NOOB question about rain

Joseph Snyder · **Joined:** Tue Mar 31, 2015 10:45 am **Posts:** 11

May 21 will be my first autox, and I see that we are highly likely to get VERY, VERY wet.
What is the standard practice for autox on rainy days?
If there is lightning, do we come off the course?
I'm just trying to find out exactly what to expect this weekend.
Thanks in advance for feedback!

Richard Casto · **Posted:** Wed May 18, 2016 11:01 am

I expect a slew of replies shortly with more details than I will provide. Short answer...

* Yes... We autocross in the rain
* If it is safe to be out in the open, then they will run cars. I would expect if there is lightning they they will stop and pull workers off the course.
* Bring rain gear. Both pants and top. A rain coat is not enough. Extra shoes and socks as well.

Richard

michaelsmiller · **Posted:** Wed May 18, 2016 12:33 pm

What Richard said. AutoX'ing in the rain can be a very good experience. It teaches you much better how to be smooth than does the dry. You learn how to better manage your car when on edge. The car's communication to you becomes more subtle and more frequent. I did an EVO school in the rain and quickly learned all about trail braking. That being said, we take it a little easier in the rain.

RobLupella · **Posted:** Wed May 18, 2016 10:43 pm

See other post. Autocross is postponed until better weather. We do autocross in the rain, however, we do stop for thunder and lightning as we do not wish to fry course workers. Bring a rainsuit extra shoes and socks, a tarp to cover your stuff so the extra socks and shoes do not become as wet as your originals :roll:

BriceJohnson · **Joined:** Thu Apr 13, 2006 7:33 am **Posts:** 2230

The other exception is if standing water becomes too bad that it is dangerous for cars to run. This is largely why we made the call for NCCAR this weekend, as the drainage off the course if poor. A previous incident there has taught us to be very cautious.

Richard Casto · **Posted:** Thu May 19, 2016 11:24 am

michaelsmiller wrote:

What Richard said. AutoX'ing in the rain can be a very good experience. It teaches you much better how to be smooth than does the dry. You learn how to better manage your car when on edge. The car's communication to you becomes more subtle and more frequent. I did an EVO school in the rain and quickly learned all about trail braking. That being said, we take it a little easier in the rain.

If you have the right gear to keep from being miserably wet while working or hanging around, it can be fun to autocross in the rain! It also interesting to be on course with high winds and watch gates move on you due to wind as you approach them.

Richard

Vincent Keene · **Posted:** Thu May 19, 2016 11:40 am

Richard Casto wrote:

...it can be fun to autocross in the rain!

I guess my opinion doesn't count as much since I don't autocross much any more, but I'll have to disagree. Autocrossing in the rain is like autocrossing in the dry using the worst set of tires you can buy. I think the majority of us like the most possible grip we can get, hence all the money we spend on tires to do so.

Just my $0.02 and as always, YMMV.

Richard Casto · **Posted:** Thu May 19, 2016 3:19 pm

Vincent Keene wrote:

Richard Casto wrote:

...it can be fun to autocross in the rain!

I guess my opinion doesn't count as much since I don't autocross much any more, but I'll have to disagree. Autocrossing in the rain is like autocrossing in the dry using the worst set of tires you can buy. I think the majority of us like the most possible grip we can get, hence all the money when spend on tires to do so.

Just my $0.02 and as always, YMMV.

From my perspective I was always running a car that didn't have much power or torque, so that was generally the thing limiting performance and not grip levels. Rain reduced grip enough to make it more interesting. And I always felt I was decent at dancing at the edge of traction in wet weather. So I tended to do well on wet events.

Richard

Rob Keehner · **Posted:** Fri May 20, 2016 9:17 pm

I enjoy a damp track but hard rain sucks.

The Civic was very difficult to drive with low tread at NCCAR speeds. Considering most of us are on summer tires with harsh wear and don't channel water.

Karl Shultz · **Posted:** Tue May 24, 2016 2:42 pm

Even though NCCAR was rescheduled, I figured I'd throw my 0.02 in anyway.

1. Autocrossing in the rain is fun. Really!

2. Working course in the rain sucks. Really.

3. Bring an extra pair of shoes and socks, possibly an extra change of clothes. Leave them in your car if you can, or someplace dry. Then you'll have dry versions of each to wear for your drive home.

4a. If you buy rain gear, spend the money on high quality rain gear. The cheap Walmart stuff doesn't breathe well, and gets saturated more quickly. So, you'll be hot, and you'll still be wet. :lol:

I bought Patagonia stuff at Great Outdoor Provision and it's fantastic.

4b. Even with good quality rain gear, if you're standing in a downpour all day it'll probably soak through eventually. Sit in your car when you can, grovel for space under a canopy, etc.

5. If it's not standing water, and you've got some amount of tread depth on your tires, you can go a lot faster than you think. I did an Evo school in Darlington SC a few weekends ago, and it was a downpour all day, but the site drained well. It's amazing the amount of grip that was available. That's not just me talking, either, David Whitener taught me that. (He's a national champion level driver, and IMO one of the best FWD guys in the country).

6. The balance of your car will probably change. If you've got a loose setup for the dry, it'll probably be pretty evil in the wet.
Power down coming off of corners is an exercise in patience, but is a great teachable moment. It'll show you what it means to be smooth on throttle input instead of using it like an on/off switch.

7. Buy one of these things for putting your stuff in:
http://www.amazon.com/Highland-1041700- ... detailpage
Not my idea originally, Dick Rasmussen discovered these. They're intended for rooftop or trailer hitch mounted cargo carrying. It's very waterproof. Just be gentle with it and don't drag it around on the ground with stuff loaded in it, that'll scrape off the waterproofing and then it's just a bag.

THSCC Forums

NOOB question about rain

Who is online