Driving in Snow / Ice
- Thread starter Orion21
- Start date
My main piece of advice, esp having driven last year in all the snow we got over here..
Watch out for all the other Muppets who still think its the height of summer time, and are doing 60 mph on snow covered roads.
Ohh and bridges freeze before the roads do.
Watch out for all the other Muppets who still think its the height of summer time, and are doing 60 mph on snow covered roads.
Ohh and bridges freeze before the roads do.
You need to have a feel for driving in snow, my old X6 was great at getting going in snow but stopping something that size on on stupidly wide tyres sliding down slick roads took planning. I always turn the ABS off if possible so I can feel the brakes and what they are doing. Main thing is be very smooth with everything, over 30 years driving and never has an off in the car, a few on the motorbike but that was deep snow flat out on a KMX125 when the roads were quieter.
Indeed never ever ever rely on modern electronics to see you through in snow/ice - that isn't to say disable ESP or whatever just make sure you are paying attention to what the car is telling you.
Caporegime
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Find the nearest B&Q carpark and do Doughnuts!
On a more serious note just drive in a high gear and keep distance from whatever is in front. Use engine brake to slow down and avoid sudden stops. Follow those basic rules and you will be okay!
Skinny tyres do help in the snow as does a light car. The other half's Suzuki Ignis Sport is only 900kg and has 185 section tyres on 15" wheels which makes the car a total blast in the snow! Back in the 80's when my father worked on the continent (proper snow) he used to swear by his Volkswagen Polo which followed the same principles.
On a more serious note just drive in a high gear and keep distance from whatever is in front. Use engine brake to slow down and avoid sudden stops. Follow those basic rules and you will be okay!
Skinny tyres do help in the snow as does a light car. The other half's Suzuki Ignis Sport is only 900kg and has 185 section tyres on 15" wheels which makes the car a total blast in the snow! Back in the 80's when my father worked on the continent (proper snow) he used to swear by his Volkswagen Polo which followed the same principles.
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I wish I still had my old Polo now that this time of year has come.
We never spent a proper winter together, me and that car...
Plenty of immature, inadvisable fun was probably missed as a result!
Caporegime
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- 22 Oct 2002
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- Boston, Lincolnshire
I wish I still had my old Polo now that this time of year has come.
We never spent a proper winter together, me and that car...
Plenty of immature, inadvisable fun was probably missed as a result!
You need RWD or 4WD to have real fun in the snow. FWD just keeps on going forward!
i disagree, handbrake makes fwd ok
electric handbrake and fwd though and then you will not have fun.
Yeah essentially few people have experience driving in these conditions in this country not to mention no one bothers with winter tyres.
Do remember having a lot of fun in my Getz few years back when it was pretty bad, it didn't really care about the snow being a small FWD car. Driving on the A19 on the section that hasn't been gritted with half a foot of snow was quite the experience
Do remember having a lot of fun in my Getz few years back when it was pretty bad, it didn't really care about the snow being a small FWD car. Driving on the A19 on the section that hasn't been gritted with half a foot of snow was quite the experience
Then you drive past their abandoned car sniggering to yourself and hoping you don't end up on the verge some day.
You'll normally see half a dozen cars on the side of the highways when it's snowing. At least they don't usually have much to hit!
Probably because of your hair....LOL
Or the fact you crashed a FWD car in the snow....
No you still need to be gently with throttle application, as all traction control generally does is cut throttle until grip is restored. As others have mentioned, turning traction control off can be useful in certain circumstances, e.g. my driveway is on a slight incline, and when icey/snow covered can be difficult to get out of without turning it off, as the traction control cuts in too agressively. Turning it off, enables you to "power through". However be careful with turning Traction Control off, as in some cars it is turned on/off at the same time as ESP (which you definitely want on in the Snow)
You should be braking gently anyway, but snow or ice is likely a time when you feel you need to stamp on the brakes to try and stop - in these situations you need to keep you foot on the brake (don't release and reapply), just let the ABS work. If you have never had ABS kick in, then it can be a bit disconcerting and in the normal reaction is to release the brake (as opposing to keeping it down)
Tyres with deeper tread will be better - as will higher performance tyres with more detailed tread patterns - both provide more surface area, which helps to provide more grip.
It's a trade off - thinner wheels exert higher pressure on the smaller contact patch and so *should* cut through the snow to the road better. However a wider wheel (and reducing your tyre pressure by a couple of PSI), helps to spread the load over a bigger contact patch, providing more surface area for grip.
Good advice!
Also don't underestimate how easily nice, slow, controlled driving can change to an "oh ****" slide the moment you reach a slight incline!
And if you happen to be driving a 4 wheel drive - you might be able to get going/go up hills more easily in the snow, but you can't stop any quicker going down them!!
I was always taught that it was better to not have ABS in the snow* as when the wheels lock up they build a wedge of snow in front which helps slow the car down.
* only really relevant in fairly recent snow - as soon as it's become compressed/turned to ice, you want your ABS working
Soldato
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I once drove an M3 evo in the snow, that was interesting to say the least. Luckily it was a fairy short journey but it was a handful on the side roads even at low speeds in a high gear.
I was always taught that it was better to not have ABS in the snow* as when the wheels lock up they build a wedge of snow in front which helps slow the car down.
* only really relevant in fairly recent snow - as soon as it's become compressed/turned to ice, you want your ABS working
I was just about to ask if that was true as I was told that too. Makes sense in deep snow anyway.
Traction control can be a pain though if you are trying to pull away or on a slight ridge/curb.
On one car it was very sensitive and when I used to try and pull over a low curb to park at work the T/C would cut in and stop me!
I also had one instance when I did get stuck, and booting it was the only option. Sure it doesn't do the engine or tyres a great deal of good but got me going eventually.
A skidpan course is useful to go on, and I found it fun. One thing to do it in controlled conditions than another to remember it when it happens for real!
The one I went on didn't use the big cradles fitted to cars. The cars just had little to no tread and a very oily/wet circuit, so I thought more like real life.
I mean you gotta feel for this guy... Lack of talent I think played a part.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...alia-garden-wall-skidding-road-black-ice.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...alia-garden-wall-skidding-road-black-ice.html