boxster in the wet?

[E Kaplan]

I drive the car in Florida in all types of weather conditions. This car sticks at low and high speeds in the rain and with gusty winds. No problems with hydroplaining.

I had a miata years ago and had a very different experience. The car would skip often when the roads were wet.

I feel much safer in my Boxster.

Eric

[dmcutter]

I did the Tail of the Dragon last year in the rain, with front tires pretty close to the wear lines. I did manage to get the traction control to kick in when I overcooked a couple of extreme curves, but other than that, handled like a dream.

[vath2001]

Depends on your tires. Mine is alotta fun the rain, the ass pulls around and I let up on the throttle it to snap it back in. Corners kinda slide through. But I have pure summer tires and no traction control. I had to relearn how to drive a rear wheel drive car again.. too many years of front drive.

[kabel]

Originally Posted by E Kaplan

I drive the car in Florida in all types of weather conditions. This car sticks at low and high speeds in the rain and with gusty winds. No problems with hydroplaning.

I'll second that with a big caveat that should be obvious, good tires are a very important part of the equation when it comes to traction and handling.

[Scbrindley]

My car is a daily driver. It does great in the rain. My biggest concern is getting hit by a big ass truck with a moron driver..... Being in such a small car that is just a loosing battle. Other than that, it handles great!

SB

[limoncello]

I think wet performance is more about tires than about cars or suspensions. The suspension will do it's thing as long as the tires have traction.

Tire choice: I think the Tire Rack addresses wet performance in their ratings. If you drive in water a lot, choose appropriate tires.

Safety note on Hydroplaning: Any tire, if the combination of speed and water depth are sufficient, will hydroplane. Use common sense. If it's really flooding cats and dogs, slow down.

Having said that, I drove my Boxster a couple of times on the track during and immediately after heavy southern thunderstorms with LOTS of rain. Tires were Sumi II's, well worn on the outside edges but good tread in the center: could not believe how fast I could go around corners without losing traction. But this experimentation was on a track, not out on the roads. When you do lose grip in the wet, you can lose it surprisingly quickly (said from experience)

My other car/daily driver's tires are at 30K now, so I take it easy in the rain (like we had this morning). When I get a new set in a couple of thousand, I can push it harder on the fresh tires.

There's nothing inherently risky about driving a Box on wet roads, as long as your tires are right and you use common sense.
A wet skidpad is a really great testing device.
Have fun!