what is the deal with rain tires? why arent they using them in japan? are they only for road courses?
the thing is they delayed the japan race because or weepers (places where water is seeping through the road) in one turn. They can't use they during the race because not the whole road is wet and full of puddles. There is different friction in that corner which can be very dangerous. Rain tires get hot very quick and they shouldn't be used when its not raining. It can cause over heating which is also dangerous. I am not sure if they are only for street courses.
Rain tires are only used when the track is being heavily rained on. Even if there are a few bare spots, or stop go drizzle, it can lead to trouble. The weeping spots in Japan were from the ground not being able to absorb all the rain that came down earlier, and the rest of the track was dry. Hence; no rain tires.
Rain tires are never used on ovals. Even with the best rain tires in the world the speeds are too high and the forces to great to generate any grip on a wet oval.
