Why are my tires sliding so much?

I have a 1994 Mercury Cougar XR7 V8 4.6L and it has just started raining a little bit, so the roads are wet. I don't know how old the tires are, but i had them checked out professionally and they said that the tire's tread are still really good and i might have to change the front two tires soon, but other than that they are ok. When I give the car almost any bit of gas, the tires spin out, and my speedomoter starts to move, but the car stays the same. And when I turn I tend to lose control. It isn't safe to drive in. I am a new driver and I haven't driven in rain before, but I am very cautious and am not the type to speed or punch the gas, but it seems kind of ridiculous how little it takes to spin out. It is a 2WD and the back two are the ones that are spinning out. So i thought it could be the big engine and on two tires, but can you think of any reason or any advice? Thank you very much for your time. Why are my tires sliding so much?The first problem is obvious - a big RWD car with a big motor combined with an experienced driver. A good rule of thumb here is that if you are spinning the drive wheels you are using too much gas - ease up. Spinnng tires don't get you anywhere, they just wear out a lot faster.



Traction is all about the tires. If you are not getting good traction the tires are the first and last place to look for improvement. Regardless of how much wear is on your current tires they clearly are not working for you and thus should be changed to something of higher quality. You could try a Goodyear Assurance Tripletread, Michelin Hydroedge, Pirelli P4 Four Season or Yokohama AVID TRZ for example and I think you will see a nice improvement, along with adjustments in driving style.Why are my tires sliding so much?It's possible that your tires need to be replaced even if they still have a lot of thread left on them. As tires get old they also get harder from being exposed to the sun and air. If the tires on your car are really old they will have hardened, in which case they have very little traction. They might still be adequate in the dry, but they would be very slippery in the wet, especially if it's also cold out... Why are my tires sliding so much?the people who look at ur tire's know u need tire's,here is what u do!there is a comercial with mario andrey in it.if u take a penny turn it so the haed is down in the grove of the center of the tire and u can see the top of his head u need to replace the tire!!! now if the tread id just over that just rotate the tire's,look in ur owner's manual and it will tell u what gos were.Why are my tires sliding so much?Ease up on the gas there big guy. When it first starts to rain all the oil on the roads makes things very slick. After it rains a bit it washes all that away.



You'll get used to it soon hopefully, especially if you live where you are going to have snow and ice this winter.Why are my tires sliding so much?Maybe rear suspension problem.

Worn or broken rear sway bar bushings, or control arm bushings?I would say check the shocks also just for good measure.

Cougars were always a bit light in the rear end.



J.Bissell has a good point too.Why are my tires sliding so much?maybe you have too much air in them. just ease up on that gas when it,s raining. that shinny blacktop is bad too when it,s raining.Why are my tires sliding so much?You might need a new tire. If you push the gas pedal and your car can hardly move forward, your clutch plate might be slipping and need to change the clutch plate and bearing.Why are my tires sliding so much?bald tires only reason...change themWhy are my tires sliding so much?with a car with a v8, its pretty easy to get the tires to spin, especially when its raining out regardless of how the tread is on the tire.



if you are really worried about losing control because of the traction problem, i would suggest getting better tires. there are some tires with some fancy smancy technology built into them to provide you with excellent traction in all weather. im not talking about the generic 4 season tires, im talking about high performance all weather tires.



they are quite pricey but well worth the money because not only do they offer much better traction, but they generally have more life to them.



in my case, i bought some good year tires which have given me awesome amounts of traction in snow and rain and a comfortable ride, and the warranty for the tread is covered for 90,000 miles.



given for four tires and mount and balance it was 550, compared to the generic of 45k miles for 300 bucks for the four tires, it was well worth the investment.



another thing is, put some weight in your trunk. those cars tend to be really light in the back so adding some weight will help keep the slippage down a little.



have fun!!!!Why are my tires sliding so much?From what you're saying it sounds like it is rear wheel drive.



Your problem is most likely a combination of two things.



First, your tires most likely need to be replaced. Second, rear wheel drive vehicles tend to spin out much easier. This is because most of the weight in a car is over the front tires. RWD vehicles don't have as much weight over the drive wheels and thus less traction. This alone, even without tire wear can cause excessive spin out, especially when the road is wet. So even if you tires are good, it could be just because it's RWD.



Your tires may also not be very good rain tires.

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