Francesca Knowles
Port Hadlock, Washington
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Hi, all
I'm on my Mother-in-law's chain E-mail list, and I always check out whatever she sends me before I take it as Gospel...
This one has me stumped- it sounds like it MIGHT make sense- yet none of the "facts" referred to in the E-mail check out anyplace...so naturally I'm asking you folks! 
I'm interested in opinions of the main point, which I'll quote here:Chain E-mail wrote:
A 36 year old female had an accident several weeks ago and totaled her car. A resident of Kinburn , Ontario was traveling between Kinburn & Ottawa. It was raining, though not excessively, when her car suddenly began to hydro-plane and literally flew through the air.. She was not seriously injured but very stunned at the sudden occurrence!
When she explained to the OPP Officer what had happened he told her something that every driver should know - NEVER DRIVE IN THE RAIN WITH YOUR CRUISE CONTROL ON . She thought she was being cautious by setting the cruise control and maintaining a safe consistent speed in the rain. But the Officer told her that if the cruise control is on when your car begins to hydro-plane and your tires lose contact with the pavement, your car will accelerate to a higher rate of speed making you take off like an airplane.
Is that for real? Should cruise control be avoided on wet/slick pavement?
Thanks!
" Not every mind that wanders is lost. " With apologies to J.R.R. Tolkien
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dmck413
Fluvanna Va
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once you hydroplane the tires lose contact with the road surface. This loss of friction and speed will cause the cruise control to accelerate.
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coolbreeze01
Redding, Ca
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I've never used cruise control on wet pavement. Just didn't seem like a good idea.
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Paythebill
Florida
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The Officer is absolutely spot on.
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aslakson
Fulltiming in the Lower 48
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Same thing happened to me once. Don't use the cruise on wet, ice or snow.
al
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boogie_4wheel
SLC, Utah
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Francesca Knowles wrote:
Is that for real? Should cruise control be avoided on wet/slick pavement?
Thanks!
Yes, it should not be used on slick surfaces; wet or snowy roads. Of course common sense comes in to play (if the mass population still has any). A sprinkle and I will not kill the cruise. During a heavier rain I will shut it off (not just hit the cancel or tap the brake) just in case a finger accidentally brushes the resume button.
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Dutch_12078
Great Sacandaga Lake, NY
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Even snopes.com agrees this one is true, although they do point out that the explanation of what occurs may a bit inaccurate.
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the bear II
Torrance CA.
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Logically I would say do not use cruise control in adverse weather because it slows down your ability to react.
As far as speeding up, I'm not sure....the wheels break loose so there is less friction which means the RPMs at the wheel will go up and then quickly reduce as the cruise control trys to maintain the set speed. The wheels will turn slower so the car should slow down or stay at the set speed. I'm guessing the lady did what most people do when their car goes out of control. She slammed on the brakes which is the worst thing you can do in most traction loss type situations.
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Gale Hawkins
Murray, KY
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YES and the same for snow, etc
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K3WE
Missouri
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Using the cruise control does not MAKE your car hydroplane nor does it make it fly through the air! Nothing like an anecdotal, flawed chain e-mail. That being said, think about this:
If the wheels start spinning, and your foot is on the pedal, you will probably back off the throttle (the right thing to do) in a fraction of a second.
If the car starts spinning while on cruise control- your "oh crap" moment involves picking up your foot, and moving it to the brake and then applying the brake, (not really the best thing to do) or "fumbling" and reaching for the hand control.
In either case, the engine may be revving faster and faster, along with you taking a longer time to turn it off...bottom line, a somewhat longer time period until the throttle is released and the wheels can re-grab.
It's only an short difference in time, but if you are skidding, do you really want to delay your recovery- and give the car time to start going sideways or some other out of control direction?
That's why you should not use cruise when it's raining/snowing.
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