driving in snow

Mobeer

I like to park on a main road that is gritted regularly, drive to work on main roads and park at work in a well maintained car park. When it snowed last year people near where I live got stuck because they couldn't get out from their parking places to the gritted roads, whereas I walked past them.

And if things look like getting really bad, I agree in advance to telecommute.

cyclonebri1

skiddlydiddly wrote: »

I see too many idiots peering through a 12" porthole while driving.

To dam right you only need 2 x 3" ones, takes much less cleaning


...................I'll get me coat;)

Strider590

Also stay off fresh snow if you possibly can...... When you go into fresh snow it fills the narrow grooves on your tyre's and turns them into slicks. This is where winter tyre's differ from summer tyre's.

Ebe_Scrooge

All good advice posted so far.

Turn off ABS and Traction Control if you have that option.
Drive as though you have no brakes.
Avoid using brakes wherever possible - drive slowly, use gears to slow down, brake very very very gently when you need to. Remember, if your front wheels lock up you will loose the ability to steer.
Carry kit in the car to enable you to stay in the car overnight if absolutely necessary.
If you do get stuck, remember you can keep the engine running to keep the heater going. This is one time when fuel consumption is not important !
Make sure your mobile phone is with you and fully charged.

A cheap 'n' cheerful trick if you do find yourself stuck with no traction, and no grit available - old offcuts of hessian-backed carpet, shoved under your wheels with the hessian side face-up, works wonders. Keep some bits in your car. This got me out of a pickle several times last year.

( You need to put the carpet under the driving wheels - either the front or the rear, depending on your car. If you don't know whether your car is front- or rear-wheel drive, find out now ).

Inactive

Ebe_Scrooge wrote: »

If you don't know whether your car is front- or rear-wheel drive, find out now ).

Better still, send your licence back to the DVLA.;)

cyclonebri1

Strider590 wrote: »

Also stay off fresh snow if you possibly can...... When you go into fresh snow it fills the narrow grooves on your tyre's and turns them into slicks. This is where winter tyre's differ from summer tyre's.

No no no no no, fresh snow is much more easy to traverse than the compacted stuff, remember 15 years ago when for some reason we had the "wrong kind" of snow. Oh what fun, was the first down the road and pinged everyones telephone cables that were hanging 2 ftr off the road. 5 hrs later everything was at a standstill with no more snow;)

MCMitten

With winter approaching here is advice for driving in icy conditions
WOMEN1, Sit in the car with the engine running and the heater on full for 15-20 minutes until the windscreen is completely clear.2. Pull away nervously, screaming every time the wheels lose traction, sit as close to the steering wheel as posible and try to fight back the tears.3. When reachng a gritted road continue to drive at no more than 11mph, preferably in 4th gear so that the car lurches everywhere.4. Arrive at work leaving the car wherever it stops, enter the office and cry with other female colleagues about how frightening the journey was.


MEN1. Start the car, scrape off the ice with a CD cover so that there is a 6 inch hole in the ice.2. Accelerate wildly in an attempt to get the speedo reading 90mph while still at a walking pace.3. When joiing a vaguely gritted road drive as normal, weaving around any women travelling at 11mph.4 Wind the driver's window down and turn the heater up to full to carry out an experiment as to whether wind chill can be beaten by the heater matrix.5. Arrive at the work carpark at a much higher speed than usual to enable a high speed handbrake turn. If possible blow the horn to alert other men to your feat of machismo.6. Realise that you were going to fast for the conditions.7. Exit the vehicle and inspect damage to your car, other cars you have collided with as well as damage to curbs/bollards/bystanders.

DCFC79

Are snow tyres worth it, ive never bought and fitted any before but the snow we had last year has made me think if i ought to get some snow tyres, are they worth it ?

i think if we get the snow again ill not even bother trying to go to work if it will be as icey as last time

mikey72

I bought them this year, trying to get to customers last year was nearly impossible, it would be nice not to slide slideways down hills again.

DCFC79

mikey72 wrote: »

I bought them this year, trying to get to customers last year was nearly impossible, it would be nice not to slide slideways down hills again.

that must be terrifying, i was sliding around the place in feb in the snow which scared me a little as i nearly hit a car