wet racing

[itaintegra31]

I am racing a 2ng gen Integra out here in California,we don't get to race in the rain that much and I have a race this weekend and it looks like it's going to be wet. I was wondering what you guys where it rains more are doing for wet setup, I have Koni yellows and an adjustable rear bar and will be on full tread Toyos as it is a Honda Challenge race.

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Ron Carroll
REC Motorsports Inc.
#52 ITA integra

[R2 Racing]

I also have a ITA 2nd gen Integra I race in CenDiv. When it's wet I generally reduce the effective "stiffness" of the rear of the car. I usually just drop the tire pressures a little and turn down my rear shocks. Sometimes I'll turn down the fronts too for some more bite on turn in.

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Kevin
Ruck Racing
'92 ITA Acura Integra RS
'92 ITC Honda Civic CX
'85 ITC Honda Civic S
'95 ITS Honda Prelude Si

[Tom Blaney]

You want the car to be "soft", so you can soften the shocks a click, and remove one of the linkage bolts from the rear swaybar, which will soften up the car and allow for a little more roll.

[joeg]

Originally posted by itaintegra31:
I am racing a 2ng gen Integra out here in California,we don't get to race in the rain that much and I have a race this weekend and it looks like it's going to be wet. I was wondering what you guys where it rains more are doing for wet setup, I have Koni yellows and an adjustable rear bar and will be on full tread Toyos as it is a Honda Challenge race.

[joeg]

You will be fine following Tom's advice.

However, make certain your wipers work and rain-x the windshield. Vision is half or more of the battle.

You may need a defroster, so see if that works or carry a rag.

Good luck and have fun!

[pavis]

Hey Ron-

Welcome to the weather the rest of us get to experience during the year!

I agree with the advice listed above. I raced twice in the rain this year with full tread toyos and softend up all 4 corners with good results in my CRX.

Best of luck.

Pete
#42 ITA
Southwest Divison

[racer-025]

Here in Atlantic Canada, we race in the rain all the time. I actually enjoy it. The rain is a big equalizer. I also use full depth Toyos dedicated for my rain tires. Yes you can soften up the back end (I drive a CRX). R2 mentions that he uses lower air pressures. I don't like that theory. I actually increase the air pressures about 4-5psi higher than what your dry setup is. The Toyo Proxy is a directional tire that when you increase the air pressures; what that does is allow the rain to be "forced" out from the centre allowing the tire to grip the asphalt. These tires will heat up in the rain and work well.

Move your braking points back some and try to get most of your braking done in a straight line, and then "roll" around the turns gradually putting the power down. An LSD in a must. I really don't like a welded diff (FWD) in the rain.

Now that being said, this recommendation is for medium rain and a wet track. For heavy rain, good-luck you'll need some real rain tires. Rain-X is a must. If you don't have any, use car wax on your windshield and make sure your defrost fan is working. Good luck.

Here we are jealous as our race season ends in Sept. and picks back up in May. You southern/left coast folks are lucky that you can do track events all year.

[itaintegra31]

Thanks guys,
That's kinda what I was thinking but nice to hear it from others.

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Ron Carroll
REC Motorsports Inc.
#52 ITA integra