Since my car is not my DD it hasn't seen too much time in the rain. Had to take my daughter somewhere this morning and since the car was already dirty I decided to take it. there was some light rain and the roads were wet (no standing water, puddles, etc.) but not that bad.

I was a bit surprised on one of the exit ramps to feel the car start to slide a bit. I was NOT pushing AT ALL since I'm not that familiar with the car in the rain, not to mention I had my daughter with me.

On another ramp at similiar speeds it seemed to feel much better - different types of pavement so i'm wondering how much that played into things. It felt much better on the black top type road vs. the lighter colored concrete type, if you know what i'm talking about (Chris H. you know what I mean, right?)

so, just wondering for you guys who drive in the rain a lot how good this thing handles in the wet? To be clear, i'm not talking about how it goes through standing water, monsoon type of rain (I know there was a thread here about that) but just light to medium rain or more importantly, wet roads.

 

I just got into the hospital after driving on wet roads in Chicago.

I think the pavement is more likely the culprit rather than any thing inherent in the suspension or 4WD system. Black asphalt will always be a bit slicker than grooved concrete. It is likely the lower friction between your tires and the pavement was causing you to lose a little grip. BTW, it wasn't really cold (<40 F) was it? If so, the summer performance tires really get hard and lose a tremendous amount of grip. Another reason to get winter rubber even in cold areas even if you're not going to drive in snow.

 

LOL I had to read your first sentence twice. "I just got into the hospital after driving on wet roads. I thought "wow, it is bad"

Yeah, most likely the type of pavement on that one exit ramp. I thought about the temperature but it is pretty warm - about 65. I do know these tires lose about half their grip once it hits 50. I think I read that on tirerack's site once before.

Maybe I should go hit an empty parking lot and see how much it can take

 

Wet city asphalt is going to have a lot of grease, oil and whatever else you can think of.

 

I live in Seattle were we see our fair share of rain.I am always amazed how hard I can push my car when it is wet out. It is truly amazing. Your problem must have been some slick pavement.

 

Folks-

Since I do use my 997TT as a daily driver, I often have driven in the rain (although there has been a drought here in the DC area). Unlike my 2002 996TT, the 997 allows more oversteer than the 996 did, especially on the track, even if sport mode is not active.

Tires are obviously the paramount issue, including summer versus winter, but I have found that I drive more carefully until I get some heat into them (Like track tires).

FWIW - Gerry
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<NOBR>Afghanistan and other counter terror operations; Operation Noble Eagle (ONE),</NOBR>
<NOBR>providing enhanced security at military bases; and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF).</NOBR>

 

...Ooopps. I guess I didn't write that very well...

 

It rides better than my BMW in the rain!

 

Drove mine into the city today in the driving rain, no issues at all, I was passing suv's with ease. Very stable and safe at speed in wet weather. Prolly a pavement issue.

 

I'm talking more about how it is in the corners/turns. Obviously you can't push it like you can in the dry but I thought it felt a bit more loose than I would have thought. Probably a pavement issue like you said.

 

My 997 TT is a DD and have already racked up over 14,000 miles. I've had no particular problems driving in the rain but am particularly careful accelerating our of turns on wet pavement. I recall some previous threads in which TT owners spoke of handling problems in heavy rain but have encountered none myself.

 

Hi Chris.

Although AWD helps with acceleration from a stop, it doesn't protect you from 505 ft/lbs out of a corner. While I can push pretty hard in the straight, even PSM won't protect me from doing something foolish through a corner.

 

I've experienced this, while making a 90' turn and flooring it at the apex in 1st gear with PSM on. The back end immediately flew out and with a slight correction and throttle control, you're straight. I must say that IMO Porsche has an outstanding traction control system.

 

I daily drive my GT3 in pouring rain and i have Michelin Pilot Sport Cups and never had that! I am not sure what happened, but yeah, it must have been some REAL slick oily surface.

 

With the right tires this car handles light snow no problem, nevermind rain. But I would not push it in either category during this type of weather handling wise.