Why Is It Dangerous to Drive Through Flood Waters?

by Gabrielle DeSantis

Floods are possible in some areas. Global warming and the increased risk of heavy rains increases that potential. Most people do not realize that severe weather and floods also pose a serious threat to your vehicle. One main car safety rule involves whether you should drive through floods or avoid them completely. Do you know why it is dangerous to drive through floodwaters?

Car in flood | Getty Images

Why watery roadways should be avoided

Have you ever been driving down the road and hit a water puddle that is deeper than you expected it to be? You may feel it grab the tire and jerk your steering wheel a little. It’s a split second that may be barely noticeable, but it should give you at least some idea of why water and vehicles are not good together.

First, when you hit that puddle, you cannot see if it is deep enough to affect your car. It may appear to be just a small layer of water, but maybe a few inches deep in all actuality. The same thing can happen if you drive onto a roadway with standing floodwaters. Looks can be deceiving and often is when it comes to floods.

Consumer Reports and Stephen Hegarty, with the Tampa, Florida police department, confirm that people often feel they are going to get through such shallow water and states that, “We have to rescue people on a regular basis.” Why?

Drivers don’t know if there are going to be hidden dangers. These may include road wear-causing deep spots or other issues that may be lurking underneath the water. Hidden risks may include rocks that have been washed into the roadway, downed power lines, and a total loss of control. Your car can also hydroplane, which means you could end up slamming into a tree or a ditch.

Floodwaters can destroy your vehicle

To go beyond your personal safety, your car may also sustain damages from driving through flooded areas. Water standing on a road can push a vehicle off the road, even if it is only a couple of inches deep. If the water gets into your motor, it can cause damages. Over time, it could also lead to rusting and other issues, especially if the floodwaters are mostly saltwater.

If you own an SUV or a larger truck, you should still avoid flooded roadways unless you want a watery grave for your vehicle. They are not immune to the dangers of floodwater. You can still experience issues with the electrical system, engine, transmission, cooling system, and more. If it is deep enough to seep in around doorways, it can ruin your vehicle’s interior.

Tips for driving safely through water if unavoidable

Sometimes, you may not be able to predict when a flood is coming. You should always do your best to avoid driving in flood-prone areas, even if you have good tires. However, we do realize that driving through water is sometimes unavoidable.

You may have a low spot in your driveway or need to get out of an area for your personal safety. If you feel confident that the water isn’t going to push you off the road, there are things you can do to get through as safely as possible according to Drive Safely.

Our goal is to help you arrive safely, regardless of what is going on with the weather in your area. Your responsibility is to keep in mind that an alternative route that isn’t flooded is always best. If you cannot avoid it, you should: drive in the center of the road when possible, following other vehicles rather than trying to pass by them, slowing down, and drying your brakes once you are past the flooded roadway.

RELATED: Is a Car Considered Totaled After a Flood?

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Does Tinting Your Windows Void Your Cars Warranty?

by Gabrielle DeSantis

Having tinted windows is one of the easiest ways to modify your car, and it is so common that most people don’t really consider it an actual modification. If you’ve just purchased a car with completely untinted windows, chances are you’ve already started contemplating if it’s worth the money to have your windows tinted. But, there are some downsides to window tinting, such as how much you can legally tint your windows and windshield depending on the state you live in, and worse if it will void your new car warranty.

Does tinting windows void warranty?

A traffic police officer checking a tinted car window | Sergei Bobylev, TASS, Getty Images

Warranty limitations can vary greatly between manufacturers and even between makes and models and vehicle years. The standard limitations that buyers are typically aware of are years and mileage, where a standard warranty becomes void after the vehicle is a certain number of years old, usually around 3 to 6 years after original purchase or mileage. In the fine print, however, every warranty limits the amount of which you can modify the car while still maintaining the warranty, but what is considered a modification can vary greatly. The safest bet is to read completely through the warranty limitations or reach out to your local dealership or brand representative to ensure that tinting your windows won’t void your warranty.

In some cases, the warranty is specific to the way the tint is installed, which is also an important thing to double-check. If the window must be removed in order to install the tint, the chances are higher that it will void your vehicle’s warranty because this requires the door panel to be taken apart.

It’s illegal in some states

Police officer checks the transparency of car windows
Police officer checks the transparency of car windows | Anton Vergun, TASS, Getty Images

Depending on local and state laws, tinting your windows may be completely illegal. If it isn’t illegal, each state has specific laws on how much you are legally allowed to tint your windows, and it is allowed in most states to some extent because there are some benefits of having your windows tinted. In most states, however, you are not able to tint your entire windshield at all, but rather just the first top inch or so. Even if your car is out of the warranty period, it is important to follow state and local guidelines on windowing tinting.

Why should you tint your windows?

If it doesn’t void your warranty, or your vehicle is outside of its new-car warranty limitations already, there are a lot of benefits for tinting your car’s windows. Tinted windows can minimize the effects of damaging UV rays on your car’s interior, which can lead to premature wearing and wrinkling of certain materials, such as leather. It can also help keep the interior temperature of your car cooler. It can also protect your skin and eyes from the UV radiation produced by the sun, making it an option that is both convenient and healthy. Besides that, some people just prefer the bit of privacy that having tinted windows offers, regardless of how dark the tint actually is.

It is important to check the terms of your specific vehicle’s warranty before making any major or minor changes to the vehicle. Voiding a vehicle’s new car warranty defeats one of the many benefits that buyers enjoy about owning a new vehicle, and the last thing you want to do is accidentally void your vehicle’s warranty over something as seemingly minor as window tint.

RELATED: Do I Need to Have My Car Serviced at the Dealership to Keep My Warranty?

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Porsche 911 Race Cars Dominate IMSA GT Classes at Road America

by Gabrielle DeSantis

Racing has been an integral part of the Porsche brand througout its history. The 911 RSR and GT3 R may be fully track-prepped, but their DNA is shared closely with street versions of the Porsche 911. In round eight of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship at Road America, both racing variants took home the checkered flag in their respective GTLM and GTD classes.

The 911 RSR won GTLM with speed and efficiency

GTLM Class winners Cooper MacNeil and Matt Campbell with the #79 Porsche 911 RSR at Road America 2021 | Porsche

In GTLM, the WeatherTech Racing Porsche 911 RSR competes against two Chevrolet Corvette C8.Rs. The cars are fairly well-matched, with very similar best lap times at Road America. However, the Corvette has more displacement with a 5.5-liter V8 engine, versus the 4.2-liter flat-six cylinder in the Porsche. The 911 RSR variant moves the engine slightly forward of the rear axle, for better weight distribution.

Cooper MacNeil started the event for Porsche, behind leader Jordan Taylor and Nick Tandy in the Corvettes. As the race continued, pit stops would become a key factor for all three GTLM cars. MacNeil came in under caution to refuel after about 30 minutes and turned over the wheel to Matt Campbell.

Campbell turned fast laps when needed, but also managed to conserve fuel. When penalties put both of the Corvettes behind, he seized the opportunity to take the lead. The Australian driver stayed in front until the end to earn the GTLM class victory. Interestingly, he ran the final hour of the event on the same tank of fuel.

“The race came down to the strategy and the fuel-saving between us and the Corvettes,” said Campbell. “In the end, the Proton guys made the right decision to stop when we did for fuel. At the time we thought maybe it was the wrong call. But obviously, it all worked out in the end.”

The 911 GT3 R took 1st and 3rd places in GTD

The #9 Porsche 911 GT3 R of Pfaff Racing at Road America in 2021.
The #9 Porsche 911 GT3 R of Pfaff Racing at Road America in 2021 | Porsche

IMSA GTD is a much larger and diverse field of contenders, with the rear-engine Porsche 911 GT3 R against rivals using mid-engine and front-engine rear-wheel-drive layouts. In contrast to the majority, Zacharie Robichon and Trent Hindman both pitted early to refuel their 911 GT3 Rs. This worked out in their favor when the class leader Robby Foley took his BMW M6 into the pits afterward during a caution.

On the restart, Rubichon gained four places and then passed Frankie Montecalvo within a lap to take the lead. Laurens Vanthoor took over the Pfaff Porsche from Robichon with an hour left. Vanthoor maintained a comfortable lead to take the win by nearly 12 seconds. Trent Hindman and Patrick Long placed third in their 911 GT3 R, behind Foley and Bill Auberlen in the Turner BMW M6.

“All in all it was a fantastic race for our team. It started with a perfect strategy call to pit before the yellow, and then I got a good restart and was able to control the race from the front,” said driver Zacharie Robichon. “A few brave passes were necessary but I knew the first two laps after the restart were going to be the key to the race. After this, it was all about saving fuel and getting the car in a good position for Laurens.”

The GTLM cars head to 24 Hours of Le Mans

For the Porsche 911 RSR, as well as the Corvette C8.Rs, next stop is the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans in France. In addition to IMSA regulations, the GTLM cars also meet FIA standards that enable them to compete in Europe. At Le Mans they will face the best in the world, as they contend for one of the most coveted wins in all of racing.

“This gives us some strong momentum going into Le Mans next week and we want to continue this winning streak with Porsche at the 24-hour race,” said MacNeil. “We have the chance to do this if we can stay out of trouble and are in the right place at the end – just like we were today.”

Against rival machines with larger engines, the Porsche 911 again proved to be a formidable weapon on the race track. What it lacks in displacement, it can often make up with the inherent efficiency and simple nature of its rear-engine design.

RELATED: Porsche Creates a Special 911 in Honor of Driver Pedro Rodriguez

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Is the Honda Talon Faster Than the Polaris RZR?

by Gabrielle DeSantis

Only a couple of years ago, Honda released the Honda Talon. It has a place in the competitive UTV and side-by-side market alongside others like the Polaris RZR and Yamaha YXZ1000R. But is the Honda Talon faster than the Polaris RZR? 

2021 Honda Talon 1000X | Honda Powersports

The UTV and side-by-side industry was already a growing market then. However, with lockdown restrictions and social distancing in effect to various degrees over the last year, we’ve seen an explosion in the sale of recreational vehicles. Shoppers with a need for speed will probably want to know which recreational off-road vehicle has the most power. 

The Honda Talon vs. the Polaris RZR

a red Polaris RZR UTV driving off-road in the forest
2021 Polaris RZR XP 1000 | Polaris

The Polaris RZR XP 1000 is a longstanding bestseller in the UTV world. Virtually every other side-by-side is compared with this particular unit in some way or another. The Honda Talon 1000X has the same size 64” chassis, according to off-road.com. The engine layout of both of these side-by-side UTV models is very similar.

However, the Honda Talon 1000X and 1000R get power from a 999cc 106 hp engine. The twin cylinder engine that the Polaris RZR employs makes up to 110 horsepower. This isn’t such a vast difference, but on paper the Polaris UTV takes the win here. 

That said, Honda’s UTV side-by-side features a dual clutch transmission (DCT) like that we see in the Honda Africa Twin. The Polaris RZR XP1000, on the other hand, has a belt-driven continuously variable transmission (CVT) unit. The power from the dual clutch system is more direct and will give the Honda Talon an edge in certain off-road driving situations. 

Are these side-by-side UTV models nice in the cab? 

An orange Honda Talon side-by-side UTV model driving fast on a sandy off-road trail
2021 Honda Talon 1000X | Honda Powersports

The interior of the Honda is more refined. Off-road.com’s comparison tells us that the stock seats in the Honda Talon unit are nicer than what we find inside the cab of a stock Polaris RZR XP 1000. In fact, if you’ve ever been inside the cab of a Honda Talon it’s easy to see that Honda ensured this unit earned its iconic badge of powersport wings in more ways than just performance and reliability. 

Each of these machines are made with a dynamic chassis that’s entirely designated to take on any off-road situation. Cabin comfort is fun and comfortable at virtually any speed. When it comes down to the driving experience, expect comfort and fun in both of these side-by-side UTV models. Even when pushed to the limit, both the Honda Talon and the Polaris RZR are in their element no matter what you throw at them. 

Is the Honda Talon Faster than the Polaris RZR? 

a blue and orange Polaris RZR XP 1000 driving off-road in the forest
2021 Polaris RZR XP 1000 | Polaris

With almost the same horsepower and attention to detail in terms of balance and capability, a race between these two side-by-sides would be ridiculously fun to put on. But who would win? Is the Honda Talon faster than the Polaris RZR?  

Honda sets the top speed of the Talon at 75 mph, while (depending on the model) a Polaris RZR generally gets cut off at 80 mph. Still, a winning race largely depends on the conditions and the individual drivers. In an actual race between the two, it could be anyone’s game.

RELATED: Top Rated ATV and UTV Tires According to Amazon Reviews

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