What will that do?
Gritting needs to be done before the snow or frost falls.
It also needs vehicular traffic to make it work.
Advice on Ice/Snow Driving
- Thread starter [TR]SweetSpotOz
- Start date
What will that do?
Gritting needs to be done before the snow or frost falls.
It also needs vehicular traffic to make it work.
no it doesn't. work when i did it earlier. it funny watching people trying to drive up there drive covered in ice while my drive is perfectly clear after i gritted it. people are just lazy.
Last edited:
http://askascientist.co.uk/earth-environment/gritting-roads-work/
http://blog.key-online.co.uk/how-gritting-works/
I'd assume you used as much on your drive as the council would use on about 100m of road
Soldato
No it doesn't. I had to grit my way out of the elan valley in Wales January 2013. Worked a charm.
Soldato
In a MK5 golf that's a great way to set the car in a nice spin with neither end having any grip.
Explain to me how a FWD car will go uphill better with the rear brakes slightly applied?
Associate
Winter Tyres.
Some may not feel it's worthwhile in the UK, but they do grip a hell of a lot better in low temperatures, and got me around the sussex countryside in my FWD hatchback during the snow feb 2013, when several SUV's were merrily spinning 4 tyres all over the shop!
They can't break the laws of physics, but they do provide an uncanny level of grip if you drive carefully in them.
Some may not feel it's worthwhile in the UK, but they do grip a hell of a lot better in low temperatures, and got me around the sussex countryside in my FWD hatchback during the snow feb 2013, when several SUV's were merrily spinning 4 tyres all over the shop!
They can't break the laws of physics, but they do provide an uncanny level of grip if you drive carefully in them.
Soldato
OK, tell me how it will help in normal driving?
Uphill is worse for sure, but when the drive wheels are struggling already adding drag to the rear with a handbrake just makes them more likely to break traction and cause the front wheels to struggle.
The only thing you can do successfully with poor traction is use the highest gear you can and be as smooth as possible with no sudden actions which might break traction.
If you are driving for example a RWD Mk1 escort the handbrake MIGHT help avoid spinning but more likely, once the torque overcomes the brake it can cause the wheels to instantly spin, especially if the handbrake is not equal on both sides of the vehicle and it doesn't have an LSD.
For these types of cars, additional load in the boot can help with RWD traction, 4-5 paving slabs should do.
If possible, reversing a FWD car uphill will give more traction.
Last edited:
Bought some snow socks last year when the missus got a 3 series and we had 0 snow, this boxing day when it came we had to abandon the car due to idiots getting stuck on a slight incline and blocking the road (they got 3 cars abreast stuck and completely blocked the road both ways!!!)
Went to collect the car the next day after all night snow (I live on the edge of the Peak District) and the car was well and truly stuck, pop the boot and apply the snow socks, within 10 minutes we were off on our way shopping to deal with the panic buyers!!
Went to collect the car the next day after all night snow (I live on the edge of the Peak District) and the car was well and truly stuck, pop the boot and apply the snow socks, within 10 minutes we were off on our way shopping to deal with the panic buyers!!
You've got the wrong end of the stick. He wasn't claiming it helps traction to get going; he's talking about braking.
The handbrake only brakes the rear wheels, so you can apply some braking force without risking locking the front wheels and losing steering input.
Last edited:
Indeed.
I have successfully used this technique for both hill descents and for reversing back down hills that I was unable to climb.
You do need a sensitive touch however.
^ As many have said, Winters help in fresh snow and on cold tarmac, but if there is compact snow or ice on the roads it won't do diddly.
I was driving like miss daisy the other day and turned into a road which was black ice. Winter tyres, AWD and still just slid - zero traction, nothing you can do without metal studded tyres. ABS and steering was useless until my vehicle came to a stop ... by hitting the kerb and wrecking my alloys, suspension and steering rack.
ABS will allow steering too, even if they lock (obviously if the car has got it).
Soldato
I was always told that ABS is actually detrimental when braking in snow, as when the wheel locks you build a wedge of snow in front of the wheel which helps stop you, whereas with ABS this doesn't happen - obviously this only applies when driving through fresh snow rather than on top of ice/compacted snow.
Absolute nonsense.
Winter tyres are excellent on compacted snow.
I spent a week in Norway over New Year and had zero problems. Sure, it slid around if you gave it the beans, but driving normally gives no problems.
Black ice is of course another matter.