I live in LA and it rained pretty hard for a couple of days. I have a 2003 C230 coupe and the car felt like a bobsled on the freeway with very poor traction. I am not a timid driver but I was actually scared to keep driving in the rain. Anyone else notice this? Is it the car, or my tires (they are stock tires)? Thanks for any input.

 

tires and alignment

 

I just put on BF Goodrich G-Force Sport the day before yesterday. (225/45-17) Those were outstanding in the rain and not once did I feel like I was going to lose control. And at $95 per tire (from Shoreline Motoring in Huntington Beach) they're a bargain. Great dry traction too! And very comfortable and quiet. I can't recommend the BFGs and Shoreline Motoring enough.

Bob

 

I love this rain, it can last all year for me. I love turning ESP off and tossing it corners, drifting in off ramps and just having a blast. Reminds of my younger days in NY when a parking lot would get covered in snow and the fun I had drifting and sliding around. What amazes me is how well the car handles in the rain with ESP off. Don't be afraid of the rain, embrace it and if you don't know how, check out http://www.advanceddrivingdynamics.com/ Sent my daughter there to learn how to drive after getting her license and having a solo spinout accident. The problem is Californians are not exposed to enough bad weather to know what to do so it has to be taught to you.

 

lionelhutz,
You did not tell us what (they are stock tires)?

Do you have 16 inch tires? They were stock on the coupe without C7
Do you have 17 inch tires? They were stock on the coupe with C7

Are your tires All Season, or Ultra High performance?

Are they Continental, Pirelli, Michelin? All came on the Coupe!

Generally you get what you pay for. A $250 Michelin Pilot Sport will handle rain better than a M&S All Season $125 16 inch tire.

I drive the 405 to the 105 to 110 to 5 from Redondo Beach to Burbank in all this rain. I stay out of the fast lane and the slow lane where water drainage is worse. Mt 2003 Coupe has Michelin Pilot Sport 225/45/17 on front and 245/40/17 on the rear. Absolutely zero problems even when the water covered the freeway!

 

All the ESP button does is turn off your traction control, it doesnt make the car handle any better. It just gives you the option of spinning the tires. Of course I still see it kick in from time to time when i am trying to spin the tires taking off with the ESP on

 

my 2003 coupe handles great in this LA rain. ive never had a problem once. when i first took delivery of the car in Jan 2003, it was raining alot in san diego then. poured!!! handled great then. the only thing ive done to my car is AMG sways and brakes and i doubt that made a difference in rainy driving.

 

plus turning off ESP via the ESP button doesnt diable traction control entirely!

 

He never stated that turning ESP off impoves handling . Re-read what Buellwinkle wrote if you didn't get the point.

 

hey citron you got massive options on that tiny C class, you got any pics it must look very nice I havent seen one before with so many freakin options

 

(stock) Michelin Pilot Sport on stock 17" rims make the Coupe handle like it is on rails, no less - even under heavy rain. I live near D.C., where it rains often enough. Make sure you have enough tread left. Also, as others mentioned, check tire pressure, wheel alignment, and learn the limits of what your car can do.

 

Thanks everyone for the input, I'll need to check my tire treads to see what life is left in them and check my alignment as well. I thought my little car, out of the box, would perform great in the rain, but I had to let minivans pass me because my back end kept fishtailing.