Hills, snow and ice

tripled

For those asking about brakes/ABS on snow, last week I went over the crest of a steep hill on a rural lane and hadn't got my speed down enough (for my liking) from going up it. At touch on the brakes and the ABS went nuts and the car started to slide. I released the brake, let the car find it's feet again and then gently slipped it into first, the grip held and the car slowed under full control. Another example, I was on the dual carriageway a couple of miles from Malpas on a downhill stretch. The road looked okay but I tested the brakes and again the ABS went mad and the steering went light so I again used engine braking to bring my speed down, unlike the tool behind me who managed to 180 his car, luckily he didn't go into the barriers and there was nothing behind him. Braking may won some cars, you need to know your vehicle!

andy8442

anewman wrote: »

Don't get why people think a 4 x 4 instantly turns them into a driving god in the snow.

Just a thought.......how about every time a 4x4 is found abandoned in the snow, it is towed in by the authorities and crushed!

Live on television as well! And the driver could be flogged!..........no maybe not, but whats the point in have such a vehicle and still getting stuck?

Lum

andy8442 wrote: »

Just a thought.......how about every time a 4x4 is found abandoned in the snow, it is towed in by the authorities and crushed!

Live on television as well! And the driver could be flogged!..........no maybe not, but whats the point in have such a vehicle and still getting stuck?

Because you can still get stuck in them, I mean legitimately without driving like a nob on low profile tyres.

If your law ever gets implemented, I'm buying shares in winches.

alastairq

regarding the use of brakes or engine/gears to control vehicle speed?

As I've noted before, many people out driving make the error of trying to use the engine/gears to 'slow the vehicle down'.

when really, they should be used to 'prevent the vehicle speeding up'.

In the kind of snow & ice conditions found in this country, the trick is to avoid any abrupt braking or steering..or use of the gas pedal.

In other words, apply as little horsepower as possible [higher gears]...brake much earlier, but more gently.....or even, simply come off the gas pedal much earlier...if a need to slow is identified.

Steering is best applied smoothly...which is where power steering doesn't help....the resistance felt through the steering wheel can give an indication of levels of grip under front wheels....

Approaching a hill, identify which gear you think would best get the vehicle up, bearing in mind the need for reduced speed....slow and acquire well before the gradient starts, set a moderate level of engine revs and simply try to allow the engine to climb...rather than playing with the gas pedal, thus risking losing traction.

The objective is to get up the hill....not break records.

The 'danger' of trying to use the gearbox to control speed is, if a driver selects too low a gear for the prevailing speed, then there is a risk the drive wheels will lose grip in trying to make the engine rev higher.....slide commences, and likely the engine will stall too.

If you find you've done this..or are in the process of doing it...then either depress the clutch pedal again and engage a higher gear....or increase the engine revs to where you think they ought to be , in that gear, at that speed, before letting up the clutch pedal....thus giving the drive wheels less work to do.

Not making the mistakes in the first place is fine..........knowing how to rectify a !!!!-up is even better.

anewman

alastairq wrote: »

Steering is best applied smoothly...which is where power steering doesn't help....the resistance felt through the steering wheel can give an indication of levels of grip under front wheels....

Yeah I miss that with manual steering. Reconfigured a setting on the power steering ECU on my car to provide lowest possible level of assistance and still can't tell the difference between steering on ice etc.

HalfPint

just read through most, but not all, of this thread.

Too many people don't know what their vehicle will do in these bad conditions, and how to regain control. Common sense should prevail (but often doesn't) and I suspect that many of us are now on a steep learning curve of how to drive in snow and ice lol.

We live on a fairly steep hill. I have a vectra (older model, yes) but it has power steering, abs etc etc..and I haven't moved it in a week, as it slips and slides all over the place. I do the most sensible thing and walk. Mr HP has a very old (I mean VERY OLD)1.1 Fiesta, no frills, no power steering, no abs etc etc and bless the wee thing, she has gotton him around (with appropriate driving) up and down hills without problem.

I'll be toasting our wee car :0)

HP x

cyclonebri1

I think Anewman touched the pulse on this one.

"new" 4 wheel drivers, mostly school mums realise they have a grip advantage over 2 wheels drive cars, that the majority drive. Fair enough.

But what they fail to realise is that once under momentum, ie, trying to brake downhill, they are more difficult to control than the average car.

Which is why you see as many 4bies in the ditch as sensible cars;)

Paradigm

cyclonebri1 wrote: »

But what they fail to realise is that once under momentum, ie, trying to brake downhill, they are more difficult to control than the average car.

Which is why you see as many 4bies in the ditch as sensible cars;)

They're only more difficult if you don't know how to drive them

Lum

Paradigm wrote: »

They're only more difficult if you don't know how to drive them

I think that was implicit

cyclonebri1

Paradigm wrote: »

They're only more difficult if you don't know how to drive them

Exactly what I said and LUm reiterated:rotfl: