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Driving in the Wet??

Dragon18

By Dragon18,
in General Automotive Discussion

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Warpspeed Experienced

Warpspeed

Posted
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Mick is right. Practice, learn how to drive properly, and have confidence in both yourself and your car.

The thing is though, not all of us have the ability to be world champion drivers. Myself I think I know a little bit about vehicle dynamics, but am a hopeless driver.

So the answer is get yourself a very good car, set it up properly, maintain it, and be very very cautious in the wet, no matter what you drive.

One day some clown is going to cut you off, and you are going to have to save yourself. In good well maintained machinery you stand a far better chance.

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akeenan Grand Master

akeenan

Posted
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driving in the wet isnt a problem unless you are a bad driver. all you have to remeber is leave a bigger gap and dont accelerate/ take corners to fast! which is the same for any other car. skylines are fine in the wet! you just need to take it easy.

slip Mentor

slip

Posted
Posted

Be smooth, and get good at judging your corner entry speed. After you are committed in the wet, you're pretty commited.

Get good wet tyres.

Slowly go harder and harder as you get better.

Smooth feels slow, but its the fastest and safest way.

I love driving in the wet, you're still driving on the same roads, in the same car, with the same equipment, but just different conditions. I get more of a rush in the rain, smaller margin of error.

Duncan Grand Master

Duncan

Posted
Posted

Mick, I can drive a bit myself, but I totally disagree with the "not having ABS is better" point of view. Perhaps on a track, where you hit the same corner, in the same conditions, at the same speed over and over it will be better, but in the varying conditions of a road ABS is invaluable. To threshold brake you need to be concentrating 100%. How many people drive around like that all the time? Or any of the time?

And Strich9ine, you should pop over to one of our NSW track days next time you are in town. Fatz makes much more sense on the track. Or check the Eastern Creek lap record in the performance section...

Mick Trainer Rising Star

Mick Trainer

Posted
Posted
  Quote
Originally posted by Duncan

Mick, I can drive a bit myself, but I totally disagree with the "not having ABS is better" point of view.  Perhaps on a track, where you hit the same corner, in the same conditions, at the same speed over and over it will be better, but in the varying conditions of a road ABS is invaluable.  To threshold brake you need to be concentrating 100%.  How many people drive around like that all the time?  Or any of the time?

Dont get me wrong I am not saying to take the ABS out but what that people can if trained correctly brake better and shorter than a car with ABS. All ABS systems become active only once the wheel has locked and then will pump the brake taking the tyres to the point of loosing traction and then backing the brake off again, then pressure again and so on ans so on.

A trained driver on the other hand can feel the point before the tyres loose traction and therefore never looses the distance lost by ABS when the tyres are locked even though it is only for a very small distance. Even with a car with ABS you want to keep your braking just short of wear it comes in. This is the ultimate braking point. The ABS can pick up were you make a mistake, get a rush of blood.

However I cannot concur that threshold braking takes so constant concentration but more is a matter of pratice and therefore conditioning. Once a driver has practiced the technique to the point were it is conditioned too them that this is the way to brake it no longer becomes a matter of concentration but simple a matter of this being the way that they apply pressure to the brake. Same as people learn to Opposite lock without having to think about it, even turing the steering wheel becomes conditioned once people start to drive. The difference with braking is we think that it is some difficult technique and do not have people practice it to the point were it becomes a conditioned responce as it should be.

Certainly ABS can make up for your mistakes but by simply not having BAS this should not mean that you are in greater risk if you are prepared to condition your driving. Like I said above. Any truly good driver is constantly and activly working on one aspect or another to improve their driving same as if they were pratcing to be a better sportsmen. Driving is something we do everyday but something we truly practice very little.

Mick.

jlnewton Grand Master

jlnewton

Posted
Posted

As above. Do an advanced driving course if you really are that worried. Get good tyres. I don't understand people who try and save a buck or two on tyres. My R33 GTST came with Federal tyres 235/45 R17 and they are crap in the wet to the point of being scary. Couldn't even keep up with the traffic flow on the highway because it was so bad. Changed to my favourite Yokohama's and it is like a totally different car.

Another thing, just because a car can go fast, doesn't mean it has to be driven fast all the time. Lay off the right foot in the wet and the big boost rush won't be a problem. Short shift (before boost) if you can't help yourself. Always drive to the conditions.

rs73 Grand Master

rs73

Posted
Posted

ABS doesn't mean you can just slam your brake and try to kill it.

I tried in mine, doing 65km/h and trying to stop within 20 metres.

Slamming it can make me stop in 18 metres or so.

Pressing it firmly and stop at the point where I start to hear my tyres locked up and ABS is working, produces even better result. I can stop in within 15 metres, maybe even less.

ABS uses computer to compensate if the pressure is too hard (locking the tyres). However if you slam the brakes, the initial pressure which locks up the tyre is too great, and computer needs to make BIG compensations of loosening up, then tightening it up again. By using the 2nd method above, the computer only needs to make minor compensation to reach optimum brake pressure, and believe me, it is easier and quicker for the computer to make minor adjustments rather than big ones...

jlnewton Grand Master

jlnewton

Posted
Posted
  Quote
Originally posted by R32GTR

Falken 326 - Wet weather Scary.

Top line Yokohama - Wet - Feels like the dry. Sensational.

You can't beat Yokohama. I have A008s on my mini, S760s on the work van and ES100s on my R33 GTST and the old man has A539 on his Commodore . They are a great tyre whether is wet or dry and I have never had balance problem. You pay for what you get!

Silver-Arrowz Grand Master

Silver-Arrowz

Posted
Posted
  Quote
Originally posted by Netsy

If you want to learn to drift do it in the wet with no trafic around!

But if you don't ever want to crash stay home!

I think the race track is a more appropriate place to learn.

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