Why can't Nascars run in the rain???

[BCYL]

I know they don't have windshield wipers or threads in the tires.... why cant they add those and run in the rain?

It just seems really unfair to cut to race short and just declare a winnie like today's North Carolina 600... some teams might have been planning strategies for the end of the race...

 

[NFS4]

I know that the F1 drivers throw on the treads and start movin'...and they're EXPOSED to the elements.

Anyway, maybe it has something to do with the high banked turns.

 

[conjur]

I'm sure it would add a lot to the cost of the existing cars. Wiper mechanisms would affect the aerodynamics and would treaded tires support high speeds?

 

[kyutip]

What do you expect from a car that can only make left turn ?

 

[BCYL]

Originally posted by: NFS4
I know that the F1 drivers throw on the treads and start movin'...and they're EXPOSED to the elements.

Anyway, maybe it has something to do with the high banked turns.

I know... how does F1 drivers see through the rain anyways? They dont have wipers on their helmets do they?

 

[Anubis]

cause they are pussys

F1 drivers go in teh rain and they have to turn in more then 1 direction

 

[Muck]

Would you want to drive 180 mph in the rain on unthreaded tires??

 

[BCYL]

Originally posted by: Muck
Would you want to drive 180 mph in the rain on unthreaded tires??

That's my point... why can't they use threaded tires?

 

[alexjohnson16]

Originally posted by: kyutip
What do you expect from a car that can only make left turn ?

Someone's never seen NASCAR at Infineon Raceway (formerly Sears Point) or NASCAR at 'The Glen' (Watkins Glen)...

2 road courses...

And for the question about rain, my guess is the speed + weight of the cars + wet track = bad idea... running a 3400 pound car at 160 miles on a wet surface would be next to impossible, imo...

the indycars can do it because they only way like 1300 pounds, and they put on treaded tires...

F1 is one of the only forms of racing that run in the rain... (Dirt Tracks, Drag Races, Most Asphalt races all don't)

 

[slick230]

It's TREADED tires, NOT threaded. Sheesh! Morons.

 

[McCarthy]

For the same reason CART (indycars) don't run on ovals in the rain. You have cars in a small area doing high speeds close together. The spray leaves virtually no visibility. If it dries off enough that the spray isn't a problem the treaded tires will overheat in short order and fail. And since it's an oval the likely outcome isn't running off the track into the gravel pit, but rather causing large accidents over and over.

Now on a roadcourse, yes, NASCAR, CART and F1 will run in the rain. Lot of other series too. On roadcourses.

If you're one of those people who cheers wrecks I can understand your disappointment. Though being a fan of racing, not wrecking, myself I just accept the race is over and move on. As for cutting the race short, F1 does that too with rain races on occasion. They have a 2 hour race limit which at some courses is exceeded when the lap times fall off in rain conditions. Every series has their rulebook under which races are sometimes cut short.

 

[Tetsuo]

isnt because the tires are slick? slick = no grip, no grip = you hit wall, you hit wall = DAED

 

[Eli]

At 180MPH, even treaded tires aren't going to keep you from the wall.

 

[SludgeFactory]

Slippery ovals + concrete walls + heavy cars = no good. You spend too much of a percentage of the race going through long, high speed corners. There's no runoff room. The margin for error is a lot smaller, few guys would be able to save it if they got a little bit sideways. Sure, the speeds would be a lot lower, but everybody would be at the absolute limit of adhesion, and one by one, guys would start pushing that limit and literally hit the wall. There would be a ton of wrecks, a ton of yellow flags, and a race that's already too long for TV would take 8 hrs to finish. No racing series would ever allow a spectacle like that to happen. No driver would want to participate in that kind of circus, if for no other reason than self-preservation.

Nascar has tested wet tires for their few road races. I think it was mostly so they could do it at Suzuka if they absolutely had to, but AFAIK that never went beyond the testing phase.

F1 has no wipers, that's part of the fun. You'll see them swerve out of the line of spray from the car ahead whenever possible, just to be able to see. If they get caught in a really severe downpour, they'll bring out a safety car or red flag the race. Watch F1 decade on speedvision next time for a clinic by the god of wet weather driving, Aryton Senna.

 

[Shockwave]

Nascar = teh sux0rs.

I hate Nascar. For hillybilly rednecks who cant do nothing more complicated then drive in a big damned circle. (9 times out of 10 anyways)

 

[alexjohnson16]

Shockwave... I bet if you sat down in a Winston Cup car, you'd think it was a little more complicated than "sit and turn left."

You ever drove a 3400 pound car less than 6" away from another 3400 pound car at 180 mph, getting ready to turn onto 20 degree banking, while concentrating not only on what the driver next to you is doing, what your going to do, but also how your car is handling, your specs (engine temps, tire temps, etc), all while sitting in a full suit w/ nomex underwear with an in-cockpit temp of over 110?

Yeah, thanks...

You don't have to like NASCAR, but how many of your favorite NFL/NBA/MLB/NHL/etc players lose 8 pounds during a game? I know on average, a NASCAR Driver loses around 8 pounds in a full race.

But, I guess since their hillbilly rednecks, it doesn't matter...

 

[Eli]

Originally posted by: alexjohnson16
Shockwave... I bet if you sat down in a Winston Cup car, you'd think it was a little more complicated than "sit and turn left."

You ever drove a 3400 pound car less than 6" away from another 3400 pound car at 180 mph, getting ready to turn onto 20 degree banking, while concentrating not only on what the driver next to you is doing, what your going to do, but also how your car is handling, your specs (engine temps, tire temps, etc), all while sitting in a full suit w/ nomex underwear with an in-cockpit temp of over 110?

Yeah, thanks...

You don't have to like NASCAR, but how many of your favorite NFL/NBA/MLB/NHL/etc players lose 8 pounds during a game? I know on average, a NASCAR Driver loses around 8 pounds in a full race.

But, I guess since their hillbilly rednecks, it doesn't matter...

8lbs? Step away from the pipe.

Now, don't get me wrong.. I like NASCAR. But if you're suggesting that pushing pedals, turning a steeringwheel and staring at gauges burns more calories than playing a full length basketball game.. I dunno. You suck at teh intarweb.

 

[alexjohnson16]

Its not the physical effort that's causing them to lose the weight...

Its the heat inside the cockpit thats causing them to lose the weight... Its over 110 degrees inside a Winston Cup Car's cockpit, with a driver strapped so tightly in that he can barely breathe, wearing not only a thick suit but also fireproof nomex underwear, the driver sweats off an average of 8 pounds in one race...

 

[slick230]

Originally posted by: Eli

Originally posted by: alexjohnson16
Shockwave... I bet if you sat down in a Winston Cup car, you'd think it was a little more complicated than "sit and turn left."

You ever drove a 3400 pound car less than 6" away from another 3400 pound car at 180 mph, getting ready to turn onto 20 degree banking, while concentrating not only on what the driver next to you is doing, what your going to do, but also how your car is handling, your specs (engine temps, tire temps, etc), all while sitting in a full suit w/ nomex underwear with an in-cockpit temp of over 110?

Yeah, thanks...

You don't have to like NASCAR, but how many of your favorite NFL/NBA/MLB/NHL/etc players lose 8 pounds during a game? I know on average, a NASCAR Driver loses around 8 pounds in a full race.

But, I guess since their hillbilly rednecks, it doesn't matter...

8lbs? Step away from the pipe.

Now, don't get me wrong.. I like NASCAR. But if you're suggesting that pushing pedals, turning a steeringwheel and staring at gauges burns more calories than playing a full length basketball game.. I dunno. You suck at teh intarweb.

No, you sh|tbrick. Pushing pedals and turning a wheel doesn't burn calories. Sitting in a racecar with a thin firewall and no air conditioning with a motor turning 9000 rpm for 4 hours, it gets VERY hot in the cars, sometimes close to 120 degrees. Now, put on a full firesuit and a helmet, and try driving and NOT losing weight just from sweating. The drivers are constantly drinking fluids, and they don't have to piss. Know why? Because the urge never strikes them as they sweat it all out.

Learn something before you start to talk sh|t about a subject. You look less foolish that way.

 

[boyRacer]

Originally posted by: Eli

Originally posted by: alexjohnson16
Shockwave... I bet if you sat down in a Winston Cup car, you'd think it was a little more complicated than "sit and turn left."

You ever drove a 3400 pound car less than 6" away from another 3400 pound car at 180 mph, getting ready to turn onto 20 degree banking, while concentrating not only on what the driver next to you is doing, what your going to do, but also how your car is handling, your specs (engine temps, tire temps, etc), all while sitting in a full suit w/ nomex underwear with an in-cockpit temp of over 110?

Yeah, thanks...

You don't have to like NASCAR, but how many of your favorite NFL/NBA/MLB/NHL/etc players lose 8 pounds during a game? I know on average, a NASCAR Driver loses around 8 pounds in a full race.

But, I guess since their hillbilly rednecks, it doesn't matter...

8lbs? Step away from the pipe.

Now, don't get me wrong.. I like NASCAR. But if you're suggesting that pushing pedals, turning a steeringwheel and staring at gauges burns more calories than playing a full length basketball game.. I dunno. You suck at teh intarweb.

He maybe right though... F1 drivers lose at least 6lbs or more during the length of a race especially the races in Malaysia and Spain where it is extremely hot. That is water weight by the way... and the NASCAR guys sit in a cockpit which is over 100F most of the time. The Coca-Cola 600 today was just overkill though. toooooo freakin long.

 

[Siddhartha]

Originally posted by: BCYL
I know they don't have windshield wipers or threads in the tires.... why cant they add those and run in the rain?

It just seems really unfair to cut to race short and just declare a winnie like today's North Carolina 600... some teams might have been planning strategies for the end of the race...

They could if they wanted to. May be they see no point in racing if the fans leave because of weather.

 

[slick230]

Originally posted by: Shockwave
Nascar = teh sux0rs.

I hate Nascar. For hillybilly rednecks who cant do nothing more complicated then drive in a big damned circle. (9 times out of 10 anyways)

Hillbilly rednecks, huh? Maybe, OK, a good percentage of the fans fit that description. That just comes with the territory and the heritage of the sport. But a lot of the crew chiefs, crew members, even some of the drivers have engineering degrees of one sort or another.

F1 and World Rally also have their versions of hillbilly rednecks, only they're smelly Europeans and elitist nutsackswho turn their nose up at anything not steeped in Ferrari and Lotus history.

Same jerkoffs, just different ways of racing.

 

[boyRacer]

Part of the reason is its too dangerous... you don't see IRL or CART running ovals in the rain either.

But you know... even the MotoGP and World Superbike guys run in the rain too.

 

[slick230]

Originally posted by: Dr Smooth

Originally posted by: BCYL
I know they don't have windshield wipers or threads in the tires.... why cant they add those and run in the rain?

It just seems really unfair to cut to race short and just declare a winnie like today's North Carolina 600... some teams might have been planning strategies for the end of the race...

They could if they wanted to. May be they see no point in racing if the fans leave because of weather.

See previous posts. In an already very dangerous racing environment, racing in the rain isn't even an option. And the fans would stay if it ever happened. They stay during the rain delays that happen now. They are VERY loyal to the sport and their drivers.

 

[boyRacer]

Originally posted by: slick230

Originally posted by: Dr Smooth

Originally posted by: BCYL
I know they don't have windshield wipers or threads in the tires.... why cant they add those and run in the rain?

It just seems really unfair to cut to race short and just declare a winnie like today's North Carolina 600... some teams might have been planning strategies for the end of the race...

They could if they wanted to. May be they see no point in racing if the fans leave because of weather.

See previous posts. In an already very dangerous racing environment, racing in the rain isn't even an option. And the fans would stay if it ever happened. They stay during the rain delays that happen now. They are VERY loyal to the sport and their drivers.

Very loyal that they beat the ratings of the INDY 500...