First fall of snow in the North East + rear while drive = Chaos

[Paul.]

i had sierra 1600 all i did was throw in a couple of bags of sand in boot of car and let some air out just for a little more grip on ice and snow

never had any problem with that being a rear wheel drive car

Yes had one of those as well, mine was a 2litre GL, prior to that mk2 cortinas, Escorts, and a Triumph 2.5pi that I took to Sweden on a skiing trip in the middle of January, and never got stuck in any of them.

 

[bigegg]

Mhhhhh....... Not if you start off in 2nd or even 3rd gear [big engine preferred]
and feather the clutch.

Autobox, I can't speak for but if you flick it across the gate you ought to get going.

proper autobox has a "snow mode" which locks it in 3rd+

 

[chris pruteanu]

Choice of tyres makes biv difference.... Last winter i drove my seat exeo estate on mokian hakapelita tyres-absolutely no drama whatsoever. This winter i am driving a vw up on michelin pilot alpin and its not the same feeling! The seat has switchable esp and a lot more torque due to being a diesel. The up has permanent/non switchable traction control and being lighter its not as planted as it should be.

 

[MattH]

Misses used to have a MKII MR2. That was really scary in the snow. No grip up front but also no grip at the rear.

 

[gaz1]

Yes had one of those as well, mine was a 2litre GL, prior to that mk2 cortinas, Escorts, and a Triumph 2.5pi that I took to Sweden on a skiing trip in the middle of January, and never got stuck in any of them.

i used to go out just to play in the snow with all the family

its also great experience and you learn how to control vehicle much better

but ive been brought up with inches thick compacted ice and snow

if the sand bags didnt work it was hand break on just for extra grip and gentle clutch control in second gear

got me moving many a time even on slight hill starts due to other idot drivers blocking the road always did like there faces where i reset back off up the hill slowly they just knew i was a rear wheel drive and went up with ease

 

[ibrooks]

Aye, but they'd be better on the driven wheels

Or maybe on the wheels that will provide 90% of the braking and direction control - being able to move is secondary to being able to control where it goes.

 

[Rudi McAnichal]

My Morris 1000 pickup is good in the snow especially if you load the back with a few sacks of ballast.

..... but maybe pretty useless without that ballast? My dad had one of those pickups for the farm in the early 1960s, just about the time I passed my test, and when unladen even a wet grass field would soon bring it to a halt. Perhaps not helped by the tyres -- it was fitted with those new-fangled Michelin-X things which lasted a long time, but seemed rather poor for traction.

 

[eLuSiVeMiTe]

i used to go out just to play in the snow with all the family

its also great experience and you learn how to control vehicle much better

but ive been brought up with inches thick compacted ice and snow

if the sand bags didnt work it was hand break on just for extra grip and gentle clutch control in second gear

got me moving many a time even on slight hill starts due to other idot drivers blocking the road always did like there faces where i reset back off up the hill slowly they just knew i was a rear wheel drive and went up with ease

Always found rwd more predictable in snow and had lots of fun learning. Grew up on a farm so plenty of play time in the fields and on the tracks sideways. Fwd always feels skittish to me. Rather oversteer than understeer. You can correct oversteer. Not so easy with understeer.

Biggest issue I see on the roads in ice and snow is people trying to change direction at speed.
Coming up to a turn and they just throw it in as normal and momentum does its thing.
Slow down in advance and trickle around the corner before feathering the power back on.

 

[MattH]

Always found rwd more predictable in snow and had lots of fun learning. Grew up on a farm so plenty of play time in the fields and on the tracks sideways. Fwd always feels skittish to me. Rather oversteer than understeer. You can correct oversteer. Not so easy with understeer.

Biggest issue I see on the roads in ice and snow is people trying to change direction at speed.
Coming up to a turn and they just throw it in as normal and momentum does its thing.
Slow down in advance and trickle around the corner before feathering the power back on.

Exactly this. Also people coming off the throttle straight onto the brakes and expecting an immediate reduction in speed.
Lift of way before you need to and let the speed drop of before really gently easing on the brakes.

Just people not adjusting their driving in either FWD or RWD to the conditions.

 

[eLuSiVeMiTe]

Exactly this. Also people coming off the throttle straight onto the brakes and expecting an immediate reduction in speed.
Lift of way before you need to and let the speed drop of before really gently easing on the brakes.

Just people not adjusting their driving in either FWD or RWD to the conditions.

Yup smooth and keep plodding on. Nothing worse than being halfway up a slippery climb when the person in front panics and stops.
I wait at the bottom where I've got traction till they finish fannying about now.

They no longer teach engine breaking on driving lessons afaik either. Just block shifting. Suppose its a double edged sword. If you can't match the revs its bad news anyway in these conditions.

My Grandfather was a bus driver (and hgv) years back and remember him telling me about training in them on skid pans. Bet they don't do that any more.

 

[tlovatt]

My RWD car on summer tyres is near un-drivable in snow, the factory fitted tyres have almost no cross cuts, they are bands of rubber running around the wheel so there is nothing to grip in the snow. Last year with winter tyres on I could skirt round 4x4s and FWD cars that were getting stuck and the car drove like it would do on clear roads. I put the summer tyres back on too early and got caught out with the late snow struggled to get off the driveway (very very shallow slope, but having the front wheels turned is enough to stop the car) and then proceeded to slide down a very slight downward incline - not much you can do as a driver in that situation (other than not go out in the first place). Tyres with more aggressive tread patterns will significantly out perform cars with sports orientated low profile tyres.

 

[TechnicAl]

In Germany I believe its a law to have Winter Tyres on from a certain date.......so their BMWs Mercs and Audis dont get stuck

We wont have the problem soon....Brexit will take care of it....

 

[brightspark]

In Germany I believe its a law to have Winter Tyres on from a certain date.......so their BMWs Mercs and Audis dont get stuck

We wont have the problem soon....****** will take care of it....

wots the xxxxxxxxx I cant guess

 

[dobbslc]

Brexit dam! Brexit no! Brexit nope it just wont work.

 

[eLuSiVeMiTe]

****** dam! ****** no! ****** nope it just wont work.

The goverment seem to be having the same problems as you mate.

 

[sako243]

Well just got back home after leaving work at 5. People on the roads, particularly in the SE are muppets. No offence intended but those that drive a certain (normally RWD) German 3 letter car brand were the worst. Don't think it's the car that's necessarily that bad, just the typical person who buys one.

Any why on earth don't people keep the towing eye in the vehicle. One said "oh don't usually need that so it's at home" . Actually on the hill where people were getting stuck there were 6 people stopped all helping coordinate traffic and push vehicles up the hill. Three of us had Land Rovers (in my defence its my only and everyday vehicle).

All this talk of limited slip diffs, I did feel a bit smug pulling a fully laden builders van up the sheet ice with three very distinctly limited slip diffs

With those three locked it does make a difference even on mud tyres.

 

[slim_boy_fat]

Tyres with more aggressive tread patterns will significantly out perform cars with sports orientated low profile tyres.

That, and the different rubber compound. They start to give better results in road conditions below 7oC, doesn't need to be snow.

just the typical person who buys one.

 

[MattH]

100% of all generalisations are incorrect!

 

[wristpin]

I can remember the winter of 1963.

The snow n ice were on the ground for 3 months, the schools didn't close, trains mostly stayed running, buses ran maybe a bit late but still run and Britain put on a stiff upper lip and got with it.

The drivers of today rely on all these computer controlled system, instead of learning to drive properly.

That was the winter that was - snowed on New Year's eve and there was still some snow in sheltered places in April. Had to do an overnight drive to Grantham and back to collect a pump shaft that was "urgently" needed in case the thaw came in a hurry. Said shaft was about 3" diameter and just fitted diagonally in the boot of the Boss's daughter's Consul Capri Classic 375 . Dipped headlights all the way home!

 

[decca]

We’ve only had a few inches up here and the world has ground to a halt. I think people have forgotten or have not learned how to drive in these conditions.