Driving In The Rain

Big drops of sky falling all around the car act like little weapons trying to attack your windshield and wipeout every inch of viewable surface, forcing you to turn on the high-speed wipers and pray for the best. You decide not to worry too much about the road, it's not as if you should pull over and wait for the storm to pass, dinner must be getting cold. Rain tires are special tires used in motorsport in wet weather as opposed to a slick tire used in dry conditions. Rain tires are cut or moulded with patterned grooves or tread in them. This allows the tire to quickly displace the water between the ground and the rubber on the tire. If this water is not displaced, the car will experience an effect known as hydroplaning as the rubber will not be in contact with the ground. These grooves do not help the car grip contrary to popular belief, however if these grooves are too shallow, the grip will be impaired in wet conditions as the rubber will not be able to make good contact with the ground. The patterns are designed to displace water as quickly as possible to the edges of the tire or into specially cut channels in the centre of the tire. Not all groove patterns are the same. Optimal patterns depend on the car and the conditions. The grooves are also designed to generate heat when lateral forces are applied to the tire.