woodranch

Why does the C6 (or Corvettes in general) have such a bad rap for being driven in the rain. I have not driven my Z in the rain, so do not know the reasoning behind the criticism . I would think a car this low to the ground and with tires wide as they come, the car would handle fairly well in the rain. Could some of you forum members please explain the problems and why.Thank you in advance!

4SUMERZ

It's not that the C6 can't be run in the rain. Most members on this forum keep their cars in their garage, and don't drive them unless the sun is shinning. Some won't even take their car on a 2-3 day road trip, because their scared of getting rain on them

Locally, I try to avoid driving in the rain, because that means that I have to clean the car because of the mess the rain makes.
On our road trips, we have encountered numerous rain storms, and have had no issues. The wipers worked, the car didn't melt, the tires worked fine...but the car got awfully dirty)
On the road trips, I always wash the car after every day of driving. I bring along some washing supplies (microfiber towels for drying) and find a self serve hand wand car wash. Every small town, city has one or many)
The only thing about driving in the rain, is to assure the tires have lot's of thread. Because the tires are wide, they will hydroplane if the thread is 3/4 worn.
I try to buy tires that have at least 10/32" thread depth when new, and wide grooves between the threads. I found that the Goodyear F1 Supercars tires, once 1/2 worn were very dangerous in the rain.
I changed to Firestone Wide Oval Indy 500 tires, and they have been really good all around tires, but especially in heavy rain.
Here is a road trip where we did meet up with lots of rain:
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c6-c...ip-2012-a.html

Some forum members would also like to let you believe that you should not put any miles on your car either, but that's another tale.

Don-Vette

Seriously?

Your not supposed to drive a nice car in the rain. Some Vettes have actually had paint issues after driving in rain. Also change out the muffler bearings for stronger ones.

scott1094

woodranch, The C-6 is not hard to drive in the rain however, they do not have the same properties as a regular sedan. Because they are so low standing water that would not be a problem for a regular sedan or pickup is a big problem for our Corvettes. And those big sticky tires will quickly hydroplane on the standing water that accumulate in the low spots on our highways. Combine all this with the awesome torque at our disposal and a loss of traction and control will bite you in your butt. RAIN! Slow down and use caution, you'll be fine, they don't melt.

Scott

woodranch

Thanks all!

EVILFACE

The old folks think rain will cause diminished value.

windyC6

Yea.....lots of garage queens out there, nothing wrong with that. Mine doesn't see rain not out of being afraid, but as one previous post mentioned it just gets too darn dirty. And if the rain is heavy enough then you start talking about getting the under-hood area scorched and dirty. And that's a whole nother ball game when cleaning. Really just boils down to what kind of owner you are. Drive it in the rain, enjoy it, and clean the heck out of it.....or drive it on nice days and just dust it off every now & then.

brywood

C6 is a third car for me, always is clean. No rain, just because of the dirt.

unixcorn

I am battling worn tires now so I am avoiding driving my C6 in the rain or when rain is a threat. However, once I put new ones on, I will drive it as much as possible again. What's the point of owning it if you don't drive it?

Cooter Tech

I have read and heard that some of these local car wash places recycle their water. I am leery of using them for this reason. If it is true, I doubt that they will filter the water well enough to remove tiny particles of grit and sand. I would be curious as to how clean the water is.

4SUMERZ

I'm sure that many may recycle the water, but their filters would remove 99% of particles, much like a sediment filter for a home unit.
If you drive in the rain, and get water spray, I'm sure there is sand and road grime mixed in that as well.
If one is washing the car on road trips, some hotels do have a car wash station on site (hose)

A good claybar, wax and buff will restore any swirl marks made while washing a car on a road trip IMO

pickleseimer

They are fine in the rain if you respect the potential power they can develop and remember they are LOW. These could be good daily drivers if that's what you wanted and I respect those who do so. Choice is good.

For myself, I avoid rain, snow, winter salt, bad roads and most parking lots LOL Not that I don't run into some of them from time-to-time, but I avoid if I can. These are my 'seasonal' cars, and I'm just not happy until they are up to date on maintenance and are clean - top, bottom, glass, interior, wheels, chassis, underhood, nooks and crannies. That's a lot of work and if I avoid the messy stuff it's just easier. It's a pride-of-ownership thing for me. I may take some good-natured ribbing from my friends about this, but I certainly don't feel compelled or miss a thing about driving these in inclement weather and road conditions.

TerryL

Don't forget the blinker fluid...very important!

FTR I drove my vert down the coast hiway from mid Oregon into California in a driving rainstorm. No drama, no hydroplaning.

dryadsdad

This is today a myth. It stems from C1a and C2 days when the heaters were wood or coal fired.

csf

I have had plenty of expensive "fancy" cars that I have driven in rain, snow, sleet and other poor conditions, and of course they all survived without any problems. Most of those were my daily drivers, so I had no choice. Rain is no problem for any modern car, including Corvettes.

But now, in addition to my C6, I am fortunate to have other vehicles including an SUV and a 4 seat FWD car. So there is absolutely no reason for me to drive the C6 in poor conditons, and I don't. Not worth it to me. My cars, my money, my choice.

I guess one day when I sell the C6 some buyer will get a great clean used car at my expense.

Jimsan

Car is a little squirrely in the rain, probably due to the tires and power of the car. But other than deep water there is no problem

Vette_DD

Stupid owners

windyC6

This is a valid point and of course to each their own. For me personally, if I drove it every day then it wouldn't be such a "Treat"...if you will. I kinda appreciate the fun-factor a little more when I finally get to take her out for a spin. That's why Spring where I live is so treasured. Heck the car may sit for 4-5 months without being driven. So when Spring comes its almost like climbing in it for the first time all over again. But I still wish winter wasn't so darn long around here.

tprice

Mine is not a DD but we do take it on road trips and such.. It is the only car in our garage, rest of them stay outside so it stays pretty clean

I do not bat and eye about driving in the rain BUT if the Vette is clean I just avoid it to keep from having to really clean it

I actually enjoy cleaning mine but just do not have a lot of spare time so I will just normally avoid driving it when I know it is going to rain

Joey D

I drive mine in rain and in years past I drove it in the snow when storms would come in before I could leave the office.

I would avoid the snow. Outside of having to clean the car more often, there's no reason not to drive it in the rain unless you have bald tires or DR's on it.