[ace3]

I'm sure a few people have had to drive their LSS-equipped car in the rain by now ... how is it?

I'm picking up my car next month (hopefully), and am completely unsure about the weather between Texas and Nebraska. Should I let possible rain in the forecast hamper my plans, or do i battle through?

I'll be sure to bring a towel - who knows about the top.

 

[Randy Chase]

I felt it was fine in a Texas rainstorm... as long as I kept to about 40-45mph. I was being passed by Minivans and RVs, but for me, the Elise did not feel secure at higher speeds.

And yes... the towel will have other uses.

One thing I learned on my roadtrip...long drives heading almost toward the sun, create an interesting situation where the front clam area that is in your view can be a mirror to the sun.

 

[Stan]

It all depends on what you mean by rain. Wet roads and Northeast type rain are no problem at all. We don't get those huge puddles and standing water though. It autocrosses fine in the rain too, but again no huge deep water deposits were involved. If you'll be seeing heavy downpours and lots of standing water of uncertain depth you should slow way down. Here in CT if it rains very hard that lasts for like 5-10 minutes and it reverts to low to moderate steady rain so it's not much of a rain test. So when I see heavy rain I simply wait a few moments until it's over.

 

[J-Son]

as far as the reflected glare off the front clam......Polarized Sunglasses cut that down a tremendous amount.....i like Maui Jim sunglasses personally.

 

[meat]

Let's not forget the temperature factor.

These tires do not like cold weather. Couple cold and wet and much care should be taken.

 

[TripleBlack_NJ]

Not sure about standing water and hydroplaning.

But in sub 50 deg and light to medium rain the grip level is amazing. Definitely above the best all seasons out there. Of course you can't accelerate and turn at the same time, but lateral grip when off the pedals and straight line grip amazed me.

But here is the problem. There is absolutely no warning or feedback before letting go. I had a chance to really push the car in a safe environment a few times.

Being in the north east, I will probably replace these with goodyear F1 GS-D3s.

 

[OneFastLotus]

I drove 6 hours for my first service, four hours of which were in a torrential rain storm with loads of standing water, etc. I was freaked out a few times, but kept my speeds at or just below the speed limit and made it intact. A few times I had to slow down to 40 or so...but I put my blinkers on and just gritted my teeth and made it through.

 

[pianomaniac]

In a light rain situation, I wouldn't be too concerned.

My concern would be standing water.
With only 5 inches of ground clearance coupled with the width of the tires, there would be absolutely no control (even at moderate to slow speed) in standing water.

I know that our usual rain patterns in So. California are such that when it does rain, it rains hard. The highways weren't designed for runoff,so many times they close lanes of the freeway because of standing water.

I wouldn't want to see the rear of the Elise passing me in the rain.

 

[pianomaniac]

Oh...one more thing which is important to always be aware of in rain. The bottom panels on the Elise are our enemy in the rain. There is no place for the water to escape....only lift!

 

[Surferjer]

Only a few of us can compare the AO48s with the LSS setup vs. the AD07s with the base suspension (for those of you who get upset with the term LTS). I can tell you that the AO48s are much better on wet roads than the AD07s. They turn and grip much better. It's still prudent to go slower, but the base package feels a lot more like a snow plow.

 

[John Stimson]

The ground clearance and the streamlined underbody are non-issues in the rain. If the water is deep enough to reach the underbody, you really shouldn't be out driving in any car, let alone at speeds where hydrodynamic lift would be a factor. You'll have more important things to worry about, like sucking water into the intake or being carried away by the current.

 

[eliseowner2b]

OneFastLotus,
That pic looks awful! I would have been digging my (10) finger nails into the steering wheel and you snapped a pic! I'm glad to see people are chilling out in downpours because I've found the A048's to be slippery in mild rain. Im sure those grooves can't handle standing water nearly as well as other tires.

 

[ekological]

OneFastLotus,
That pic looks awful! I would have been digging my (10) finger nails into the steering wheel and you snapped a pic! I'm glad to see people are chilling out in downpours because I've found the A048's to be slippery in mild rain. Im sure those grooves can't handle standing water nearly as well as other tires.

If you look past the dirty windshield D), you'll see that the conditions don't look that bad in that photo. Rain-X definitely makes a world of difference for visibility. A few weeks ago, I was thinking about taking the Elise to work but decided to go with the M3. As usual, the weatherman was wrong and it was pouring on the way home. I'm cruising on my merry way when I decide to take the crossover from the express lanes to the local lanes and it suddently dawned on me that there's usually a dip there. Sure enough, I look ahead and I see it's smooooth...I must have parted the ocean in the M3.... All the while I thought, "Boy...if I had the Elise today, it would be a goner..." hahaha

 

[Randy Chase]

Semis passing you in the rain can be interesting. It seemed like a wave of water would come of their tires and onto my windshield.

 

[pianomaniac]

The ground clearance and the streamlined underbody are non-issues in the rain. If the water is deep enough to reach the underbody, you really shouldn't be out driving in any car, let alone at speeds where hydrodynamic lift would be a factor. You'll have more important things to worry about, like sucking water into the intake or being carried away by the current.

When hitting a pool of standing water....it is a factor in my experience, but your mileage may vary.

 

[ace3]

Thanks for the replies, everyone. Sounds like I shouldn't worry about it too much, as long as I keep the speeds down, and stay awake.

Let's just hope for no freezing temps between there and here.

Randy - what "other" uses for the towel are you talking about? Should I bring a FEW extras?

 

[OneFastLotus]

Actually that picture above, as well as this one below was taken with the windsheild wipers going full blast and the windsheild wasnt really dirty, it was just that much rain. It rained very hard for four hours strait, the roads were covered and water was channeling down the sides. I had to be very careful. It was a "puckered up" trip for sure.

As Randy said, passing semi's can be a challenge.

 

[OneFastLotus]

Darn Low hanging storm clouds! I took this picture at Kentucky Speedway on my way down. The rain was so hard I stopped here in order to call my husband and decide if I really wanted to continue. This stop is about an hour from our house so I figured if I was there I'd at least get a quick photo. I was pretty stressed out.

I decided to continue on 5 hours more to my destination and it wasnt *that* bad..but it had its moments.

 

[Randy Chase]

Randy - what "other" uses for the towel are you talking about? Should I bring a FEW extras?

I used it to block the sun's glare off the front clam. After about 12 hours in the car, I used it to cushion my knee against the shifter housing. If you leave the car in the sun, it can be used to cover up the steering wheel, or used if you forgot to cover things like the shift knob.

In case of break down, it can be put on the ground to lay on. You can use it as a hotpad to work on something like the exhaust in an emergency. It can be torn into strips and used to tie up things.

When the A/C quits working, you can get some ice water and soak the towel in it and use it for cooling.

If you really needed to get some coffee... and because there is no cupholder, you spilled a little bit... use the towel to clean up.

It can be made into a little pillow for a tired passenger.

You can use it to carry stuff.

It can cushion or protect things inside the boot, or protect the inside of the boot.

If you forgot paper, you can use it to write on.

If your car gets caught in rain and then has to look nice, you can dry it off. If you get caught in the rain with no umbrella, you can use it to shield off the rain, or towel off afterwards.

If you are McGiver and you have a paperclip, a book of matches, and a D Cell flashlight... you will need a towel to make your escape.

Okay... I might have just made up that last one.

 

[_JD_]

don't forget emergency roadside stops after eating some bad mexican- for when socks just are'nt enough!