I haven't thought about that. That would cause more problems in the rain. But, alas, my car is aligned correctly, and I know it's hydroplaning. I would think that misalginment would cause more of a sliding issue rather than hydroplaning.

Thinking about it, I would think that a lot of camber would make a car hydroplane less. It would cause more weight to be on the insides of the tires which would make a smaller contact patch with more pressure. Maybe my camber needs to be adjusted. Hmmmm.

I give up.

GreenWater,
You know how to solve the problem. Slow down.
Environmental factors are; water depth and vehicle speed.
Tire factors are; Tread depth, contact surface ratio, tread profile, tread sculpture and pressure.

You can jack up the pressure and improve your wet performance a little at the cost of dry performance (smaller contact patch). You can buy new tires that are designed for water evacuation. But both of these options have drawbacks (cost, center tire wear...)

My 944 gives excellent steering wheel feedback. My wider (more prone to hydroplanning) summer tires really seem to pull in high water. My winter snow tires are narrower and have much more tread depth. They are softer and more forgiving of high water. Still, if I'm at the track and it rains I drive on the summer tires and have a blast (just slower).

I think people are misunderstanding me. I am NOT trying to solve my hydroplaning problem. I like talking about stuff like this and learing. Physics is fun and I like using my brain to think of new idea and to solve problems. I understand all the variables well. I was just curious and like having discussions.

And I will state my original question again. I wanted to know if other people are having a hydroplaning problem.(not that I am really) From the responses, there doesn't seem to be a problem, per se.

Never hydroplaned before, actually. Maybe I'm doing it wrong O_o

Gawernator, YES you are doing it wrong. You need to drive much faster in the rain!

I'll make sure to do that with my new shifter! Now it just needs to rain in California.

Yep, every car will hydroplane at some speed if the water runs deep enough. My car will lift off at 35 mph wearing NT-01 tires. With PS2s it comes up around 70. My Lexus RX has Yokohama A/S tires with deep tread grooves and I have seen 80mph in pouring rain without liftoff. Same with my Chevy truck. I like to know where my "stall speed" is with every car and set of tires so I can safely avoid hard objects in the rain. :)