Road trip rain storms

[Ahshoe]

About a week from having my new Cobra delivered. Been reading here that there are a lot of organized road trips and group cruises. Probably only that my car will be new I am just wondering what owners do when the day turns from sunny to a downpour or more. Saw where one guy was making the two piece hardtops but couldn't sell enough to stay in business. I know there are tonneau covers and hardtops options ,non of which my car will have. Also car covers (tough to drive with). Any tricks or items you can pack just in case. What are you guys taking. Ideas?

[bobcowan]

As long as you're moving at more than about 40mph or so, you won't really get wet.

If you're stopped, use the car cover. You can even sit in the car with the cover on to keep yourself dry.

Car washes are good places to duck in to.

If you're going to drive very far in the rain, you really need a soft top. With that in place, you won't get as wet.

Around here, you usually don't get rained on for more than a few minutes. I usually try to just power on through.

[incoming]

A rain suit?

[twobjshelbys]

Planning is everything. You don't get the pop up thunderstorms we did in Colorado. Forecasts would just say "monsoon thunderstorms after 2PM" and they would be somewhere, sometime around that time. I left shows when the storms were building up and inevitably would drive through a little bit of rain.

Like was mentioned, moving isn't such a problem unless you're taller than the top of the windshield. However, water did channel in around the doors and drip on the floor. Long lights would get wet so I always wore a hat.

I got caught in a hail storm once that really beat me up - my ears were bloody - and the passenger side had a couple of inches of hail on the seat and floor. Nothing a dustpan and towel and leaving it to dry in the sun couldn't take care of.

Driving a Cobra is like driving a Harley. I never knew any serious motorcycle rider that deliberately went out in a thunderstorm. Knew many that got caught and stopped under the bridge over the freeway

PS. If you have the snaps for one, a tonneau cover can help keep you and the passenger side dryer.

[Jim Vander Wal]

Holes in the floor, they call these "drains".
Tonneau cover when parked. But always park front end higher than rear. The rear fenders and deck will divert all the water into the interior.
Tires that work in the rain, this is the difference between driving and the ditch. TireRack reviews are generally very good.
Waterproof covers for anything you don't want to get wet. GPS units generally don't like water, gauges don't either but not much you can do here.
I've run tops, better but as Bob indicated "not as wet". A Cobra top is some weird cross between a WWII military pup tent and a plains Indian teepee, neither were particularly effective. Tops are for girls.
I've run the tops on two different Superformance cars and prefer to just drive faster but it still sucks when you have to stop at a traffic light.
BTW, I have hours and hundreds of miles driving in the rain. Upside is most everything dries out but it might take a few days.
If you're going to travel you're going to get wet. Smile, it's part of the adventure.
If you don't like being a "cowboy" buy a Corvette. There's noting "civilized" about a Cobra.
Jim
SPF 1855 & 2584
FFR 8885 under construction.

[Grubby]

4 Hot Rod Power Tours and several other long trips;

I have a tonneau for the car to sit overnight at hotels or whatever.

If we are driving we stop and put the top and side curtains on. Takes about 10 minutes.

John

[RB60]

If you drive it, sooner or later you'll get caught in a thunderstorm. If you do, put the sun visors down below the top of the windshield. If you leave them up, they catch the rain and it runs down the inside of the windshield. And if the only rag you have in the "cockpit" is the one you used to wipe the detail spray off for a car show, well...

[twobjshelbys]

Oh yeah. If you get caught in the rain you will get water on the inside of the windshield so have some rags. It will also fog up so you should have a defroster/heater even if you think it was a goofy option

[mr bruce]

PhotoPost Classifieds - experimental Sun Top - Powered by PhotoPost Classifieds

[G_Edmonds]

My Cobra buddies and I have travelled a lot. We keep a close eye on the weather apps and try to skirt the storms when possible. Sometimes you get caught or you just don’t have a choice. We all have Frogg Togs and squeegees for the inside. I had been told the wipers don’t do any good but the people that said that were wrong. Also Rainex works very well. As mentioned earlier, if you can keep moving, it’s not so bad but water will run around the windshield on your leg. You’ll get kinda wet but it’s not that bad. Be careful though because the wide tires will hydroplane at some point. When I stop, the snapless tonneau goes on in a minute and does a good job.

[Unique427]

My Rules;
ALWAYS dry conditions departure to destination.
If probability of precipitation is above 25% enroute probably no-go.
Driving in rain ruins the day and can be precarious with fatty tires.

If things go sideways I carry a plastic one-and-done car cover
from California Car Covers $15.00 (Cobra takes the smallest one).

https://www.calcarcover.com/product/...car-cover/1566

These covers come in a plastic pouch that take up about 1/2 shoe box in space.

Weather resources include:

Weatherunderground.com
Gives chance of precipitation for each hour of the day + 10 day forecast.

Skyvector.com
Aviation weather site but has real-time weather radar animation.
From your phone you can predict location or avoid areas of rain and T-storms.
Having access to weather radar gives you an edge at staying dry.

Retired 30+ year professional pilot and weather observer.

Weather Tip:
If you think crap weather is brewing, put your back to the wind and point left
arm straight out. The direction you point is toward the center of low pressure.
Low pressure = bad weather juju.

[Dwight]

RainX both sides of the windshield.

The wind blows the rain over the top, circles back onto your back and the back of the windshield.
As said before the wipers do work with RainX.

I drove 360 in the rain out of a 530 return trip from the London Cobra Show a few years ago. I did not change clothes when I got home. My shoulders were wet but not much else.
I carry a hooded CartHart jacket for the rain. And four large beach towels.

You need four 3/8" holes in each floor pan. I used boat carpet so I did not have to remove it to dry it. Just put two box (WalMart $17) fans in the seats, towel on the steering wheel and one on the dash, lean the fan forward and let them run for a couple of days.
I drove a B&B with a hard top and rain was not a problem. Keep on Trucking

[Michael C Henry]

The 40 MPH it a real thing just lean inward hunch your head down and try to get your left leg out of the drip that gets in at the windshield side brace. Do not go too fast as your fat tires will want to climb on top of the water on the road. Years ago I was warned that this is not the kind of car where you worry about water getting in but rather ensure that the rain can get out.