Snowpocalypse now

forgotmyname

Its FOX TV. What do you expect.

Maybe it should say, If you have a proper 4x4 and diff locks then dont use it. Because if you do finally get stuck you will be miles from civilisation.

Lum

My GF's rear wheel drive car managing just fine in the 4" of snow we have here



That said, the power has just gone to my estate, with an ETA of at least 6PM because the engineers can't get to the transformer due to all the abandoned cars. I'm going to shut down my kit to save my UPS batteries for something more important and drive into town for lunch.

Gloomendoom

forgotmyname wrote: »

Its FOX TV. What do you expect.

Maybe it should say, If you have a proper 4x4 and diff locks then dont use it. Because if you do finally get stuck you will be miles from civilisation.

I think that was the rationale behind the advice. 4x4 makes some drivers over confident... and they just get more stuck.

epninety

The only thing I'd add to Lums post is plan ahead, by which I mean don't just stop where you normally stop, park where you normally park, or use the roads you normally use out of habit.

If you normally park at the bottom of a hill every day, maybe today is the day to break the routine. It might make it easier for you to get going again, it might also mean it's not your car the next unfortunate crashes into.

If the 'usual' route from your house involves a slalom round parked cars, is there another road you can use just for today?

Last year my neighbour (who I'd never previously met) came around asking for a tow. She'd driven out of her garage, and out of habit, stopped in snow and ice to shut her garage door and was instantly stuck. If she'd driven 50 ft further, she could have stopped on dry tarmac. Of course, she didn't need a tow, 2 mins scooping snow from in front of the tyres and a one handed shove was all that was required, though she didn't really appreciate being told (or shown) that

Dave_C_2

My 2d worth:

• Why not clear the junk out of your garage and park the car in there! It keeps the snow off the car and it starts easier
• When setting off in snow from your garage drive in and out a few times to compress the snow so it's easier to get back in.
• Drive round with a full tank of fuel. The extra weight gives you that extra bit of grip on the rear wheels. And if you get stuck it will keep you warmer for longer.
• +1 for the car park and play. It gives you confidence in what to do in a skid (ease off and steer into it).
  Handbrake turns and reverse flicks are fun! Do this at your own risk.

Can anyone remember the big bag of sand in the boot tip?
At the back for a Mini and the front for an Imp

Dave

epninety

Gloomendoom wrote: »

I think that was the rationale behind the advice. 4x4 makes some drivers over confident... and they just get more stuck.

No, it's because cars with selectable 4WD and no centre diff are more prone to sliding sideways and/or understeer in slippery conditions. The same is true of permanent 4WD with the centre diff locked.

Better to only engage it when you need the extra traction.

Paradigm

Lum wrote: »

4x4s: 4 wheel drive will make it easier to set off in the snow compared to an otherwise identical 2 wheel drive vehicle but other than that your car is no more capable than anyone else's. All* cars have 4 wheel braking and your car is heavier than most so you are actually more likely to lose traction when trying to stop or steer.

Pretty much agree with everything except the above. The problem with 4x4s is that people tend to think that once they have one they are immune but in reality they don't know how to drive them properly in slippery conditions.

In a 4x4 select a low gear & the engine braking will act on all 4 wheels, rather than just 2 in a normal car. This gives far greater control &, if done correctly, brakes should be a last resort.

Keep the speed down & use 2nd (1st if needed) when descending hills... keep your foot off the clutch & let the engine do it's work.

Gloomendoom

epninety wrote: »

No, it's because cars with selectable 4WD and no centre diff are more prone to sliding sideways and/or understeer in slippery conditions. The same is true of permanent 4WD with the centre diff locked.

Better to only engage it when you need the extra traction.

Sounds more plausible.

However, as a Series Land Rover owner of many years, I've never experienced any of those problems when driving on snow. Driving in RWD, on the other hand, is a complete non starter. The rear axle is so lightly loaded that, if the car does actually get moving, it squirms all over the place and is a complete pig to drive.

epninety

Have you got the usual well rusted springs, or a nice soft set of well greased parabolics? Soft springs distribute the weight (and hence the traction) more evenly across the axle.

Quite often see this off road with Defenders, e.g. on wet grass, where a softly sprung vehicle can spin all four wheels even without difflocks engaged, and a stiffly sprung one tends to spin only one (or two with centre diff locked)

Gloomendoom

epninety wrote: »

Have you got the usual well rusted springs, or a nice soft set of well greased parabolics? Soft springs distribute the weight (and hence the traction) more evenly across the axle.

Quite often see this off road with Defenders, e.g. on wet grass, where a softly sprung vehicle can spin all four wheels even without difflocks engaged, and a stiffly sprung one tends to spin only one (or two with centre diff locked)

Parabolics. It's a soft top S1 so not really much weight in it at all.