How To / Not To Drive in the Snow

[Number Six]

A lot of people seem to have taken the half-inch as snow as reason enough to start learning to drive this morning. Or at least that's what it felt like.

 

Given the high levels of tolerance for other people's driving that SF routinely shows, I thought it about time we had a Winter Driving Tips thread.

 

I'll start with what I would have hoped was obvious:

 

1) Your chances of crashing are greatly reduced if you can see out of your car. You need more that a letterbox of clear glass in front of you to do this.

 

2)Remember that there will be people and cars to side of you too - when you've cleared the windscreen, clear both side windows too.

 

3)And there will be cars behind you - clear the back too.

 

4) Although the flurry of snow hitting your windscreen as it melts is exciting, and helps you clean your windscreen even though you forgot to clear the snow from the washer jets, ( you have got windscreen washer fluid that hasn't frozen, haven't you?) the blizzard that follows you around as the snow blows off your roof is really irritating. Sweep the worst of it off with a soft brush before you start.

 

5) Just because you can go, it doesn't mean you can stop.

 

6) If you're tyres look like elastic bands, or are wider than a lawn roller, you're stuffed. If you have rear wheel drive and an automatic you're really stuffed. Stick to main roads only, and bring a book and a flask.

 

7) If you drive a 4x4 and get laughed at all year as you wallow around corners like a pig trying to climb out of bath, try not to look too smug as you sail around. It'll make everyone else hate you even more.

 

8 ) Similarly, if you have a 'sporty' 4x4 like a Q7 or X5, with those thin, wide tyres you need to make it go round corners at all in summer, don't be too upset when a 15 year old Fiesta gets up the hill you cannot, or when people laugh at you for being stuck. It's nothing personal, your car is just too heavy. Physics hates you.

 

9) Get two pairs of old jeans and put them in your boot tonight. If you get stuck, put them under the driven wheels. You should get just enough grip to get moving. If you want you can tie some rope the jeans so you can tie them to your bumper, so they come with you and you don't have to stop again. Assuming you could stop. It might just get you home, or at the very least stop you blocking a road I want to use!

 

10) If you do happen to get stuck, you'll never think you've got too many blankets in the car, or too much to eat and drink.

 

Any other tips?

[Cyclone]

I keep a coat, jumper, gloves, shovel and some old carpet in the boot.

also, drive slower than normal, give priority to traffic going up hill, brake early, use high gear and accelerate gently, if you're on the flat or up hill and on snow, don't stop, don't accelerate, just keep going steady.

[TTM13]

Sounds good to me, especially number 4.

 

Getting going - especially uphill. The faster your driven wheels spin does not increase the speed with which you get going. Use the clutch to try and make the wheels spin up as little as possible.

 

I would also mention getting a bit of momentum up for going up hills, but I'd be flamed for advocating driving too fast in the snow. So I won't

[L00b]

Let your car warm up a good 5 mins at least before you set off, so the auto-choke is off.

 

Use as high a gear as you can in all circumstances, keeps revs to an absolute minimum (enough not to stall). For diesels, idle torque is usually more than enough for short/small distance manoeuvering.

 

Use brakes as sparingly as possible, use engine braking as much as you can, in a high gear (3, 4, 5) rather than a low gear (1, 2). Learn to decelerate your car using gears alone (5>4>3>2).

 

Double your "usual safety distance on the wet".

 

You should drive in such fashion that, as and when you must come to a stop (junction/lights/etc.), you haven't touched the brakes once by the time your car comes to 5 mph or so and within yards of the 'stop line'. Perfectly doable in most traffic conditions without holding traffic up.

 

If your wheels lose traction, do not brake, do not turn your wheels. If circumstances allow, clutch in and coast, let your tyres resume grip in due course. If circumstances do not allow, improvise (but it also means you haven't been driving as you should).

 

If your car is RWD, load your boot to improve grip. Use sand, grit, etc. 'soft' bags, do not use hard objects like bell weights (in case of a collision).

 

If you can't get up an incline and must absolutely get underway, and if you have nothing to put under your tyres, deflate your tyres a bit (time yourself, let some air out for a few seconds on each side -same duration on each side- for the driven wheels (FWD or RWD)). Try going again, and repeat if still slipping. Keep an eye on your tyre level (rim/road), make sure you don't deflate them too much. Once you get underway, stop at the nearest station and reinflate your tyres soonest.

[Number Six]

If you can't get up an incline and must absolutely get underway, and if you have nothing to put under your tyres, deflate your tyres a bit (time yourself, let some air out for a few seconds on each side -same duration on each side- for the driven wheels (FWD or RWD)). Try going again, and repeat if still slipping. Keep an eye on your tyre level (rim/road), make sure you don't deflate them too much. Once you get underway, stop at the nearest station and reinflate your tyres soonest.

 

Or carry a pump - but then if you're carrying a pump you might as well put something for under your tyres in too.

 

If you drive with deflated tyres, remember that your car will corner even worse than it did on ice - go too fast with tyres too soft and they will come off the rim.

[Isabelle]

I would add, be extra aware and considerate of other drivers, remember that braking is likely to cause their wheels to lock and the vehicle to skid i.e. don't pull out on people at junctions. I would also suggest the same to pedestrians.

[vwkittie]

Winter tyres! Got ours fitted on Friday and today have been negotiating the roads easier than the 4x4s we've passed. They are seriously excellent and make such a huge difference.

 

Give way to people coming up the hills too, I know this is what you're supposed to do anyway but it can be a bugger to get going once you've lost momentum, so please try and give uphill people plenty of space!

[sccsux]

Let your car warm up a good 5 mins at least before you set off

 

With most newer cars, you're advised not to do this:thumbsup:.

[MonkeyLover]

Also, clear any deep snow off the roof before setting off, otherwise it could slide off whilst you are moving, and block your vision.

[watchcoll]

last big snowfall my little ford ka coped admirably!

 

i can remember well pulling away uphill out of a parking space whilst two very expensive cars either side of me did a merry dance with their wheels!

although they were revving and spinning like mad and i had a bit of sense to gently crawl away.

my idea of good driving in snow is gently, slowly, softly and do everything in plenty of time. it works in a ford ka, anyway.

 

edit: the number of cars i have seen in my short walk today that have just used to wiper to clear a letterbox size gap in the rear window, side windows covered, and headlights covered is astonishing! they deserve to get stopped by the police....