I'll keep it short, but I do need to preface this post by saying I have been driving FWD cars exclusively (unintentionally) since about 2005. I've had several RWD cars prior to that, including a C5 Corvette (for power comparison).

OK, so we had a pretty big rainstorm yesterday morning that just happened to coincide with my commute. I was the first one at the light in a left turn lane, waiting for the protected arrow to turn green. The turn at this intersection puts me on a four lane road (median separated) with two lanes in my direction and it's kind of obtuse angle turn; say about a 100 degree turn left.

The light turns and I proceed to make the turn at about 10-15 mph (in eco/regular mode). ICE was on. Once I hit the apex of the turn, I hydroplaned for about a two second count; the tail kicked out and I had zero control or traction. I thought I was going to drift right into the curb. My immediate reaction was to take my foot off the accelerator and countersteer. After about the 2 seconds, traction returned and I hit the gas lightly and regained control in my lane. No traction control or SHAWD lights came on that I remember, but I was preoccupied, totally not used to kicking out the tail (which, in hindsight, was pretty cool for a second). Oh, also, the tires have about 8k miles on them.

So, in situations like this, should there be any warning light up or designation that some system is working? Could I have done anything differently/more optimal? I figure I did fine, because I didn't cause any damage to the car and everything is fine, but I'm not super well-versed in the RLX SH-AWD operation or what it does in various weather conditions. I know the RLX (or any car) cannot offer 100% worry-free handling in any conditions, but I guess I figured the complex AWD system would have handled it differently.

 

Check out the following thread:

https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-rlx-...helins-949439/

What you experienced is not uncommon with the stock Michelin tires.

 

Nice -- thanks for the link.

My RLX has new(er) Falken Ziexs on them. Could be the same type issue though -- if so, I will definitely be swapping them out for a better tire.

 

You just need to keep your foot on the gas, and let this car do its thing. It will bring the tail back in, within a sec or two.

This is an trait of the programing to the rear motors, and I am sure George (expert) will explain further.

The only thing I can says, trust the car and it will correct itself.

 

+1


It may also happen in the winter on snow covered roads when coasting through a corner/turn.

But, a tire change will help you in the rain.

 

I'm unsure how to respond to posts like this.

It's very clear after tens of thousands of miles that the car is programmed to allow high slip angles on all four corners in a variety of situations, and it's very clear that the car will allow the nose to point into a corner, perhaps more aggressively than some people would want.

Because of this, when I replaced the tires I went with exactly the same ones that came on the car, because I don't really mind slip angles as long as the car is predictable, and I did not want to start second guessing Honda by increasing the grip of the rubber.

The car will allow this; however, if the car detects any sudden action on the driver's part, it will cut in and try to straighten the car. If you jerk the wheel or take your foot off the throttle suddenly, the computer will take over and try to straighten you. And that could be an unfortunate thing...depending on what's going on.

I don't know why they let a car out into the wild that will do that. The NSX Sport Hybrid will also do it, which has alarmed some drivers who bought the car without understanding this.

The car rewards smoothness and a progressive attitude, but intervenes with jerky, sudden movements.

I don't know what else to say. We could argue for days about whether it is wise to allow cars into the wild that handle this way. :-)

 

^^Well said. I certainly get it. Part of the safety first, or at least as a priority on Honda/Acura's part. Like it or not!

 

I'm just glad everything seems to be working properly -- I was just not sure if something else was supposed to happen, if the vehicle detected slips/hydroplaning, or if I could've done something differently that would've been better. So glad that it happened at a low speed with no other cars too close. On the other hand, it does make me want to go to a secluded area and test the limits of this thing!

 

It's very interesting on the track, but of course it's not exactly fast because of its weight and the limitations that come with that.

Despite all that HP and torque vectoring, you're not exactly going to be lapping Type R's. :-)

It handles rougher tracks well, and bounces over gaters with the best of them. But...you can't easily defeat the 4500 pounds that're holding you down.

Another thing: The brakes are not that strong for a car this big. I hear people compliment the brakes all the time, and perhaps on the road they seem good because the brake feel is artificially managed to always be hard. But the brakes fade regardless of the firm pedal, and you're just not going to stop that fast after a few laps.

There's a lot you can do to make it better, but this is a daily driver for all of us and we're just not going to spend money doing that. Especially since the little 200 HP Type R's are going to be lapping you anyway. :-)

 

The stock Goodyears on the TLX scared me in the rain, I put on Conti DSW 06 and love them, they are like glue and equal to the Michelin AS/3, but at a fraction of the price, which is good since I only get about 17K miles to 4/32 at wcihi point I put on my second set.

 

Talk to any Porsche 911 driver, especially the older air cooled models, about this. They've learned to "keep your foot in it" a long time ago.

 

The problem with old Porsches is that you have to pick the line and the speed, and what you've picked has to be perfect for the situation.

An advantage we have with our Honda-based cars is that even in very high performance situations, you can react to the traffic's mistakes or change your line and speed while still standing ½ a chance of controlling the car! :-)

You can lift momentarily to point the car and then floor it, if you have to, far more safely than you could in a Porsche. This assumes instant throttle response like you have in a DC2 race car, however. We don't have that kind of instant throttle response in our KC2, so it's a bit risky.

And if you're not at 10/10, you can push harder to pull yourself through. If you push harder in a 911, you might very well understeer yourself to the inside.

 

I drove a T8 the other day, by the way. If anything, it's more tail happy than our KC2, which was a surprise.