why do some cars skid in the snow more than others?

neilmcl

aileth wrote: »

I have to say I think there should be some sort of leaflting or ads on tv about driving in snow/ice. This morning, between midnight and 7 am, me and OH were awoken no less than 4-5 times by different people attempting our hill (Which is just slush and a very small amount of ice!) in first gear and revving the b*llocks off it. Our car has fairly wide tyres and tends to be average to rubbish depending, OH stuck it in second gear, low revs, wiggled a bit and didn't wake anyone up!

We get this every year on my road/hill.

neilmcl

Beachview wrote: »

As fitting winter tyres is considered as a 'modification', your insurance company must be informed, though they will not charge extra (see website of Association of British Insurers).

This is incorrect. A link from the ABI has been posted a number of times now which clearly shows that only a handful of insurers will require informing.

sunshinetours

red_eye wrote: »

ABS will not do anything on snow.

it down to tyres, drive type+ weight.

rwd has no chance no matter what tyres, unless you load the boot with paving slabs.
fwd and 4wd has a chance with narrow tyres with widely spaced blocks.

Audi's should be good as they have the weight of the engine in front of driven axle

As others have said that is rubbish I am afraid.
Winter tyres (snowflake marked) which are also M&S marked (tread pattern) are fitted to my RWD Nov to March for past three seasons and transform the car for general winter driving (not just snow and ice)

Weight in boot will also help for traction but tyres make the biggest difference (aoart from the driver)

Winter tyres are becoming more popular and being advertised more but there is still a lot of people who (wrongly) don't believe changing tyres makes any difference

RichardD1970

fivetide wrote: »

Then I am afraid you don't know how to drive. You've spent a lot of time trying to say I'm wrong here but you seem to have no basis for it.

I haven't once said you were wrong, I was merely questioning your decision to turn off your ABS. And your the one who took the time to write a long post and reference Wikipedia

I'm an advanced driver who has done skid control in front/rear and 4x4 cars.

Why do you think the first thing they do on things like Top Gear is turn the driving aids off? Because generally if some sort of stability control is kicking in it is because you have already lost the car. Much better to actually be able to drive it and feel what is going on.

Unfortunately we are not all the stig with a race track to drive around, merely mortals who need all the help we can get

That said, the reference I made initially was to Subaru. The ABS systems can be very sensitive with the brakes pulsing because it thinks the car is going to slip, not actually slipping. Good progressive braking can work better than the ABS system on very slick surfaces. You can find that the ABS will simply not allow the brake to engage because it thinks the car will lock up!

In that situation, you putting your faith in the technology and not your own ability will be the one sliding further and being out of control!

Remember, ABS doesn't always stop you in a shorter distance, on a dry road, locking up might well stop faster. What is does is keep the wheels moving a little so you can keep steering. Therefore, if it is doing it's job properly, then the wheels will just keep turning and you won't stop faster! does this make sense?

In ordinary conditions ABS will stop you quicker, I agree that on very slippery/powder surfaces it can take longer to stop, I even said so in my posts.

On a normal road surface, yes, ABS is a great thing to have but on ice or as Scotsman4th said, loose surfaces it can be a disadvantage simply because of what it actually does!

I agree and have already said as much.

In normal driving, i have never had a car put the ABS on by the way.

Nor me

A bit of referenced wikipedia for you:



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-lock_braking_system
So in essence, learn to brake properly! :beer:

I apologise if I have inadvertently cast doubt on your driving abilities, you probably are technically better at car control due to your extra training, unfortunately we can't all be gods of the road and drive real drivers cars and I bow down to your superiority. :beer:

PS Just a quick question.

If you were to have an accident and it came to light you had disabled your ABS by removing a fuse, would your insurance pay out?

fivetide

RichardD1970 wrote: »

I haven't once said you were wrong, I was merely questioning your decision to turn off your ABS. And your the one who took the time to write a long post and reference Wikipedia

To be fair you questioned it a lot, in several posts and made that quip about being uncontrolled.

Referenced how ABS actually works for you as I thought it might be educational. You could just say thanks and be on your way.... Your cheeky little added question has already been answered too

RichardD1970

fivetide wrote: »

To be fair you questioned it a lot, in several posts and made that quip about being uncontrolled.

Referenced how ABS actually works for you as I thought it might be educational. You could just say thanks and be on your way.... Your cheeky little added question has already been answered too

To be fair, I only questioned your one post, which I quoted. The other posts from me (all 2 of them) were directed at others, one who was mistaken and thought you were on about traction control so I re-quoted your post as reference but I hardly see that as questioning you lots!

I already know how ABS works, hence my posts regarding stopping distances on loose surfaces being longer. So no need for the link, but thanks anyway.

As for my "cheeky little question" as you put it, I missed that reply so thank you for pointing it out .

Anyway, I stand by what I said, for us NORMAL drivers with NORMAL cars ABS is useful and advising people to disengage it will just cause problems.

jackieb

I drive an automatic Mercedes C class and it's usually rubbish in the winter. Being rear wheeled drive and the back wheels being wider than the front ones don't help either. Even if it was manual gearbox it would probably be better in the snow. But we recently got new tyres and it's a lot better. I know how to drive in the snow but this car has everything going against it!

I won't drive it out of the town if it's bad. I borrow my Mum's 11 year old Astra, which is great. My husband says it's like a mountain goat getting up the hills.

fivetide

RichardD1970 wrote: »

I already know how ABS works, hence my posts regarding stopping distances on loose surfaces being longer. So no need for the link, but thanks anyway.

No you said:

So you turn your ABS of in the conditions it was designed for? How can it kick in too early, it will only activate when it detects that a wheel has locked up under braking.

So you were completely wrong and didn't get how it works, hence the explanation.

Again, just be grateful you've learned something and stop trying to be pedantic and nitpick

Edit to add - i also have a Merc C-Class and live in the wilds of Scotchland. Never been stuck once and it's an auto. I do have a shovel and grippers in the boot though if needed!

aeb_2

jackieb wrote: »

I drive an automatic Mercedes C class and it's usually rubbish in the winter. Being rear wheeled drive and the back wheels being wider than the front ones don't help either. Even if it was manual gearbox it would probably be better in the snow. But we recently got new tyres and it's a lot better. I know how to drive in the snow but this car has everything going against it!

I won't drive it out of the town if it's bad. I borrow my Mum's 11 year old Astra, which is great. My husband says it's like a mountain goat getting up the hills.

This made me laugh Jackie. I walked round the village today and noticed all the 'mens' cars in the driveways, Mercs, Jags, Lexus, etc. They had all gone to work in their wives cars as they handled the snow better. So all WAGs stuck at home

the_pink_panther_2

Thank you so much to all the many constructive and informative posts. My driving's not ace, and I know little about cars and car parts so by posting in this forum I hoped to learn how to improve driving in the snow, I have certainly learnt a lot, so hopefully next time out will be better. Thanks again.