Excellent sharing!

 

Low traction conditions will greatly magnify mistakes that may go unnoticed in the dry. Like jerky, sudden inputs to the pedals or steering wheel, or getting on the gas BEFORE you start unwinding the steering wheel.

So, the theory of dry weather applies. More than ever:
Smooth steering inputs. Unwind steering when rolling on the throttle. Always track out. Do not pinch the steering. Do not stab on the brakes. Progressively get off the brakes as the car slows down, etc. You know, basic DE stuff.

Plus:

Line: The line for wet weather driving is different than for dry conditions. You'll notice that the outside of a turn tends to have more grip than the apex. Try different lines and find which one is the grippiest at any given track. Experimentation is key. Also, due to lack of lateral grip, try to make as many straights as possible with slow small turns in between. Instead of long continuous turns. That way, you can be on the gas more. You know: gas, brake on a straight line, complete the turn as soon as possible, on the gas again. And so on.

Revs:As a general rule, you want the car to be smooth, not only in the turns, but also on acceleration.
Too low of a gear and you'll easily power oversteer. Only recommended if your right foot is extremely smooth and sensitive. Also, at higher revs, beware of engine braking. You could easily spin by just lifting of the gas. And if you are not EXCELLENT at heel-toeing, the engine could lock up the rear end under braking.
Too high of a gear, and you'll be slow (not necessarily a bad thing if you're inexperienced). But if you like to use the gas pedal as an OFF-ON switch, then a higher gear will help you stay out of trouble (for the most part). You will rarely find yourself having to use the gas to catch a slide since that usually makes the car oversteer worse. Unless you are trailbraking or transitioning the car from braking to accelerating. You should try to avoid trailbraking in the rain, though, unless you are very proficent at it in the dry and your car can handle it without drama.

Tires:
Temperature: The tires will not heat up nearly as much due to constant cooling from water from the track. Evaporation is a very effective way of heat dissipation. And the significantly less tire deformation due to lack of grip will make this situation even worse. Meaning, the tires will never be at their optimum operating temperature, worsening overall grip even further (unless you use specialized rain tires, which work at lower temps).
Pressure: Since you cannot reach optimum tire temperature, you should start with significantly higher cold tire pressures to be able to reach a hot number slightly higher than your dry optimum pressures.
This pressure will maximize your contact patch. There is no magical number. But the best way to find this number, is with a tire pyrometer (which is just as important as a tire pressure gauge). But as general rule, you want to run higher wet hot pressures, maybe 5-8 psi above your dry hot pressure. Hydroplaning occurs mostly with underinflated tires, when the tire deforms and allows a center longitudinal channel of water run through the contact patch. The faster you go, the higher the chances of hydroplaning. An overinflated tire does two things. First, it decreases deflection of the tire while rounding the center. And second, it helps keep the groves of the tires open, facilitating water evacuation. These two things will help you against hydroplaning. As a side effect the contact patch, and therefore traction, is reduced. But: It's always better to have less traction than no traction at all (hydroplaning).



Suspension:
Soft is better in this case. It will allow more progressive transition of weight balance, allowing you to have more overall traction. You won't be able to change directions quickly, but in exchange, it will let you have more grip coming out of a corner.

As a side note:
If you feel intimidated by the rain, it means that you don't know how to drive in these conditions. Get somebody who knows ride with you and instruct you. If you become fast in the rain, you will fly in the dry. It's all about smoothness. If you don't upset the car, your limits of adhesion will reach a higher level.

Hope that helps. Everybody else, please feel free to correct any inaccuracies I may have written.

 

my God man that is an awesome right up. Love the pics to show discreption. This should be stickied!!!!!!

 

This is great stuff!! Thanks.