I've always been told to get in the highest gear you can that still allows you to maintain control of the vehicle - high gear + low revs = less torque going to wheels = less chance of wheel spin. Keep in a low gear when going down hill and let the engine do the breaking wherever possible and when you do have to break, do it early and gently. Most of all keep your speed down and give yourself plenty of space when following other vehicles, that way you give yourself plenty of time to react and if you do have an accident you're likely to cause minimal damage.
Also, stay calm because you need to be thinking clearly as you may need to react differently to how you would under normal conditions.
[cite]Posted By: Swisdom[/cite]steering into the skid is only applicable on a rear wheel drive car skidding
Not sure that's true - if your back end steps out of line then you need to steer into the slide to change the turning momentum of the car and get the back end back where it should be regardless of whether you have a RWD, FWD or 4WD car.
[cite]Posted By: SoundAsa£[/cite]Sod your street cred.............................buy some Long John's!
Best tip of the day, as a man who regularly has to work outdoors I can confirm that thermal long-johns are da-bomb! I also have some very thick socks which have a Tog rating like duvets and they are similarly impressive and great for wearing to a mid-week football match.
[cite]Posted By: T.C.E[/cite]The funniest thing I heard today involving the snow was at housing estate where the young'uns along with their parents spent today building several snowmen (up to 25/30) on their local playing field, in typical style 4 local idiots turned up in their car hooting and screaming and generally being a pest decided it would be fun to race the car around the field destroying the little'uns snowmen, with two to go the car stopped suddenly, the little darlings had built a snowman around the last standing concrete bollard surrounding the carparking area, the car is trashed and the driver under arrest : )
probably deserves a new 'funny ice story' thread but anyhow...
a few years back when we had these sort of weather conditions, a postie colleague of my better half was on a delivery round in the freshly laid snow.
what with the 'job and knock, rush rush' mentality, he was cutting every corner he could (stepping over fences etc) when he decided to cut across a garden. what he forgot was, that this garden contained an iced and snowed over pond which he soon found himself waist high in. struggling to get out only resulted in him being neck deep in the water.
i suppose there is an 'icey tip' here. remember where your pond is.
[cite]Posted By: Exiled_Addick[/cite]I've always been told to get in the highest gear you can that still allows you to maintain control of the vehicle - high gear + low revs = less torque going to wheels = less chance of wheel spin. Keep in a low gear when going down hill and let the engine do the breaking wherever possible and when you do have to break, do it early and gently. Most of all keep your speed down and give yourself plenty of space when following other vehicles, that way you give yourself plenty of time to react and if you do have an accident you're likely to cause minimal damage.
Also, stay calm because you need to be thinking clearly as you may need to react differently to how you would under normal conditions.
[cite]Posted By: Swisdom[/cite]steering into the skid is only applicable on a rear wheel drive car skidding
Not sure that's true - if your back end steps out of line then you need to steer into the slide to change the turning momentum of the car and get the back end back where it should be regardless of whether you have a RWD, FWD or 4WD car.
[cite]Posted By: SoundAsa£[/cite]Sod your street cred.............................buy some Long John's!
Best tip of the day, as a man who regularly has to work outdoors I can confirm that thermal long-johns are da-bomb! I also have some very thick socks which have a Tog rating like duvets and they are similarly impressive and great for wearing to a mid-week football match.
Sorry they can be bettered. Try a pair of the Good lady's "Tights" trust me, they keep you so warm you wont want take off when you get home........I like nothing more than to lay in front of an open fire........................sorry I strayed from topic : )
With cars it's a matter of keeping the traction (the pulling power) of the car nice and even, e.g if approaching an icey slope don't ram the pedal to the metal, just increase the revs slightly and drop a gear if it sounds like the revs are struggling. Tricky to explain but it comes with experience. It's a lot easier with a manual car than an automatic and front wheel drive is better than rear in snowy conditions. I tend to turn the volume down on the radio/cassette player so I can hear what's going on engine-wise. After all, missing a couple of Duane Eddy tracks is better than piling the motor up. One more tip: if you can afford it live in the same road as your M.P (or Councillor). Amazing how quickly the gritter turns up, several times a day too!
[cite]Posted By: C.Walsh'sLoveChild[/cite]Anyone got any tips on how to get out of my close with my car when the snow is higher than the ground clearance of my car??
North Lower Neil - (cant do quoting from the previous page thing) That is indeed what I have been doing although I am slightly annoyed that I haven't been able to cycle to and from the station on my new bike that Santa got me
[cite]Posted By: C.Walsh'sLoveChild[/cite]North Lower Neil - (cant do quoting from the previous page thing) That is indeed what I have been doing although I am slightly annoyed that I haven't been able to cycle to and from the station on my new bike that Santa got me
Sandwich bags over your tyres?!
Annoyingly, the snow isn't so bad in Whitstable, so I'm still at work! Your snow sounds much better!
[cite]Posted By: C.Walsh'sLoveChild[/cite]North Lower Neil - (cant do quoting from the previous page thing) That is indeed what I have been doing although I am slightly annoyed that I haven't been able to cycle to and from the station on my new bike that Santa got me
Sandwich bags over your tyres?!
Annoyingly, the snow isn't so bad in Whitstable, so I'm still at work! Your snow sounds much better!
You are free to come and take as much of it as you wish
I used to live in Northern Germany where the winters are usually pretty severe every year. One thing I used to do was clear the snow off the pavement outside my house. It was pretty much taken as read that when it snowed people would clear their stretch of pavement outside their own homes, the result was that pretty quickly the whole street would be snow free.
I've done the same here but only one other person have cleared the ice and snow from the pavement on our street. Shame really.
Driving - Buy an old ex-military Land Rover Lightweight, the oringinal 4x4 hi and lo gearboxes, go anywhere, great fun, I know I've got one...walks away smugly!!
[cite]Posted By: Valley_floyd_red[/cite]I used to live in Northern Germany where the winters are usually pretty severe every year. One thing I used to do was clear the snow off the pavement outside my house. It was pretty much taken as read that when it snowed people would clear their stretch of pavement outside their own homes, the result was that pretty quickly the whole street would be snow free.
I've done the same here but only one other person have cleared the ice and snow from the pavement on our street. Shame really.
I would love to clear the snow and ice from outside my place. But i haven't got a spade, cant use my car to go far and find one and when i did manage to walk into town the places that sell them have sold out. Bugger
[cite]Posted By: Valley_floyd_red[/cite]I used to live in Northern Germany where the winters are usually pretty severe every year. One thing I used to do was clear the snow off the pavement outside my house. It was pretty much taken as read that when it snowed people would clear their stretch of pavement outside their own homes, the result was that pretty quickly the whole street would be snow free.
I've done the same here but only one other person have cleared the ice and snow from the pavement on our street. Shame really.
You face a hefty fine here if you don't clear your pavement from freshly fallen snow within 48 hours.
Quite the opposite here these days. If you clear it but miss a bit of ice and someone goes A over T on it they can sue you! You have to put a sign out saying that there is a possibility of ice still being present.
[cite]Posted By: March51[/cite]Quite the opposite here these days. If you clear it but miss a bit of ice and someone goes A over T on it they can sue you! You have to put a sign out saying that there is a possibility of ice still being present.
I guess the difference here is that everyone is properly shod for snow/ice - my boots are good down to about -50C or something
A useful tip is to put a hot water bottle on the dashboard about half an hour before setting out. It clears a fair bit of the ice on the screen and also warms up the car a bit. Last week a mate of mine put on his rear window heater too quickly and the glass cracked/smashed! The biggest tip is not to have anything on until you start the car, otherwise the battery can get worn out.
Comments
Also, stay calm because you need to be thinking clearly as you may need to react differently to how you would under normal conditions.
Not sure that's true - if your back end steps out of line then you need to steer into the slide to change the turning momentum of the car and get the back end back where it should be regardless of whether you have a RWD, FWD or 4WD car.
Best tip of the day, as a man who regularly has to work outdoors I can confirm that thermal long-johns are da-bomb! I also have some very thick socks which have a Tog rating like duvets and they are similarly impressive and great for wearing to a mid-week football match.
probably deserves a new 'funny ice story' thread but anyhow...
a few years back when we had these sort of weather conditions, a postie colleague of my better half was on a delivery round in the freshly laid snow.
what with the 'job and knock, rush rush' mentality, he was cutting every corner he could (stepping over fences etc) when he decided to cut across a garden. what he forgot was, that this garden contained an iced and snowed over pond which he soon found himself waist high in. struggling to get out only resulted in him being neck deep in the water.
i suppose there is an 'icey tip' here. remember where your pond is.
Sorry they can be bettered. Try a pair of the Good lady's "Tights" trust me, they keep you so warm you wont want take off when you get home........I like nothing more than to lay in front of an open fire........................sorry I strayed from topic : )
No sudden, sharp moves
Keep an extra pair of pants in the vehicle in case of sudden moves etc
Have a shovel in the boot
Walk?
Sandwich bags over your tyres?!
Annoyingly, the snow isn't so bad in Whitstable, so I'm still at work! Your snow sounds much better!
You are free to come and take as much of it as you wish
Half day yesterday, fingers crossed for Monday!
I've done the same here but only one other person have cleared the ice and snow from the pavement on our street. Shame really.
SNOW - I sheeeet on you!!!!
I would love to clear the snow and ice from outside my place. But i haven't got a spade, cant use my car to go far and find one and when i did manage to walk into town the places that sell them have sold out. Bugger
You face a hefty fine here if you don't clear your pavement from freshly fallen snow within 48 hours.
I guess the difference here is that everyone is properly shod for snow/ice - my boots are good down to about -50C or something
maybe not the most stylish though!
Last week a mate of mine put on his rear window heater too quickly and the glass cracked/smashed!
The biggest tip is not to have anything on until you start the car, otherwise the battery can get worn out.