Re:Snow driving

mellman01

Well I know a 4x4 is the best thing to have in this weather but it’s not essential, the biggest problem are other people who have NO mechanical aptitude and terrible hand eye ear **** coordination to start with!, why do people bunch up when the weather is poo, I tried to go to Oxford yesterday and gave up in the end, it took me ages to get back home via the back roads but make it I did, I even managed to get up to just under 45mph on a clear snow covered road with no problem, OK so most of the time I was doing around 30 but that’s still no problem as long as you follow a few basics such as.

a) Keep a really good gap between you and the person in front, the more distance the better in a way as it allows you to anticipate any problems, it also affords you the chance to slow down rather than stop so you keep some forward momentum.
b) When starting off don’t rev the car as you would for a normal take-off, if you can’t get grip just put it into gear and don’t rev the engine just let the car work in tick over you can also try this is second gear although slight revving might be needed to stop it from stalling.
c) Keep in a high’ish gear when moving, the less engine RPM the better to a point, it stops the wheels from spinning so easily, more torque less RPM.=Better grip
d) Anticipate well in advance what is approaching, hills need more grip so leave a very big gap between you and any traffic in front this will allow you to accelerate slowly before you get to the slope, extra momentum will compensate for any grip you loose, forward momentum is king if you have it it’s easier to keep it going that to stop and try and start again, just think what it would be like to try and push the car up a hill in normal weather.
e) For extra grip drive slightly off line in the loose snow, compacted snow and ice has far less grip than the fluffy stuff, just make sure you don’t kerb the bugger though, if you can drive wide rather than close to the side.
f) Think of the route you need to take, going off the main roads is sometimes a lot better than using the main route especially if it avoids hills, they are your worst enemy, don’t be frightened of the un gritted side roads especially if the gritting isn’t working anyway, your better off in the fluffy stuff but remember single lain tracks are best avoided as if you meet anyone you’ll probably need to stop, again momentum is your best friend always.
g) Lastly turn off your fog lights if visibility is good enough that you can see the person in fronts normal rear lights, the number of people you see with them on never fails to amaze me, only use them when there is nothing behind you, the tail end Charlie is the only one who should have theirs on.

mellman01

Yep del I passed two yesterday stuck on a slight hill, oh I alomst forgot, if you are struggling to get anywhere and decide to stop then pull over as far as you can and indicate, the amount of cars stopped in the middle of their lane blocking the road for those behind was amazing on one hill one person caused a tail back of around half a mile, people were getting out and wandering around wondering what the hell was going on as the numpty who caused all the problems was way off in the distance just sitting there, it only takes one to say I give up and stop then the road is blocked for all those behind them, thing is we haven't managed to read peoples minds yet so if your not in the flow get out of the way for those that are.

dreamdaisy

My lovely mell, I think you've missed the point: the numpties KNOW (most of the time) what they're doing so they don't have to inform anyone of anything! I have been thinking back to when I was learning to drive - not one mention was made of bad weather driving (I had a course of eight lessons in the summer, then my test). Mind you, this was back in 1990 (I think) - perhaps things are different now. My dad told me that if I could hear the tyres then all was well - if all went quiet then bale out! A Dane taught me the basics of winter driving, and so far, so good. It's easy, some patience may be required tho and that is where many people fall down in this 'instant' world of ours. DD

mellman01

Hmmm good point DD, I think you've got me there!, hey hold on to ya steering wheels!,has anyone seen the weather forcast on country file?, Jesus h and all that it looks like it's going to get even more wild!, snow snow and more snow then a strong east nor east wind to make it all drift nice for crimbo day!, global warming is an odd sort of mistress sin't she?. )

oneday

@ again! so i indicated, pulled over let her speed past as usual speed too - i could see her bewildered look wondering why i had stopped - stupid cow - all it would have taken was for me to have cause she brake and both stupid women would have been in my back.
Thats why i have stayed in all weekend cos of the idiots on the road who drive exactly the same, bit like when its raining and they all speed past on motorways etc - complete prats.

mellman01

as the old saying goes, the loosest nut on a car is the one behind the wheel!.

bubbles

Very well written, we have always said that driving on fresh snow is far easier than driving on compacted snow that has turned into a skating rink. Anything more than 6 inches of snow and you can end up banking up the snow in front of you, which is not a good thing.
Keeping in a higher gear is good too, starting off in second gear with a little bit more gas, or starting off in 2 in an automatic does help.
It is so often the person in front, that hesitates, or grinds to a halt for no reason, that leads to you loosing momentum and grip on the road. Hark at me, OH is dictating, even though I have driven for 30 years plus, I cannot now, due to the meds.
We have to drive up a slight hill to get to our place, the hill is rarely gritted so we have to take our chances, either the neighbours in their 4 wheel drive coming to the rescue, or, we say, go on, let's go for it. Going down is far easier than coming back up, using the auto box and the engine as a brake. We have very wide low profile tyres, not sure if they help or not, the jury is out on that. ABS and auto stability control are good, but you cannot rely on them to avoid every hazard.

Right, OH has shut up now, so I will stop writing. Having driven in some fierce snow storms, you just follow simple rules, leave a huge gap between you and the one in front, (ignore the ones behind you, if they run into you, they are automatically at fault), allow lots of time for your journey, take a blanket, hat, gloves, a phone, some sweets or chocolate, a flask of T etc, just in case you are stranded, don't wander off to look for help if you are in a remote area.

dreamdaisy

Only if the 2CV starts in the extreme cold! It's why Oliver survived that desert so easily (Top Gear crossing Botswana) he had little, thin tyres. Isn't reverse gear supposed to be good for hills - difficult to execute, maybe, but I think the traction is better? DD

mellman01

Oh!, I nearly forgot very important this, if your car starts to fish tail and you can't stop it push the clutch in it works a treat, my dad told me about that little trick it works really well and has saved me twice in the past.
And lastly if you were tuned in to captain twatt AKA Jeremy Vine today the so called "expert" driver suggested using WD40 on your door locks to free them up my advice is don't, although it will help at the time but it's a water repelant/degreasent and will wash any oil there is in there out so making things worse, if you do use it then as soon as you can use spray 3 in 1 or spray silicone oil to replace all the lubricant the WD40 has washed out.
To prove my point spray some on a bit of glass and leave it for a few days to see what I mean.

dreamdaisy

Thanks mell, both bits of advice are worth knowing - so far so good with the car but then I haven't driven anywhere for days now! DD

mellman01

No problems DD, WD40 was invented for the electrical industry to shift water from wiring etc not a lubricant, it evapourates to **** all in a day or so, it's really good at washing out any dirt damp etc though so is always handy to have around.
God am I sounding like some train spotter or what?. ) x:oops:

dreamdaisy

Your anorak is far too smart! I knew that WD40 had its limitations but wasn't sure why - now I do and I thank you, mell, I like learning stuff. DD