what is your F car driving experience in heavy rain

Just say NO especially w a TR or a high hp car

If you really must put it in top gear and be Very careful w throttle application

 

I thought it was fun. The 360 was very progressive with the slip angle.

 

512TR is out of control above 60mph

Havent driven the F40 in really heavy rain, I always put in in 5th & just cruise when it gets wet

 

355 can be a bit difficult

 

I tried going through a very heavy downpour (visibility was only about 10 or so feet due to the rain) on my 430 and even on the "rain" mode, it was pretty scary. I was doing a 60 on a 75mph highway and the car was slipping all over the place. I guess those wide wheels aren't helping too! I wondered whether the "snow" mode would've made a difference... Fortunately the car didn't melt!!!

 

Since 1970 when I bought the Lusso, I have zero experience with that.

 

I did an autocross event last fall with the morning session during very heavy rain. Totally wet pavement with big puddles, rivulettes etc.
The windshield fogged up a bit but the wipers did their job ok.
Max speed was <60mph, and the all-season Bridgestone tires were awesome - very predictable in all directions, kicking out the back end at will powering out of turns. Mucho fun.

I don't have video from the morning but here's the very end of my last run of the day on a mostly dry track:
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYUJ5ZviEXM[/ame]

 

Two years ago, I drove my F355 on near slicks from Texas to WV over 3 days. Two of those days were spent driving through 2"/hr rain. I mean heavy, continuous, pouring rain.

Background: I have done many stints driving the F355 on race tracks while raining, and have a good sense of what the car will do when hitting one kind of puddle or another on the road. Needless to say, this develops a special kind of touchy-feely control over the car, and a keen desire to keep the front end in front of the car.

So, other than a whole bunch of 65-70 MPH darting caused by heavy patches of water tugging and pulling on the car, and the underarm excretions that accompany such movents of the car not on behalf of driver inputs, the car went just fine. No electrical problems, no running problems, and it did take the car a whole day to clean once I got there. {It also killed both <original> radiator fans--as in locked up tight, so tight that you cant turn either one by hand.}

 

I've driven my various Ferraris in heavy rain. Not generally my first choice, but sometimes that's the deal. It's not a big deal-- other than in my old Mondial Cab, which leaked so badly that I needed a towel across my legs to keep dry.

 

From the Magnum contingent, I've driven my 308 in heavy downpours, both moving and stuck at stoplights, and once hit a large bit of standing water at 40mph. No problems, no drama, no leaks (mine is a GTB which does make a difference) and the car just purrs along. I probably wouldn't make a habit of it, but I'm definitely not afraid of getting caught out.

Rain-X is highly recommended. The wipers suck.

 

It's all about the tires. I drove a Stradale on track in the rain....with Pilot Sport Cups. Not advisable. But, I've driven a regular 360 in light snow - with the right tires....no problem whatsoever.

In general, you will have less grip than a standard car because of the width of the tires, but if you have good tires and a light foot....you're all good.

 

Ditto, but my windows and gauges kind of fogged up.

 

Drove my 430 four hours in pouring rain. It was the culmination of an ill fated, long road trip. It wasn't by choice and I hope to avoid those conditions in any car.

Passenger window started to leak after a while. It drove and handled without issue but as soon as I got back to town, CEL came on. It ran like crap after that. I think the heavy rain caused some problem. I don't recall the specifics of it at the moment. Bad memory I'm trying to forget.

 

was at a car show recently. suddenly people started leaving. i wondered why until i turned around. the sky was black as night and full of lightning. i packed up and headed for home. within minutes the storm hit, hard. suvs were pulling over. the curb lane was inundated with the ocassional large tree branch lying in the roadway. the water was actually coming over my hood. my first fear was of stalling but remembering the engine was behind me i decided to press on. i could hear the alternator belt slipping a bit but it didn't seem a problem. the defroster worked remarkedly well as it cleared the entire windscreen except for the area behind the binnacle, the section i was looking through. other than that the car performed perfectly. i would have loved to have seen the people's faces in the trucks that pulled over as i came ploughing by.

 

I've had 308s, 348s, TRs and an F40 in the wet and it was a no brainer. You just have to adjust your driving style for the wet.

The biggest surprise was my CS on P Zero Corsa's. I had the car for about a week and I got caught in a monsoon. Car tracked fine. No real hydroplaning. No drama.

And for the record, none of them melted.

 

My old CS in the heavy rain was tracking OK if the speed is below 120km/h....but the sliding window wasn't!!!! It leaks like a sinking boat (worse if you park in and it rains heavily).

The 355 in heavy rain is also driving just fine below 120 km/h... but higher speed brings out some funny floaty feeling to the steering whee.

The current car, 575 seems to be the most stable of the bunch except going through a deep patch on the road.

The wide tires are the problem I think....

 

We had a track day (pre-paid) when it rained all day, so went anyway.
With new Pirelli PZeros, and the traction control full on, it was actually pretty good in my 360 spider. Top speeds at the end of the short straight were for me 160km/h (100 mph). Third gear on most of the track. Braking was very controlled, and corners/accel were kept under control by the traction control. In fact, if it wasn't engaging regularly, I wasn't pushing it as hard as I could...
I did get a splash of water on my chest from the front edge of the fabric roof, and it took a day in the sun (next day) to dry the carpet behind the driver's seat. But the car was in heavy rain from 8am to 5pm.
Tires, tires, tires.

 

all about the tires; being in the Pacific NorthWest, we drive in the rain or don't drive at all. Best to stick between 60-120km/h with the top down in rain, and maybe 348's just don't have enough hp to get into much trouble. Or maybe the Bridgestones just do a great job.

It's a pain to clean the car after, and best to never leave the car parked in the rain (lots of water collection spots in the engine compartment, only protected by chicken-wire mesh).

 

11 1/2 hours (900kms) in a 330GTC in heavy, heavy rain was not fun. Very tiring, and the doors were full of 20 litres of water.

Otherwise I'm not too bothered. The 550 does become a bit twitchy (had wheelspin at 100mph), and I've had the 330GTC sideways at 80mph, unexpected, on a highway. But just as long as you are mindful of this loss of traction and drive a bit more careful, there's no reason not to drive them. And make sure your tyres are up to it - the thread quite often looks fine on the outside but might be worn on the inner side.


Onno
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I have no experience in rain.