so what is a 'rain line'. i thought you would just drive your normal line during wet conditions but just slower since grip is reduced.

 

you try driving the normal line while avoiding any standing water, running water, or superslick parts of the track if at all possible.

after a while you try and follow the path that the majority of the cars follow (the somewhat "dry line"), which should be a tad drier than the rest of the track because of all the traffic.

 

so are you saying that the rain line is pretty much avodiing puddle of water of the track so you can drive on as dry road as possible?

 

It really depends on the surface. If the racing line is worn smooth and shiny there may be some time to be had by driving off line on the rougher sections of pavement. I think you need to take it on a case by case basis and just experiment and see what works best for your track/car/driver/tires/weather etc combination.

 

i will add also -- on some older tracks with older pavement, it may be better to drive offline in the rain. the old pavement can hold lots of old oil drippings, which can float to the surface and make the track in those areas real slick.

also, some tracks have asphalt and concrete patches, which can vary in traction greatly when wet....

todd

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Todd Reid &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">i will add also -- on some older tracks with older pavement, it may be better to drive offline in the rain. the old pavement can hold lots of old oil drippings, which can float to the surface and make the track in those areas real slick.

also, some tracks have asphalt and concrete patches, which can vary in traction greatly when wet....

todd</TD></TR></TABLE>

*CoughSummitPointCoughcough*

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Stinkycheezmonky &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

*CoughSummitPointCoughcough* </TD></TR></TABLE>
Summit Point in the rain is hilarious. Parts of the track are best on the regular line, but parts of it are definitely <u>not</u> the same as the dry line. And the parts of the track where you might have heretofore rode the gaters for the fastest line, those gaters will now send you spinning off into the grass.

Let's hear it for Honda Torsen axles.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by George Knighton &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Summit Point in the rain is hilarious.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Hilarious is one way of describing it... I was laughing, albeit somewhat nervously when a 40mph+ crosswind blew the car way wide at turn 3 on wet pavement...

3rd gear wheelspin on wet pavement in the carousel was humorous too, particularly because I have a decent diff and not-alot of power.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Todd Reid &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">i will add also -- on some older tracks with older pavement, it may be better to drive offline in the rain. the old pavement can hold lots of old oil drippings, which can float to the surface and make the track in those areas real slick.

also, some tracks have asphalt and concrete patches, which can vary in traction greatly when wet....

todd
</TD></TR></TABLE>

Yep!

The old Mid-Ohio surface was bizarre. I was there in the rain, right after they lightly resurfaced the concrete patches. They were the only place to be in the rain, nice and sticky! A couple of weeks before that, there was zero traction on the concrete patches in the rain.

Road America is the same, asphalt and other patches, you just have to try each one to see what there is.

Another problem with driving on the dry line, besides the fact that it's smooth and oily, is that a layer of rubber can get built up, and the tire -&gt; water -&gt; rubber interaction is a slick one.

So, let's say you're coming up to a fast 180 degree turn (Road America carousel for instance). Driving the outside of that carousel, in the rocks/marbles, is still faster than staying on the inside line. However, you have to be careful at the exit, when you're crossing the dry line again (at the normal track-out point) it'll get slick again. That's a common way to end up backwards in the mud, to cross over a slick spot near track exit, or anywhere in the middle of the turn. Sometimes you can't even accelerate straight near the track exit, so you have to keep turning to get off of the common path on the straights.

As has already been eluded to, the wet line varies from corner to corner, from track to track, from week to week. A couple common approaches to wet driving, looking for a fast line:

- Brake 2' away from the normal braking area, miss the normal apex by 2-3', and be careful on track out wherever you end up (hopefully a couple feet off of the track edge)

- Brake towards the middle of the track if the braking zone is particularly nasty. Cross over the dry line and then turn in, missing the apex by a car width. Again be careful at track out.

- Drive the outside edge of the track

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by WRXRacer111 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">3rd gear wheelspin on wet pavement in the carousel was humorous too, particularly because I have a decent diff and not-alot of power.</TD></TR></TABLE>

I got you beat in the wheelspin department, in my turbo pig at Road America in the sleet. Pick a gear, point the car straight, and manage wheelspin. Pray to Tom Cruise that you can brake at the end of the straight. Turn, rinse, repeat.

 

As other already mentioned, the actual line varies from track to track.

But as far as wet technique (strictly my personal experience/preference):

1. Stretch out the braking zone longer to avoid lock up.

2. Prepare to turn in a earlier because your car will respond a lot slower.

3. In some corners, upshifting earlier might help eliminate wheel spins and maintain the momentum.

 

Apart from what has already been said, I generally stay off the dry line by one car width, thus avoiding most of the oil that comes up when it rains. This results in a later turn-in, wider apex and narrower exit... basically crossing the dry line twice.