Good Morning!
I am new to the forum and looking forward to discussing some issues I am having with my 08 LT. I am almost unable to drive the car in the rain at any speed above 50 because of hydro planing, it was so bad the other day that I almost spun out on the highway. My question is have you experienced the same problem and was it tire related? I bought my HHR used and am intending to replace the tires soon as they appear to be original equipment, they have 42k miles on them now and are starting to show wear, one member said he switched to Michelim but he didn't mention if they worked well in the rain/snow.

Also I am interested in the sway bars will this improve my situation and those of you who have installed them what was the difference from stock? Did you do both the front and rear? I also noted many of you use TTR sway bars but I cannot find them on the web could one of you direct me to their site?

Thank you in advance for any help/advice

 

Worn tires will assist in hydroplaining. Less grove depth allows more water to get under the tire lifting it up.

Sway bar will not help in this situation. They help keep the vehicle flat in cornering.

 

people who make tires know much , much , much more about tires than people who make vehicles....i believe many complaints about tires are because people put what is recomended by auto companies and not what is recomended by the tire's maker.....maybe the roads are made different in nc...many , or some say that the oem firehawks do not do well in rain or snow....i just changed mine with 98,000 miles on them...i drive 275 miles a day , 5-6 days a week with no problems with rain or the 2 snow storms we had this past winter....i run 40-44 psi , and the firehawks wore perfectly even across the tread......they also helped save me yesterday from a very bad accident , or maybe it was a miracle.

 

Here's the link to the TTR rear sway bar you were asking about

http://www.turbotechracing.com/produ...dcategory=6261

 

Thanks for providing that link.

 

http://www.progressauto.com/products...D2/18/sfID3/75

I put one of these on my 06 HHR .

 

Gotta support the vendors the vendors that support the site

 

my experience with florida rain showed me that the factory tires are garbage in it, and I have a sway bar...

 

I'd say start by checking the tire pressure on your tires. Too little inflation is just as bad as too MUCH inflation. If they're worn to the point the wear bars are showing then get all 4 replaced at the same time with a good quality replacement tire. It seems to me like you're running the OE wheel/tire combo correct? If so, try the same brand OE tire that came on your HHR from the factory if they worked decently for you when they had more tread depth. If you're running an aftermaket wheel, I personally loved the Hankook K106 tire I had in my old Neon. They're a high performance tire that acted terrific in dry or wet conditions and are available in 16" and up sizes.

Later
Allex

 

Small, to small...