This is my first small car, so I'm not sure if this is a typical feature of a small car, a feature of Mini or there is something wrong with my R56 or its wheels.

My R56 seems to be quite "scary" while driving over hydroplanes. Of course, hydroplanes are dangerous for any car but my R56 seems to "shift" quite a bit when it hits water.

Also, it seems to be VERY bouncy when it hits bad pathces in a road. I understand its not meant to be smooth like a Cadillac but is it typical for it to be "very" bouncy and rough on bad roads?

 

Why would you drive over a hydroplane?


From: http://www.vintagehydroplanes.com/

What tire/wheel combination do you have? Have you checked its hydroplaning rating at http://www.tirerack.com/index.jsp

 

LSD + DSC + Sport Suspension + non-run flat tires , will solve it dramatically...

 

Actually, I would bet the sport suspension is a big cause of the skipping it does over small potholes and such. It is quite dangerous through the twisties when the pavement has an uneven suprise mid corner.

And, no, it is not typical of small front wheel drive cars, but it is typical of small cars with a suspension on the stiffer side.

 

A few weeks after getting my new MINI I went on a club trip, it was raining pretty heavily and we were on the highway. There were several areas where water was pooled on the road and I was very impressed with how well my car handled. It didnt get loose and kept right on going like nothing happend. BTW I have the sport suspension, LSD & DSC

 

MINIs do provide a lot of feedback, and given a stiff suspension and a relatively light car, it could take some getting used to depending on what you were used to driving. I always had a sense of driving feedback from my MINI, but it also always felt well planted. If it troubles you, and since safety is paramount, you might look at different tire options to tweak things more to your liking. That said, there are often little things that owners have to adjust to.

 

My Coopers S is standard - no LSD, DSC or sport suspension and it has all season tires. Could that be the cause of this issue? If yes, then perhaps Mini should have put some more thought in making their base models more stable and safe, as would be expected.

 

I suspect you could see a big improvement in a change of tires. What is the hydroplaning rating at tirerack.com on the tires you have?

 

Also check the tire pressures and make sure they aren't over-inflated.