Tips for Driving in Snow and Ice

Kurtis_Blue

00ec25 wrote: »

I acknowledge there may not be time or you may not be good enough, but you really should do foot off accelerator AND also change down a gear to get engine braking rather than just depress the clutch, as the immediate effect of the latter would be to make the car go faster since you have removed the engine braking effect

No. You do not want engine braking, especially in slippery conditions.

And depressing the clutch will not remove engine braking because it shouldn't have been there in the first place.
Brakes are for braking.
Clutch in leaves the tyres full capacity for grip, no braking no acceleration.

DirectDebacle

harveybobbles wrote: »

Anybody who is wanting to know how to control a car is a skid, slide, spin etc should stick to public transport.

No they should spend some time receiving proper instruction at a skid pan.

There you can experience different types of skids, what causes them and how to correct them.

It is impossible to learn this by just quoting extracts from Roadcraft or whatever. Sound theory is important but only practice can help you deal with the reality.

Even then a skid pan cannot accurately replicate real situations on public roads. Most skids are caused by excessive speed and things happen very quickly. If the only preparation you have is by reading about it then your chances of taking the correct action in time are slim.

As is oftenstated, avoid them in the first place but this is not always possible. On the few occasions it isn't then having had some practice at correcting them is better than none at all.

00ec25

Kurtis_Blue wrote: »

Brakes are for braking.

this thread is about driving in snow conditions, use engine braking not brakes, that way you will not lock up and get into a skid to start with - watch the video , notice how many cars are sliding with stationary wheels becuase they are all hard on their brakes and the wheeels are not turning therefore are sliding over the surface rather than trying to cut down through it to find grip, (it does take some skill)

as for going too slow its all relative, you want to maintain momentum in snow (especially in 2WD vehicles) so you need enough speed to get (plough) through depths of snow which can vary as you progress along the road. I agree on ice this is not the case

Kurtis_Blue

00ec25 wrote: »

this thread is about driving in snow conditions, use engine braking not brakes, that way you will not lock up and get into a skid to start with - watch the video , notice how many cars are sliding with stationary wheels becuase they are all hard on their brakes and the wheeels are not turning therefore are sliding over the surface rather than trying to cut down through it to find grip, (it does take some skill)
e

Absolutely not. Thats totally incorrect. just because some numpty stamps on ther brakes in an internet video does not mean you shouldn't use them for what they are designed for, you have full and total control over your brakes and they operate balanced over all four corners and most also come with £2k worth of electronics to balance that distribution finitely around the car.

Using engine braking, is just going to unbalance your car.

catflea

Kurtis_Blue wrote: »

Absolutely not. Thats totally incorrect. just because some numpty stamps on ther brakes in an internet video does not mean you shouldn't use them for what they are designed for, you have full and total control over your brakes and they operate balanced over all four corners and most also come with £2k worth of electronics to balance that distribution finitely around the car.

Using engine braking, is just going to unbalance your car.

Umm, what!? :eek:

On a road with grip, then yes use your brakes. On a surface with minimal grip you WILL lock your brakes if you apply them too hard (i.e with enough force to slow the vehicle) even if you have ABS and the most complicated braking software going - if the computer reads no resistance it figures you are stopped and keeps the wheels locked.

This is where engine braking comes in handy, in the days of less efficient brakes the use of engine braking was actually considered to be very worthwhile and it is certainly of use in one of my cars (7" drum brakes anyone!?)

If you think you only need to use your brakes to slow in icy conditions you shouldnt be on the road.

Also, I'd be interested to hear how you can substantiate your claim that most vehicles on the road come with "come with £2k worth of electronics to balance that distribution finitely around the car."

Kurtis_Blue

catflea wrote: »

Umm, what!? :eek:

On a road with grip, then yes use your brakes. On a surface with minimal grip you WILL lock your brakes if you apply them too hard (i.e with enough force to slow the vehicle) even if you have ABS and the most complicated braking software going - if the computer reads no resistance it figures you are stopped and keeps the wheels locked.

This is where engine braking comes in handy, in the days of less efficient brakes the use of engine braking was actually considered to be very worthwhile and it is certainly of use in one of my cars (7" drum brakes anyone!?)

If you think you only need to use your brakes to slow in icy conditions you shouldnt be on the road.

Also, I'd be interested to hear how you can substantiate your claim that most vehicles on the road come with "come with £2k worth of electronics to balance that distribution finitely around the car."

Utter nonsence, shows total lack of knowledge of vehicle and tyre dynamics.

catflea

Seriously man, hand your driving license in before you kill someone.

Kurtis_Blue

On a road with grip, then yes use your brakes. On a surface with minimal grip you WILL lock your brakes if you apply them too hard (i.e with enough force to slow the vehicle) even if you have ABS and the most complicated braking software going - if the computer reads no resistance it figures you are stopped and keeps the wheels locked.

Ok thats the main nonsense ^

Then don't apply them too hard, apply the correct pressure to brake all four corners, do not use engine braking to simply start to slow one end of your car.
As you state If you cannot apply ANY brake pressure without locking then engine braking will do the same but simply lock one end, congrats you are now heading for the armco.

This is where engine braking comes in handy, in the days of less efficient brakes the use of engine braking was actually considered to be very worthwhile and it is certainly of use in one of my cars (7" drum brakes anyone!?)

So? you are talking about the addition of engine breaking to add to your minimal braking force. If you are in the snow and need more breaking force something is wrong and your brake fluid may be empty.

Also, I'd be interested to hear how you can substantiate your claim that most vehicles on the road come with "come with £2k worth of electronics to balance that distribution finitely around the car."

I don't know many cars without ABS, if you do not know if you car has then read the manual, and drive accordingly using cadence braking if required.

gilbert_and_sullivan

Tips for ice and snow?

Don't try to drive on summer slick tyres in the first place, and try to invest more than the cost of a McDonalds big mac when you do buy tyres.

Markyt

harveybobbles wrote: »

Anybody who is wanting to know how to control a car is a skid, slide, spin etc should stick to public transport.

Meh. I agree in principle, but in practice I've deliberately put my cars into skids in bad weather so I know what to do when it is unexpected. I pick the time and place, obviously, but I know how the car handles and how to recover from them now. It happened for real tonight, and I avoided any sort of incident because I knew what to do.