• Driving in the snow 101 - how not to drive like an idiot
    99 replies, posted
Recently whilst driving round in the snow, I've noticed that actually there's an awful lot of people who can't drive in the snow for shit. So listen up drivers of Facepunch, you're about to get schooled: LESSON 1 Possibly the most important rule about driving in the snow, try to keep you're revs down to the lowest your car can possibly do, 1000-1700 typically. This means that you aren't putting much power down to the snow. I presume less power = less pressure on the snow, I don't 100% know the science behind it, but it simply means you'll rarely spin up the wheels, even up hills etc. At least 7/10 people that I see don't do this, and end up either having to leave their car or crashing. Example: Some guy in a beamer trying to exit a road near me. This road has a bit of a lip up to the road it's joining, this guy was trying to get up it at full power, wheels spinning etc. He eventually gave up after 5 mins and let me go, I crawled up in third gear no problem and waved as I left. LESSON 2 Try to brake as little as possible, even down hills or around corners, use the gears to slow your car down. When you approach a corner, change down a gear. This should slow you down enough to go around. Same rule applies when you are coming down a hill, sit in a middle gear and let that slow you as you go down the hill. Obviously braking can't be avoided all together. When you need to brake, pulse your foot on the pedal, this minimises risk of locking the wheels. Braking hard in the snow will lock the wheels, if you do this at the wrong time you will probably crash. All control of the car is lost. To recover from this, simply taking your foot off the brake works in most cases (next lesson expands on this) Example: [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hk7_JI2OEPU[/media] LESSON 3 If you go into a skid, turn towards it, lightly brake then turn away when you feel the car get traction again (be careful not to overcorrect though, this could put you in a skid in the other direction!). You have to be able to do this pretty much instinctively so I'd suggest try it at low speeds in a big empty carpark if you can, but be aware of bollards/curbs being obstructed by the snow! Example [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xkbLEMb3Y4[/media] Note how people are turning as they skid, they're doing it wrong I can't think of anything else, if i go out today guaranteed I'll see someone doing something that I've missed
Im gonna race on the interstate
[QUOTE=Flon22;26849448] Braking hard in the snow will lock the wheels, if you do this at the wrong time you will probably crash. All control of the car is lost. [/QUOTE] That's what ABS is for.
[QUOTE=bugfix;26849528]That's what ABS is for.[/QUOTE] Apparently Abs in the snow actually increases the stopping distance by quite a way, but you wont loose as much of the control :) I've never had a car with it, so i can't really judge it
[QUOTE=bugfix;26849528]That's what ABS is for.[/QUOTE] You may slow down faster, but you still lose a lot of control while using ABS
Try and find an empty lot with a lot of snow to practice drifting/ sliding your car about with no danger of damaging other people property or your own car. It's not only immensely fun but it'll give you an experience of what sliding about is like, so you don't freak out as much if it happens for real on the roads.
Not a bad guide at all. It covers the basics. I think I'll add my own protips though. 1. Clean your grille off before you leave! Believe it or not but that snow might just overheat your engine. 2. If you are in something with a bad weight balance, such as a 2WD pickup, FWD van, Porsche, etc etc, then put something really fucking heavy opposite the engine. For my truck I have one iron cylinder head from a 460ci big block, which weighs about 150 pounds. I put that just infront of my tailgate. I put the second head in my mom's minivan. 3. 4WD DOES NOT HELP YOU TURN ANY BETTER! I've lost count of all the morons that thought their 4WD helped them turn or stop better flying past me, only for me to trundle by in my 2WD while they sit in a ditch on the phone with AA. 4. If you have an automatic, pull it into L. If you get the urge to pop it up into 2/D, you're going too fast. 5. Fit snow tires. All seasons suck big hairy dicks in the snow. Summer tires are suicide. Mud and Snow tires are okay if they're healthy and you've got your A-game on, but they're still less grippy than dedicated snow tires. 6. If you're in a sports car, just don't even bother. Your car will only slow you down. 7. If you're in a 4x4, select 4-LO. Not 4-HI. 4-LO lessens the urge for your wheels to spin on the basis that it doesn't rotate them fast enough. You'll be amazed how much grip you gain by doing this. 8. If you're in a FWD vehicle and you feel it start to burn out do NOT steer. As soon as it hooks back up you are going to spin out. Also, if you steer the wheels, you are going to rotate the car in that direction. Instead, hold the wheel straight, let off the throttle, get on the brakes, and get the front wheels back under control. THEN try to go again. [QUOTE=Flon22;26849622]Apparently Abs in the snow actually increases the stopping distance by quite a way, but you wont loose as much of the control :) I've never had a car with it, so i can't really judge it[/QUOTE] ABS doesn't do a damn bit of good in the snow. You've got so little grip it goes off if you even think of touching the brakes. You're better off pulling the fuse and driving smartly than relying on the ABS to cover for ya.
1. Drive at full speed 2. Brake and turn wheel 600 degrees when turning 3. Follow the train
And that's why I drive a cheap FWD banger without ABS or Powersteering. And I also practiced in a empty & snow covered parking lot.
I wish I could still drive my motorbike :saddowns:
A lot of this guide is common sense...
[QUOTE=Kamern;26850161]A lot of this guide is common sense...[/QUOTE] Common sense isn't so common anymore :rant:
[QUOTE=Flon22;26849622]Apparently Abs in the snow actually increases the stopping distance by quite a way, but you wont loose as much of the control :) I've never had a car with it, so i can't really judge it[/QUOTE] It prevents the wheels from locking up. When your car has ABS, you don't have to pulse your braking anymore, just hit it full.
[QUOTE=bugfix;26849528]That's what ABS is for.[/QUOTE] My car doesn't have ABS
Snow driving 101: Traction friction is higher than sliding friction. The end.
[QUOTE=RayDark;26849856]1. Drive at full speed 2. Brake and turn wheel 600 degrees when turning 3. Follow the train[/QUOTE] all you had to do was follow the damn train cj
My truck has ABS. I live where there is no snow. :frown:
The whole thread summarized: Static friction > kinetic friction
I love having a RWD in the ice, I drift the last few corners home (no where where I could endanger anyone elses life, only my own and my insurance)
The first white van driver on the second video nailed it, he started to skid then reccorected and kept going.
the driving schools in your country don't teach that stuff? wow, talk about unsafe
From someone who lives in Wisconsin, I agree with most of the advice given. Not sure sure about the "don't break unless you have to." I generally just drive 5-10mph slower depending on the standard speed and conditions of the road. The best tip for people who have never driven in snow: wait for streets to be cleared and slow down. Just because you have a big truck does not mean you won't slide on the ice. Ice frequently forms on bridges before other places, and is generally "black ice" or "glare ice." Meaning it is transparent, and very hard to see from your car as you approach it. When approaching bridges, again, please slow down. Here's an example of how little ice you need to lose control. (Just fender benders, nothing too bad.) [media] [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwx-VkvvjgY[/url] [/media]
[QUOTE=Virtanen;26850668]the driving schools in your country don't teach that stuff? wow, talk about unsafe[/QUOTE] Wow your country doesn't teach you how to not make bad generalizations? wow, talk about stupid. Anyways I have a Fwd 2005 cavalier and I had to put 2 iron blocks in my trunk to stop the read end from going out. I'm getting a pair of these soon. [img]http://www.blogcdn.com/autos.aol.com/media/import/studded_tires_092709kn.jpg[/img]
[QUOTE=Flon22;26849622]Apparently Abs in the snow actually increases the stopping distance by quite a way, but you wont loose as much of the control :)[/QUOTE] I disagree that it makes it worse, however I can tell you that it doesn't make it any better. My advice is that if you're going slow enough and you need to stop but can't for whatever reason, lift of the brakes and genitally turn into the curb - You'll come to a stop pretty quickly, but don't turn in too quickly or you'll just spin when you hit it. If you have low-profile alloys on then this probably isn't the best way to stop, but it still beats mashing up your front bumper and the rear bumper of the person in front of you. Also don't drive at 20mph on gritted roads, it's really annoying. We don't get enough snow / ice over here for snow chains / spiked tyres, which can make it a big issue when it does snow / become icy. [QUOTE=Europe;26850540]I love having a RWD in the ice, I drift the last few corners home (no where where I could endanger anyone elses life, only my own and my insurance)[/QUOTE] Haha, I can't imagine driving a RWD car in the ice / snow, sounds like fun but also sounds like it's easy to get into a bad situation which you can't easily recover from. In my FWD car just coming into my estate I was braking and turned before I lifted off - The back end sit 'round quite nicely. Was like a handbrake turn without needing to touch the handbrake.
[QUOTE=TestECull;26849810] 5. Fit snow tires. All seasons suck big hairy dicks in the snow. Summer tires are suicide. Mud and Snow tires are okay if they're healthy and you've got your A-game on, but they're still less grippy than dedicated snow tires. [/QUOTE] Disagreeing here. There are all-year tires that fare perfectly well in the snow. There's snow on the ground for up to six months where I live, and most people around here stick to a good set of all seasons just fine. Alot of it depends on what kind of roads you're driving mind you, most of the streets here are well plowed and gritted, and no there's no doubt that you'd be in trouble driving through thick powder with all season tires.
[QUOTE=Meep Moop;26850845]From someone who lives in Wisconsin, I agree with most of the advice given. Not sure sure about the "don't break unless you have to." I generally just drive 5-10mph slower depending on the standard speed and conditions of the road. The best tip for people who have never driven in snow: wait for streets to be cleared and slow down. Just because you have a big truck does not mean you won't slide on the ice. Ice frequently forms on bridges before other places, and is generally "black ice" or "glare ice." Meaning it is transparent, and very hard to see from your car as you approach it. When approaching bridges, again, please slow down. Here's an example of how little ice you need to lose control. (Just fender benders, nothing too bad.) [media] [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwx-VkvvjgY[/url] [/media][/QUOTE] Wow, I only saw one person in that video regain control at all. :geno:
I live in the upper midwest and drive a '91 Explorer. I go over snow like its nothing. [editline]21st December 2010[/editline] I laugh at west coast drivers trying to drive in snow.
Last week the news said we'd get over a foot of snow on Sunday evening into Monday and I was terrified that I'd have to drive through a huge storm to college to take my finals. Sure enough Money rolls around and we got two inches of snow. But after my finals when I was dusting the snow off of my car, I saw another car pull into the parking lot. The lot was empty except for my car and a few others. Apparently the person driving was totally oblivious to the fact that it was snowing or that the parking lot had not been treated at all, because I watched the car spin out over five times. It was some old lady.
I live in Sweden, and my best tip is, distance! Yes, distance! If you keep a long distance to the vehicle in front of you, the risk of you crashing into him then is minimal. About the braking, brake gently, and start braking much earlier than you would regulary, if you do this, you're much more likely to maintain control of the car if you would loose traction. I would also like to ask you guys to help the heavy vehicles during the winter! If you see a truck or a bus, coming to a intersection or roundabout where the truck/bus would have to stop, and the road is leaning backwards for the truck/bus (or just looking really slippery), let them go first, you might loose a couple of seconds for stopping, but you might save the driver in the truck/bus alot of time from getting stuck there! Slopes, in combinations with stops are really dangerous for our truck and bus drivers, because of the great risk of getting stuck, or even the risk of starting to slide involuntarily. Also, be prepared, always have a shovel or something similair with you, maybe some sand even? You'll never know when you're stuck somewhere and need to get loose.
Its really surprising how many people don't know how to drive in the snow or just panic and do something stupid. For example there was a sketch with the neighbour of the neighbour of mine whose car was stuck in the driveway under snow, idiot was just razzing the wheels away thinking "it'll melt the snow eventually and I'll get out", instead all he was doing was compacting the snow down to ice. Asked if I could have a go at it, got into his car, put it into 2nd gear, drove out without a problem then just gave him a smug look and said "2nd gear is your friend, use it". Also if you ever get stuck in the snow and you can't get out by driving off in 2nd gear, try putting it into reverse and doing the same sketch, other things you can do is reduce your tire pressure allowing you to have more surface space to get grip, just remember to put some air back in later, also shovels are a handy thing to carry around, even if its just enough to reduce the amount of snow around the wheels.
Sorry, you need to Log In to post a reply to this thread.