Brakes in the rain

[malcolm]

Just had an extended drive in the E in pouring rain on the motorway. Using the brakes for the first time in about 30 mins, there was initially nothing then it pulled hard to the left. Improved a little when I kept applying them lightly to dry out a bit, but otherwise had the same result every time. They pull up straight and well in the dry. Is this common?
Any help appreciated

[christopher storey]

Many cars have had the brake shields taken off, and in this case the discs can get very wet in heavy rain with the symptoms you describe . It's not uncommon - I had a BMW 750i in which after a prolonged run in the wet it would take 3 or 4 wheel revolutions to wipe the disc, which tends to be rather heart-stopping !

[Moeregaard]

My early 4.2 FHC did this with a vengeance--and it scared the hell out of me the first time I took the car out in the rain. Denis Jenkinson mentions the same problem when he was running his Series One FHC around Europe in the 1960s. I guess you can just call it one of those things that give the E-Type character--small consolation in today's traffic.

[Heuer]

Cross drilled or grooved brake discs solve the problem although a long run in the wet still means you need to be circumspect on first application.

[malcolm]

Thanks gents; nice to know it's not just my car. I'll just put it down to character and leave big gaps in front of me in the wet. What price nostalgia!