Who Is the Best Rain-Driver on the Board?

[Sean Brian Kirby]

I had debated whether this should go here, or in "There's Mo' To Life..."

Who here is both competent and confident in the rain? I am known as a fast driver... but I once destroyed a [tail]-happy pickup truck of mine in the rain, and while rain does not frighten me, I still think I am too conservative in it. Could anyone please impart some principals of the good rain-driver? (As a note, my current pickup actually understeers. A good handler, with excellent all-weather Goodyears...) Any help in this discussion would be greatly appreciated.
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[Silverchamp]

Apparently the biggest cause of accidents in the rain is when people see a few spots of rain hit their window and immediately drop their speed by 25mph. Others just plough into the back of them.
Plus it's annoying when you are on a 70mph road and you're stuck behind a car doing 45mph!
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[Sean Brian Kirby]

Silver - believe me, I am not one of those sphincters. It's just, I am very conservative in the rain - whereas I am brash and confident, when all is fair.

[tiggers]

OK just for you I will give you my thoughts on wet weather driving. No, I'm no expert, but living in NW England it is a subject I've had plenty of experience of

Basically the handling characteristics of your car do not change in the wet, the grip levels simply reduce hence breakaway when it occurs happens sooner than in the dry. The problem is that due to the reduced friction between the road surface and your vehicle's tyres (or tires in your case ) regaining control can take relatively longer although this is in some ways offset by the fact that you're probably doing less speed when this occurs than in the dry.

Armed with these facts the simplest way to gain confidence in the wet is to practice and learn to 'feel' what your vehicle is doing as it approaches it's handling limits. I don't know what you're situation is re. track access, public roads etc., but what some people do in the UK is go on a dedicated wet weather track day or find a large public car park (where the run offs are huge) and gently practice.

There are of course other issues to consider such as aquaplaning, but again judging your vehicle's or rather tire's characteristics in this area only comes with practice.

One other thing worth saying is that your attitude IMHO is to be commended. Far better to take an apprehensive approach when not confident about road conditions than the usual gung ho macho attitude of most enthusiastic drivers (in the UK at least). What is it they say in F1 - to finish first, first you have to finish and this applies equally although laterally to driving on the public roads.

[Huw Jenjin]

Just to add a little to the handling characteristics of your car between wet and dry -they do change because the weight transfer does not get such a foot hold before the tyres start to lose adhesion.
I consider myself a better driver in the wet than i am in thre dry, and that is simply down to lack of bravery believe it or not. Most modern cars are significantly more progressive in their behaviour in the wet.
Driving fast in the wet is a bit like driving fast on cross ply tyres in the dry. With cross plys you never really got to find out about the inadeqacies of your chassis, because the tyres broke traction first, it was simply the static weight distribution that affected what happened. Its much the same with a modern car in the wet. It is down to your 'feel' for what the car is doing or about to do. Significantly, for me, it happens at lower speeds!
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There is no substitute........

[Just Williams]

With all the road humps, traffic lights, pinch points, speed cameras and various other anti-driver paraphanalia in London, it's impossible to travel at much more than 30mph anyway

And diesel spills, over-banding, inappropriately place manhole covers, pot holes, and various other hazards make it an "interesting" ride in the wet on the bike

London - greatest city in the world.....unless you're a driver.....
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"And Mansell is slowing it down, taking it easy. Oh no he isn't! It's a lap record." - Murray Walker