Panic is probably the answer, it starts to slide, they over compensate multiple times, end up going sideways, jam the brakes as hard as they can and hey presto!
Overconfident 4x4 drivers in snow
- Thread starter Uriel
- Start date
Panic is probably the answer, it starts to slide, they over compensate multiple times, end up going sideways, jam the brakes as hard as they can and hey presto!
Wut? How did that happen?
Hey, long time lurker but I thought I’ll join up to what is a great forum.
I agree with the comments that are being said, that allot of SUV's drivers in this weather are accidents waiting to happen. Over reliance on 4x4 with road tyres, never a good idea.
I drive a 1995 Discovery with all terrains tyres and use it properly. But even I drive slowly and carefully when there snow on the ground, even big chunky tyres are going to be now help if you hit a sheet at ice at 30mph. So it amazes me when you see X5, Q7 (and the rest as the is not shortage on the market) and even Range Rovers driving like they do every day. I hate it when people say 4x4 and they lump in these SUV's with 4x4 that are used properly. So I’m glad that the difference between the two has been made.
Kinger
I agree with the comments that are being said, that allot of SUV's drivers in this weather are accidents waiting to happen. Over reliance on 4x4 with road tyres, never a good idea.
I drive a 1995 Discovery with all terrains tyres and use it properly. But even I drive slowly and carefully when there snow on the ground, even big chunky tyres are going to be now help if you hit a sheet at ice at 30mph. So it amazes me when you see X5, Q7 (and the rest as the is not shortage on the market) and even Range Rovers driving like they do every day. I hate it when people say 4x4 and they lump in these SUV's with 4x4 that are used properly. So I’m glad that the difference between the two has been made.
Kinger
Parents met a 4x4 on their way home down a thin country lane today who was going far too fast & ended up managing to swerve...straight down a ditch to avoid hitting them. Needed a tractor to get them out 
Had I known of this thread earlier I would have popped along to get some pics...of course asking the driver to hold the loaf of hovis 
Had I known of this thread earlier I would have popped along to get some pics...of course asking the driver to hold the loaf of hovis 
So far Birmingham hasn't seen any snow of any real bother but it seems it's catch up time now - coming down thick
God knows how my gay RWD BMW is going to get me home.
Curse of the BMW owner - a few days a year you just know you're going to get owned by the snow.
Yep, happened to me last year, and guess what, same story this year with the Jag, which curiously seems a tiny bit better at actually getting some traction than the BMW was, I put that down to the damn run-flats I had on that thing again though, they seem to suck at everything except not going flat.
I could bearly get my car out of my road this morning, fortunately living only 50 yards from the corner on the flatter bit of my road (which has a corner on a hill and then gets much steeper) I was able to use the momentum I already had to get the car where I needed it, then some salt on the pavement and just letting auto creep take me forward, sorted. If I lived further up my road on the hill, I think I'd have to have stayed in to be honest, or left the car at the bottom of the road. You have to be so, so careful though, all these nutters in Fiestas wizzing past at 10mph doesn’t help much though
Here's one at the bottom of my parents road yesterday morning.
Is that the top of Hollybourne / Brockham Hill?
Ant
Is that the top of Hollybourne / Brockham Hill?
Ant
Nope.
I drive a 4x4 I hope with care and consideration. I get fed up with hearing some other 4x4 drivers give idiot reasons why they are so much safer in bad road conditions.
Nonsense like "the driving position means I can see better so I can go faster" and "I feel safer with so much metal around me".
Its still just a tin box connected to a slippery surface by 4 tiny patches of rubber.
In this weather I drive on Conti XContacts with the pressures lowered by 20%, manual instead of auto and high gear 4 wheel drive.
Anything else scares the pants off me!
Nonsense like "the driving position means I can see better so I can go faster" and "I feel safer with so much metal around me".
Its still just a tin box connected to a slippery surface by 4 tiny patches of rubber.
In this weather I drive on Conti XContacts with the pressures lowered by 20%, manual instead of auto and high gear 4 wheel drive.
Anything else scares the pants off me!
One of my colleagues from our Warrington depot got pulled in a loaded Volvo artic (circa 35+ tons) by a Nissan Nivara yesterday apparently, its back end was all over the place but it pulled him 1/2 a mile or so along the A57 yes, he (the truck driver in question) was applying drive also, but I am still quite impressed!
Not so sure how the Nissans clutch is right now though!
Not so sure how the Nissans clutch is right now though!
Snow mode on those cars doesn't lock the diffs - only the centre diff can lock and that's automatically controlled. It remaps the throttle so it's much less sensitive in the beginning of the travel. It also adjusts the traction control to allow a lot less slip by braking each wheel individually. It's clever, and does work well in these sorts of conditions. Makes you realise you're in a proper 4x4.
Soldato
- Joined
- 27 Aug 2003
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- West Midlands
I actually prefer driving my old non ABS'd 306 in this weather than the Scooby. Press the brakes in the Scooby and I sliiiiiide due to mental ABS brakes, the 306 however actually slows down! Mind you, it isn't half as fun as the Scooby, long slow drifts, no problems with traction when moving, and donuts 
Soldato
- Joined
- 14 Jul 2005
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- 17,616
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- Bristol
Not to mention it'll ignore 1st and sometimes 2nd and you'll pull away and drive in 3rd upwards.
I've got an A4 Quattro and it does help a touch in this weather, but it donest make me think i can drive like its a normal dry day, no way! I'm just glad i have that extra safe guard, besides you still lock up if you brake too hard.
Feel sorry for the RWD boys and girls. Seen a few spinning out.
Lob a couple bags of sand in the boot.
Feel sorry for the RWD boys and girls. Seen a few spinning out.
Lob a couple bags of sand in the boot.Butting weight in the boot will make a skid into a spin I feel. I've had no problems though, apart from some lads pushing a Rover 200 out of a parking space as I was going up a hilly side road. I was forced to stop so had to go back down and try again as I couldn't get moving despite trying to use the handbrake etc to get a bit of traction.
I did forget for a brief moment it was sub 0 this morning on a clearer road. Set off quickly in 1st to the red line, then 2nd, then 3rd... then all of a sudden everything started gripping. Funny, becasue I thought it was anyway. This sudden grip then turned to it steeping out a bit, which looks awesome in a straight line. I thought I was Burt Reynolds gay cousin, east bound and down with Jerry Reid up my chuff in his 4x4 with a boot full of Rum from the cash and carry. RWD rocks.
I did forget for a brief moment it was sub 0 this morning on a clearer road. Set off quickly in 1st to the red line, then 2nd, then 3rd... then all of a sudden everything started gripping. Funny, becasue I thought it was anyway. This sudden grip then turned to it steeping out a bit, which looks awesome in a straight line. I thought I was Burt Reynolds gay cousin, east bound and down with Jerry Reid up my chuff in his 4x4 with a boot full of Rum from the cash and carry. RWD rocks.
What a lot of people don't think about is the tyres. A friend has a RR Sport and had summer/general tyres on it, when it snowed we went sideways a few times.
My brother has 22s on his RR Sport, no problems at all other than being stuck behind other lame road users that can't move in the snow.