5 Essential Tips for Driving in the Wet (And How to Master Them)

Wet conditions are the ultimate test of adaptability for a sim racer. Grip levels drop dramatically, braking distances stretch, and every input you make carries higher consequences. What worked in the dry—hard braking, aggressive turn-ins, early throttle—suddenly becomes a recipe for disaster when the track is soaked.

The good news is that driving in the wet isn’t guesswork. There are repeatable techniques and mindset shifts that allow you to extract pace even when conditions are treacherous.

Once you learn to adapt, the rain becomes less of a nightmare and more of an opportunity—because while many drivers panic and slow down too much, you’ll be carving out a competitive edge.

I’m Marian Barbieru, and after coaching both sim racers and real-world drivers, I can tell you that wet-weather skill is one of the biggest differentiators. Let’s break down the key principles that will make you faster and more confident in the rain.

1. Overdriving the Brakes

The mistake: Braking as if it’s dry overloads the tires instantly, triggering lockups or ABS chatter. In the wet, even the best tires can’t handle aggressive brake pressure, and the car runs long into corners.

How to fix it: brake earlier and softer. Focus on progressively squeezing the pedal rather than stabbing it. Avoid trail braking into the corners and do most of your braking under straight line braking.

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2. Forcing Dry Lines

The mistake: Sticking to the usual racing line doesn’t work in the rain. Rubbered-in sections of track become slippery, almost like ice, and your car refuses to rotate.

How to fix it: Experiment with “wet lines.” Run slightly wider on corner entry where the surface is less polished, then cut back to maximize traction. Look for grip where other drivers aren’t going—off the rubber as iRacing models them accurately.

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3. Aggressive Throttle on Exit

The mistake: Jumping on throttle too early and too hard spins up the rear tires instantly. Instead of accelerating, you end up sliding sideways or bogging down with traction control intervention.

How to fix it: Be patient. Wait until the car is almost straight, then roll into throttle progressively. Think of it as “feeding power” rather than “applying power.” In low-grip conditions, your right foot is your traction control system.

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4. Jerky Steering Inputs

The mistake: Snapping the wheel into corners or sawing at it mid-corner unsettles the car. With less grip available, the car can’t catch up to sudden changes, and understeer or snap oversteer follow.

How to fix it: Commit to smoother, more deliberate steering. Turn the wheel progressively, maintain steady inputs, and let the car flow. The less you disturb weight transfer, the more grip you’ll preserve.

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5. Mismanaging Setup

The mistake: Running your dry setup in the wet makes the car edgy and unpredictable. Stiff suspension, or not enough downforce can make traction nearly impossible to find.

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How to fix it: Adjust your setup to favor stability and traction: soften the suspension to allow weight transfer, increase the TC / ABS assists and reduce brake bias forward. Depending on the car, a touch more rear wing can give you security without costing too much straight-line speed.

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The Mindset Shift: Rain as Feedback

Driving in the wet feels intimidating at first, but here’s the truth: the car is always giving you feedback. If you spin the tires on throttle, it’s telling you to be smoother. If the front washes wide on the dry line, it’s telling you to search for grip elsewhere. Rain magnifies mistakes, but it also magnifies learning.

When you stop fighting the conditions and start using them as a guide, something clicks. Suddenly, you’re calmer, more precise, and more adaptable.

This is exactly the philosophy I teach inside the GITGUD Racing Academy. We train adaptability through drills that sharpen your car control, exercises that build consistency under pressure, and racecraft techniques that turn tricky conditions into opportunities. Once you embrace the rain as feedback rather than fear, every lap—wet or dry—becomes a chance to get faster.

So the next time the skies open up, don’t panic. Stay calm, look for grip, and trust your technique. The rain doesn’t have to be a limitation—it can be your advantage.

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• Written by Marian Barbieru Article updated on October 3, 2025 Tags: Sim Racing How To Guides, Tips & Tricks, iRacing

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