Ford KA and icy roads

elliesmemory1

Any one have any experience with ford kas on icy roads?
Had a nasty scare on icy road this morning going slow due to frost and hit a patch of ice.
Car went out of control very scary first time driving this car on bad roads, fairly new tyres didnt bbrake or any thing. Gave me a real fright. Very lucky no damage done are these cars known for being bad on icy roads?

TrickyWicky

My partner has one and has hit the ice a few times over the last couple of years after we had snow etc. Car didn't go too badly but the OH did say they lost control a few times.

I'm afraid it can happen in all cars unforunately. My car is a big heavy 2.5L front wheel drive and it still slips and slides despite the added weight for grip. It got so bad once I had to let the air out of all my tyres just to get out of the estate to the main road where I then pumped them up again (took 20 odd minutes that!).

Ford Kas aren't brilliant I'm afraid. Engine and gearbox are pretty solid but they're not good for grip on ice and they tend to rust away badly underneath so keep an eye on that too.

Strider590

Any car is going to struggle on ice..... It's got nothing at all to do with your car, in fact your cars small size/weight may well have saved you from an accident.
My only concern is for you tyre's, if they're cheap ditch finders, then they're probably hardening rock solid in sub zero conditions and reducing your grip accordingly.

Drive carefully, take it easy and keep an eye out for puddles in the road, at anything under 2 degree's C, those puddles will be sheet ice.

And if your friends/family try to tell you to get a 4x4.... You WILL be wasting your money.

daveyjp

The make of car makes no difference to handling on ice - any car will slide, unless it has studded tyres (illegal in the UK). At least a Ka is light, so it has less kinetic energy than a heavier car resulting in a quicker stop.

davetrousers

The make and model of the car will make little difference.

Adapting your driving style will.

mchale

slow down

elliesmemory1

Thanks for replys I was driving slowly, but car just skidded, very scary and I have been driving a long time never had such a small car before tho.
I ended up facing th other way. very scary and was lucky not to have been much worse as no other traffic at time.

lostsheep

In frost and ice, low weight can help dealing with inclines, but for the most part shouldn't make a difference.
ABS can help, the same as it always does, by keeping the tyres rolling, but it's not a magic fix (and in snow, locking up can actually help you slow down). Braking in low grip conditions should really be separated from turning, though, as you lose a lot of grip at the back during braking and you can spin out (which also happens if you lock the back wheels).
For similar reasons, a front-wheel-drive is usually safer than a rear-wheel-drive, because that dictates which end loses grip when you put your foot down.
On solids like tarmac and ice a large footprint often helps with grip, but on snow (and also standing water) small, narrow wheels dig (or sink) in better for a given weight of car and help provide grip and stopping ability. But then that makes it more difficult to set off in the first place.
That's more or less what I can remember right now, but it does suggest that your car's probably not too bad for winter, assuming those are good soft tyres that went on recently. And, as always, any car's safe if you can restrain yourself to only drive it within the limits of grip and the safe road you can actually see. The problems only arise in making that judgment and remembering to stick to it, despite the extreme gentle slowness that can entail in winter. Maybe that last bit wasn't terribly helpful. I've had a few moments myself (not this year, though) including a small bump when I decided that the junction way off in the distance was still far enough away to practically coast to a stop and it turned out I might have been right if I'd started a few seconds earlier.

TrickyWicky

mchale wrote: »

slow down

That doesn't always make any difference.

I lost it a few years back on black ice and I was only doing about 15mph in a 30 zone (driver in front was zig zagging all over the place and I thought he was drunk so slowed right down.. then I realised why he was zig zagging :mad:).

To make things worse, the bloke in front was doing the full 30, ended up on the kerb and still managed to drive away. I ended up with my bumper smashed to bits on the front of another car.

So, there you go, faster car gets off lightly, slower car had a front end rebuild. Still want to recommend that advice?

lostsheep

Maybe a lucky rabbit foot, then? Or some other talisman...



Oooh! My newbie label dissappeared! Does that mean I'm fair game for bullying now?

TrickyWicky

I think it means you can now PM, post links etc.