How much water does it take to float a car?

#15tofloat #floodfails #floatingcars
How much water does it take to float a car? Is it really "15 to float" as the SES says? What's the limiting factor for wading a car? How fast should you go? Watch and find out!
Here's the research link "15 to float" was based on.
www.wrl.unsw.edu.au/sites/wrl...
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[@AquaMarine1000]

Thanks Robert. This advice never gets old. There are more risks at play when driving in deep water. Engine driven plastic radiator fan blades can grab the water and flex into the radiator, chewing it out. In extreme 4x4 water crossing the use of a tarp straped to the front can water proof the engine from the bow wave. For every day driving take the official advice keep out of the stuff. Cheers

[@L2SFBC]

Yes, lots of things to go wrong..may at some point do one on all the potential problems such as water into seals, fans as you say, electrics, hydrolocking...lots of things to go wrong immediately and long-term.

[@grahamwest1079]

Learnt a lot about driving through water when I was in the Christchurch Land Rover owners club many years ago. Lots of braided river trips always in groups with knowledge and recovery gear. I have been watching these Ford crossing videos for a few years and it's rare to see someone using correct technique but that's what makes them entertaining. There was one where you can hear the engine of a small hatch back hydro locking. Glad to see some good explanation and scientific research into the risks of crossing flood water. The police closed the road and put concrete barriers across, the water rose further and concrete barriers were then submerged and that's what the tractor drove over.

[@neilwhite8131]

LR built had this built in with their terrible door seals to keep your tyres on the ground..LOL. But I do find it amazing how many people with "snorkels" do not check they actually stop air ingress to the manifold. as always a good vid, cheers

[@IntrospectorGeneral]

Driving techniques aside, one of the puzzling features of the Rufford Ford videos is the apparent inability of some drivers to understand the significance of the prominent flood height markers at the side of the road. In the absence of reliable information about water depth I default to my father's advice from 50 years ago when he was teaching me to drive in a floodprone part of Australia - "Park the car and wait for some other fool to try it first".

[@snells-window]

Good advice but don't be misled by the ability of some cars over others. A landcruiser trayback may easily cross a flooded flowing creek duw to minimal side area, but a landcruiser troopy with a much larger side area will provide a lot more resistance and be swept away. Stay out of water is the best advice.

[@nicknick7052]

I believe the UNSW is the only Uni study in the world about the topic. Thanks Robert for sharing.

[@L2SFBC]

I believe so too. Pity the results were misrepresented.

[@Pandora882]

Hi Robert. I live near to a deep ford and so many people go far too fast and float away not to mention hydraulic locking the engine at lesser depths.

[@snells-window]

I used to do a lot of very deep crossings when I had an old troopy. Flowing water would mean opening the back barn doors to flood the back of the vehicle to stop it shifting in the current, something you cant really do on modern vehicles. Fast flowing water, even when shallow should be treated with extreme caution. Today I steer well clear of most crossings, it's just not worth the risk and costs in modern vehicles

[@nealesmith1873]

Great video! The L Kg relationship is quite convenient.

[@markfryer9880]

Living in Australia, the land of droughts and flooding rains it can be quite common to come across a flooded section of roadway. I have learned the hard way about what speed to travel through shallow flood waters because if you go to fast, you force water up into the engine bay and this resulted in damage to my water pump which was attached to the fan blade. Another time in a larger vehicle, I experienced a brief floating of the rear drive wheels because the vehicle was lighter in the rear and also had an LPG tank just behind the rear differential. It is a funny feeling to be losing traction in the rear by lifting slightly. Another hazard to be aware of if making a river crossing in Northern Australia, is Saltwater Crocodiles. Any waterway or body of water North of Brisbane has to be treated as suspicious period. As shown in this video it doesn't take flood water much to lift a vehicle and push it off a causeway or to flood the engine and leave you stranded in the middle of a large creek or river with Salties just waiting for you to jump out of your vehicle and into their domain. Mark from Melbourne Australia 🇦🇺 Former Australian Army Reservist 4x4 trained, Land Rover and Unimog!

[@L2SFBC]

Brilliant, thanks Mark!

[@paultucker4923]

As a side note , if a river crossing goes bad for you and you make a claim , even if covered by specialist Club 4x4 , it's $2000 excess plus 5% of the vehicle's value. And with other policies....

[@PaulG.x]

You have to remember that the point at which a car becomes undrivable due to reduced weight on the tyres and subsequent loss of traction is a lot less than the depth at which it will float

[@GavinEarnshaw]

Years ago I was teaching some RNLI Water Rescue Instructors for 4x4 driving. We talked about their rules-of-thumb being 6 inches of water at 6mph will knock people off their feet and could move cars. So 150mm@10kph Their view was quite scathing of 4x4 and particularly ute drivers thinking that the closed road signs didn't mean them. Then they got stuck and had to be rescued. Risking others. I tend to teach still or almost still water no more depth than your wellies. Because you obviously would have carefully walked the crossing... So too deep to walk in wellies is too deep.

[@L2SFBC]

Good advice! I like 6/6, and the principle behind 15-to-float is good, but it ends up looking nonsensical and therefore loses its value as an easy safety message.

[@nicophoto1298]

Hi, Your video echo some tragics events 2 days ago in south of France were 6 people, including a father and 2 young childrens, died during flooded bridge crossings. (same day, 3 different bridges).

[@L2SFBC]

That's so sad, and exactly why I made this video!

[@brunoterlingen2203]

Robert, I think it is important to point out that opening a door against the force of the water surrounding the car may not be possible, in fact in the video you showed, the man tried to climb out of the window. Advice here is: when in water, immediately open as many windows as possible to be used as escape hatches.

[@L2SFBC]

Yes downstream door would be easier.

[@snells-window]

You should fully open your windows BEFORE any water crossing. Modern day electrics can mean windows wont open at all if flooded.

[@dtnicholls1]

I don't think you'll be opening that door. Water exerts around 10kpa/m of pressure. So at the top of the water surface you have zero kpa, at the bottom of the door you have 4kpa. Because the relationship is linear, that gives a total average across the whole door of 2kpa. Take the area the water is acting on to be 0.4m by 1m, so 0.4m² and at 2kpa that gives a total load of 800N, or 80ish kg. That's quite a lot to be pushing sideways.

[@L2SFBC]

yes, I should have added downstream door, and even cracking it just a fraction can help. I have done it, once!

[@mozartheart2958]

Nice video thanks. But when a city is flooded you are forced to pass as there is no other way. So if I have a sealed snorkel and the car is floating and the engine is running how to move the car forward?

[@L2SFBC]

Paddles.

[@glennj6465]

They do it on a regular basis there 😂

[@S9RUT]

Can you be my Uni Lecturer for all my subject please 😀😀