Hi There

I totaled a 2017 C300 RWD Sedan last year. I was driving in moderate rain and the vehicle lost traction, began hydroplaning, ESP did not engage and I hit a concrete barrier. The insurance totaled the car. I informed MB that I had never hydroplaned or aquaplaned before in my life and that I believed the ESP was at fault. MB sent a factory rep to inspect the vehicle, who stated the wreck was my fault. I have owned multiple brands of luxury vehicles and have over 35 year's experience driving in the snow and rain with a spotless safety record. To be safe, I replaced the car with a 2018 C300 4Matic Sedan. Today driving in the rain, I hydroplaned in the 4Matic car. The ESP did not engage. But after sliding, the factory runflat tires provided the needed grip and I did not wreck thankfully. Both vehicles are/were non-sports with 18 inch wheels and I reside in the US. I am very interested in hearing from anyone who has experienced similar hydroplaning issues. I no longer feel safe driving this car in the rain.

GreekUPS

Every car hydroplanes, your best bet is to slow down in the rain. Not much you can do once your floating on water.

Kartergreg

Get better tires, and slow down in the rain.

Pope_RW

Hydroplaning occurs when a tire encounters more water than it can scatter. Water pressure in the front of the wheel pushes water under the tire, and the tire is then separated from the road surface by a thin film of water and loses traction. The result is loss of steering, braking and power control.

When your tire is no longer in contact with the road no traction control program will help you, ESP cannot suspend the laws of physics. To prevent hydroplaning lift your right foot.


If you would like to rid yourself of this obviously dangerous car, you can dm me and I'll take it off your hands.

ygmn

Check tire tread depth....

skinnier tires hydroplane less as do new ones with lots of tread to move water...

ONce tires lose contat as stated above no traction control will ever work as they have nothing to act against... so car moves until tires bite again...

CJG

What tires do you have? How many miles on them? Sounds like you need something better suited for rain.

MariTheBoss

A thread on hydroplaning with no mention of speed or tires... I’m sorry that this happened, am glad you are well, but I would focus on those 2 key factors prior to shifting focus to a car manufacturer..

netboy

thanks for telling. i just assumed that my car is 4matics, i dont need to slow down in the rain.

C300AWD

I drive relatively slow in the rain as a preventative. Once i changed my tires from runflats, they have not had a single sign of loss of grip.

GreekUPS

AWD drive vehicles can hydroplane just as easily as 2wd. Also don’t use Cruise Control in the rain.

vanondemand

No ESP system or any other system will save you from the laws of physics. Don't blame the car for your reckless driving.

Cali4niadriver

I’m actually very impressed with how well my sport 4matic handles in the rain. Having better tires help.

Xzero

So you were driving too fast/erratic/etc. for the conditions.

At least you tried to blame someone other than yourself (MB) to try and get them to cover it, sounds like what someone who made a mistake would do.

Irrelevant information other than it shows that you’ve been driving poorly for 35 years and have been extremely lucky nothing has happened to anyone else..

It’s not the car that’s causing this, you and I both know the actual issue.

Irrelevant information. What tires? How old? How much tread? Your (excessive) speed at time of hydroplaning? Actual road condition? You’re leaving out key information on purpose, usually what someone at fault does.

Sell the car and get a Honda Fit, you’ll do everyone on the road a favor.

Jack_88

Sounds like a standard seat to steering wheel interface error. Best to remove the faulty component and replace it with one that meets the performance standards required for routine operation.

Cremez

Basically what everyone is saying is that you need to learn to drive

C300Paul

Having the same issue.
owned my C300 AMG sport since (5 years) never a problem until this year.
now even on damp roads, the car gets a kick out even at low speeds 40 Kph if a concrete road. No traction lights come on.
worse on concrete roads.
never had the problem before, so for sure a change in the car.
im burning through rear tyres too in the last 3 months only. Tried P-zero RF, Michelin’s RF, conti RF and now on P-zero normal tyres.
had the rear sway arms changed, suspension checked, tracking etc... all now ok, but problem still occurs.

its not my driving as others feel the same when driving my car.

Pope_RW

Hydroplaning is all speed and tires, once you exceed the tire's ability to move water you will hydroplane. The vehicle the tires are mounted to have little to do with it, unless you have some major suspension issues.

Giants54

Something I figured out years ago; you need to slow down in the rain.

LILBENZ230

That many tires in 3 months? Something is seriously wrong with the car.

places

ESP has nothing to do with it. Slow down, it's pure physics.

irondad

Something is seriously wrong with the car
driver.

Negligence...underinflated, overinflated, hard driving, etc...tires don't wear out in a month.

C300Paul

thanks, but none of the above. I was looking for something a little more insightful rather than guess work.

gfmohn

MB suspensions are no longer adjustable for camber and, in front, caster. If your wear is on the edges, this ad may be part of the answer. If your tires are, in effect, "running on the edges," this would explain your hydroplaning problem also.
This firm has competitors. Find them and compare. Before betting your money and, maybe, the lives of you and your family, do a lot of due diligence. Look for reviews (if any) and complaints, not just in Mercedes blogs, but also in Bimmerforums, etc. Note: I haven't used the parts myself!
Don't to a dealer. Go to a long-established independent shop, preferably one that advertises performance mods.

szmp34

I just had the same thing two days ago with my 2016 C300. Lately it started losing traction in the rain at highway speeds. I thought it was the tires, so I put brand new tires on the front. That obviously did not help - I ended up sliding across 3 lanes on the turnpike and hitting center divider with rear passenger side... I am now wondering if ESP malfunction may cause something like that (like overcorrecting and causing loss of traction).

Cosworth2000

The tire thread can do a good job displacing water however if your speed is to fast for the displacement and the rain is coming down harder at points, the tires can loose contact with the road. The best thing is to slow down and take into consideration the weather or a large puddle of water you may have to drive through.