So today its rain all day here in Miami and the FD is my daily driver so I driver her like any other day just softer on the pedel espcially around corners. Now I hear all these horror stories about it spinning and going nuts I just dont understand how or where? Now I will add that I do have very good rain tires, yet I never once felt the back end going nuts. So what is it, once its gone its hard to regain control? Also it may help that Im non-seq .

Just want to hear peoples input on this, because I think its more of a myth or peoples excuse for their crashes than an actual problem.

 

I find the FD quite nice in the rain. Just drive with a bit of insight into throttle, braking and steering inputs.

The FD is very well balanced and handles in the rain just fine.

 

Oh, it's no myth! I've did a 180 degree spin in the rain in my 300ZX Twin Turbo going into a turn too fast (~35 mph) when the turbos kicked in. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that high speeds and water equals less traction, and you can loose control too hydroplaning when coming to a stop. It's all about modulating the throttle when driving in bad conditions.

 

The FD is not an "evil" handling car at all. Just like any other high power rear wheel drive car however it will not suffer a stupid driver.

I agree that the tail happiness of the FD is more myth than truth.

 

you've heard of "Florida Ice" well, California Ice, is just as bad except it lasts for days.... since we go 11 Mo. without rain, and by then all the rubber and oil is ground in, and drainage isn't what it is in florida either...

And People Just FREAK in L.A. when it rains, people just loose their minds here... they either way overcompansate @ 25 mph on the highway, or they go faster since they have "Rain" tires, and they go just as fast in the rain...

I've driven in 2-3 inch standing water on the highway 520 between Orl. and Melbourne, and that is childsplay compared to I10 in L.A.

 

No sh*t. But if anyone drives in the wet the same as if it were dry than they most certainly are not a genius.

Cars do not wreck themselves. Unless there is some sort of mechanical failure or anavoidable accident it is always the driver's fault for not maintaining control of his car. Most of that has to do with the driver's ability to make good decisions.

 

Well I mean I had an empty road and ya the ABS kicked in but I could still come to a stop. I think it has more to do with the Sequential system the 2nd turbo coming online right in the middle of the rpm band cause you to slide out.

What I like to know is lets say you go into a slow speed spin (tail out or tail begining to go out) is it hard to get back in control? is that the problem? or just the tail likes to go out. I mean when Im turn left and stuff I feel the tail coming out so I shift to bring it in. Yet one thing I did notice was long curved roads where your doing 35 to 40 mph and the road turns gradually could cause a tail out but instead of a tailout more of understeer if you nail a puddle and lose total front traction.

 

The car is by no means tail-happy like an older 911. Oversteering an FD requires numerous factors to occur at the same time. Traction, rpm, throttle input, boost psi, weight transfer, etc.

Oh, and driver (in)ability.

 

I drive my FD in the rain all the time (I do live in Seattle ya know!). It actually handles quite well. I do feel the rear end start to break loose from time to time, but the FD has very good "road feel" and I can correct before it gets too sideways. You just have to be a little more careful than when it is dry and be smooth with the throttle - don't mash it!

 

I have daily driven my FD through three California rain seasons. People that say this car handles poorly in the rain either:

a) have worn out or improper tires
b) are shitty drivers
c) both

The FD handles just fine in the rain, with no evil behavior. Anybody hitting the transition (8+ psi at 4500 rpm) in the rain deserves to lose control.

You want scary in the rain? Drive a 79 RX-7. That thing WAS twitchy, although I made it through four Michigan/Indiana winters without ever going in the ditch.

 

Hard to say. There's too many variables involved to predict what will happen. I suppose you can try practicing skids, slides, and maneuvering in a big empty parking lot the next time it rains. When you lose it is where you'll know where your limit is at.

 

I heard you could rally the 1st gen, lol imagine rallying it down a Michigan winter mountain =P

 

Oh ya here are a pic of my tires.



And a nice angle pic

 

I don't have any problems in the rain with my FD and I have some pretty shitty, old, yoko a540's on it.

It loses traction easily in the rain with these tires, and I wouldn't try driving in snow with them, but you gotta have some common sense in the rain

Steve

 

Like DCrosby, my concern is with other drivers behaving like morons. The condition where people are driving way to slow or way to fast beyond the limits of traction quickly builds into multicolision accidents, which amount to more carnage down the road.

We know too well that the FD tempts other drivers to do stupid things to get our attention. Flybys, burnouts, etc.

Unlike rynberg, I'm a wuss. I'll just drag the daily driver back out.

 

remember the FD is 50/50 so any "tail happyness" is due solely to the driver and his foot on the throttle. and remember, ANY boost in the rain is a no-no... but again thats all the driver and his foot.

 

its true because i role in third and give 2 quarter throttle and once 1 psi of boost comes in the car looses traction...well taht was with my old tires...just keep up on tire maintenence and watch your heavy foot and you should be fine...well peace out

 

I drove in pouring rain on the highway when I first got my car. Had new Mich. MXX Pilots on it. Was great. I could pass lines of traffic with no problems on the two lane highway. Tires are old now, so I wouldn't dare get rambuctious with them. It's time for new ones - I spin them up constantly when starting out crossing intersections. I think a Miata could beat be in an accelleration test .

I suspect anyone who has reported the car is a handful just either doesn't know how to drive or has poor rain tires - this car tends to get very high performance tires and a lot of them aren't very good in rain.

 

another cause of tail happiness would be worn out/frozen rear pillow *****. I thought my 7 was just tail happy and I'd have to live with it...but after replacing 4 completely worn out pillow *****, and 2 that were frozen and not allowing any movement (trailing arms)...NOW...the car isn't overly tail happy. I installed all the Jimlab bushings at the same time. Before that while getting the feel for the car...i've looked at a ditch or 2 at 60 mph...and only managed to spin it once

in the same breath...I drove it through a few snow storms last winter with the fubared tail happy suspension Granted I was on real snow tires and i drive rally cars for fun or I did till I hit the tree. stupid trees.

so...adding to the list of causes...the car can be more snappy/unpredictable/tail happy with poorly maintained suspension.

just wait till I go visit turbojeff at an autocross....then we'll see tail happy ...cones are very afraid of me....

john

 

Agreed, and if they do it without good rain tires, then they should be sterilized, to protect the gene pool.

"Lets see, I went around a corner in the rain and lost control because of transition. Therefore the car is dangerous in the rain, because it can't be my constipated driving skills."

That is just Retarded. The same thing can happen in the dry. Lesson #1, when pushing it with a twin turbo car is to not allow transition to catch you by surprise when turning. This involves intelligent driving, which will forever be beyond some people.

 

 

If you drive your car sensibly in the rain, you won't have a problem. Unfortunately, there are too many FD drivers who are not capable of showing proper restraint. Of course, they do provide parts for us, and keep the values of our cars up

 

like others said. its definately all about the tires and driver. even with the worst tires you can limp along in the rain. s-03s are the best thing that ever happened to my fd in the rain.


steve prew

 

I figure if I drove my bike in horrible rain I can handle my FD also. Just don't race on the street when the pawement is anything but dry. It usually takes longer to regain control in damp conditions.

But FD can be driven nornally in rain. I do it everytime bad weather catches me

 

Too much boost, slick conditions, equals loss of control.