Driving in snow

mine were properly grinding this morning. i noticed the ridiculous amount of rust on the discs before i set off though, so i wasn't surprised. it's been sat on the driveway since thursday
all good now. well, relatively. i think the front pads need replacing very soon. braking isn't as sharp as it should be
 
My car was grinding today but that was on country roads where two ruts had been formed but ice in the middle of the road was hitting my undercarriage.
 
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Fearless skinhead Lancashirian thugs were out in force braving the weather this morning, making my daily drifting a stationary snooze instead :(

If someone stops on a hill for no reason one more time however, I may go something something.
 
It's taken me 1 hour 45 mins to do a 20 minute journey to work.

I've only passed my test a few months back and so it's my first winter driving ... I was on a hill earlier that was not mega steep but everyone was going up slowly or stop starting and I started to struggle and slip back a tiny bit.

So I stuck the handbrake on but it was just spinning and struggling to get any grip and then I remembered someone at work saying the other week to try to take off in 2nd ... that was a little better but not great either, by the time I got going I had to really rev it just to get moving - car stunk of smoke and I was lucky no parked cars at side of this road as I was sliding back and forth for about 5 metres.

What did I do wrong then guys ? why did everyone else seem able to crawl up and even stop and go again without much problem but I'm sat there smoke coming out ... I'm not much of a car expert but I'm driving an '06 1.8 Focus TDCi if that offers anymore clues ?

Thanks
 
SilverSpider said:
It's taken me 1 hour 45 mins to do a 20 minute journey to work.

I've only passed my test a few months back and so it's my first winter driving ... I was on a hill earlier that was not mega steep but everyone was going up slowly or stop starting and I started to struggle and slip back a tiny bit.

So I stuck the handbrake on but it was just spinning and struggling to get any grip and then I remembered someone at work saying the other week to try to take off in 2nd ... that was a little better but not great either, by the time I got going I had to really rev it just to get moving - car stunk of smoke and I was lucky no parked cars at side of this road as I was sliding back and forth for about 5 metres.

What did I do wrong then guys ? why did everyone else seem able to crawl up and even stop and go again without much problem but I'm sat there smoke coming out ... I'm not much of a car expert but I'm driving an '06 1.8 Focus TDCi if that offers anymore clues ?

Thanks
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Nuked the clutch through inexperience at clutch control.

I would imagine you didnt bring the clutch up enough to bite, and were giving it plenty of gas (not what you want) so it just slipped causing the smoke/smell.

If you bring the clutch up very slowly in second, you should be able to pull the car away without using the accelerator. The more power you give the wheels the more likely they are to spin which wont help you at all.

Let it cool down before you go any further or you will just make it worse.

Its just like doing a hill start but with more clutch/throttle control to reduce any wheelspin while making sure you gain some movement. Once the car is moving its OK.
 
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thinking to hard about it im guessing.

did you stick to the lines? maybe you was going a bit to heavy footed with revs then you you noticed
 
SilverSpider said:
What did I do wrong then guys ? why did everyone else seem able to crawl up and even stop and go again without much problem but I'm sat there smoke coming out ... I'm not much of a car expert but I'm driving an '06 1.8 Focus TDCi if that offers anymore clues ?

Thanks
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In a diesel I have found the best method is to pull away at tick over in 1st if this doesn't work try it in 2nd most diesels will happily pull away in 2nd at tick over. Most people pulling away slipping the clutch are just wrecking the clutch when a gentle start in 1st would have got them going.
 
i wouldnt bother with 2nd, unless a despiration act if i was genuinely stuck.. and even than that would be after trying to rock the car back and forward etc

no point trying to get started in 2nd... youll death the clutch
 
my car is diesel anyway and I do take of in 1st but diesels can crawl with nothing touched if on a flat road, also drive smooth nothing sudden or you will slip, oh and when no one is looking use the e brake and get some practice, might as well :p
 
Thanks for the flurry of replies & advice guys.

What is "tick over" exactly ? the biting point ?

I was doing my best to stay in the lines, thats the thing it just looked like a little brown slush so it surprised me at the complete lack of grip, thought that would only happen on the hard compacted white snow stuff and the like.

So from your replies it seems I should try it first in 1st gear and just try bringing up the clutch slowly and no gas and see if it pulls off.

Failing that try 2nd using the same clutch only with no gas method ?

I'm not making excuses for myself as I know it was my driver error but the people in front/behind seemed to cope better with petrol cars taking off from a stand still.

P.S. the brakes were making a banging judder on the way down the other side of the hill ... is this ABS kicking in, as never experienced that judder before from brakes.

Shame they dont teach this snow driving malarkey on lessons ! :p
 
I've noticed round here many people are parking on the main roads instead of pulling into the side roads nearer their houses to avoid untreated and unused bits. It's not as bad as it sounds as it's only the quieter areas where not many people use their side roads and most need some sort of incline to get in/out. Determined people :)
 
Snows back in Morecambe again and this brings out the numpty drivers.
Set off to work no problem, realized i'd left my keys at home, get home and set off again to find the numptys had turned the road down to the junction to ice. Come crawling down the hill in first, nice and slow, dab the brakes gently and next thing im sliding down the hill and out on to the main road!
Luckily no cars coming.

Cross the border to cumbria and lots of snow, fun on the road to the office. :)
 
I suck at driving in the snow. The entry road to my estate is a hill and if I give it a little gas it spins the front wheels, if I lift the clutch in 1st it spins I don't have enough torque or power to pull away in second or third just on the clutch. My car is currently park at a friends at the bottom of the hill.
 
Princey said:
I suck at driving in the snow. The entry road to my estate is a hill and if I give it a little gas it spins the front wheels, if I lift the clutch in 1st it spins I don't have enough torque or power to pull away in second or third just on the clutch. My car is currently park at a friends at the bottom of the hill.
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My 60bhp Punto use to be able to pull away in 2nd (just using the clutch) and 3rd (using very little power). How can your Astra not 'have enough power'?

Tried reversing up the hill?

No sign of any snow here in Surrey, but apparently there will be some later tonight. Was -5 yesterday morning and -3 this morning.
 
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you'll struggle to go up hill on fresh thick snow with summer tyres whatever the car.

The rubber is not at the optimum temperature, the snow will be too thick for the tyres to press through and it will just be compacting snow underneath it, rather than pressing through to the concrete underneath.

Only way i got to work this morning was finding a route that had heavy ruts in it from previous cars. In there the tyres could make some sort of contact with the concrete and grip. But in the fresh untouched snow i was going nowhere.
 
it will be spinning on the compacted snow. Only way to get some grip would be something like autosocks, snowchains, or find a road that has been torn up and has ruts in it to get through to the concrete.

Or alternatively get some winter tyres, with better rubber and nice chunky tread patterns.
 
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