With the abundance of rain we experience every season, the know-how to safely operate your
brakes during wet weather is essential to your safety. The interaction between your tires, the road and your
brakes is much more sensitive to driver input during severe weather, and can easily turn into a hazardous situation if not handled with care.
A thin layer of water coats your tires surface as well as your
brake rotors. This is important to visualize as it reduces the traction limit of your tires, and delays the response time of your
brake system. With
performance brake rotors such as
slotted and dimpled rotors, you will reduce the water build up on the
rotors as it doesn't allow for a uniform layer to form.
It is important to remember that because of the reduced traction of your wet tires, it's much easier for them to slide and send your car into an uncontrolled skid. To minimize the chances of your tires losing traction on wet roads, it's important to modulate the brake pedal in a very gradual and smooth fashion. Don't panic and slam on the
brakes. Even if that worked in normal, dry weather,
brake rotors will lock up wet tires at a much faster rate.