Even the "mighty" Porsche Cayenne can't be saved on snow/ice with an idiot driver behind the wheel

[Apex]

Originally posted by: Doggiedog

Originally posted by: Apex
Gunning it is almost as stupid as braking (though not quite). Any change in loading in limited traction is pretty bad. You'd want to ease into or out of the throttle, giving each tire the greatest chance to work against the slide.

Edit: Grr... can't type today.

When you are in a slide like the one the Cayenne was in with very little distance before crashing, easing out of the throttle will not get you out of it. You need to get your 4 wheels moving to pull yourself out of it. If you just ease off, you'll end up wiping out just like she did.

I've lived and driven in a very rural mountainous area that got lots of snow. I've had to drive like this when going into slides. You slide, point your wheels into the direction you want to go, hit the accelerator and your wheels will dig you out. If you slide, turn your wheels, let off on the gas, nothing will happen. Make sense? Your wheels need to pull you out and hitting the accelerator to spin them until they grab is the only way out when you have very little time to stop.

Watch some winter rally racing, maybe you'll understand what I mean then.

I've raced on the equivalent of glare ice (polished track in standing water), in both AWD and mid engine, RWD. If the rear swings out like in that picture, steer into the slide and dip into the accelerator smoothly to transfer weight rearwards. You never ever gun it in that sitution. Do some winter rally racing, you'll realize you're wrong.

 

[KokomoGST]

Hehe... I was borrowing one of my family's SUVs to work (I can't believe my store was still open!!!) on Saturday and there was a douchebag with a Honda Passport in front of me.

He figured he had 4WD and tried to take a turn as if it was dry... considering that there was no pavement showing beneath the hardpacked snow... that was a mistake #1.

Mistake #2, this stupid person brakes late... and hits the throttle to go around the turn breaking loose the rear tires. The traffic light for the intersection was green...

Mistake #3, realizing that the rear end is coming around they step on their completely useless brakes completing the spin and turning the 90degree turn into a hairpin turn. He was lucky that the lightpole had so much snow around it that the snow stopped him on impact. Meanwhile, I'm putting along laughing my @$$ off as this was the SECOND of three idiots I saw spinning out or skidding into snow on my 6 mile trip to work.

 

[AgaBoogaBoo]

Originally posted by: Apex

Originally posted by: Doggiedog

Originally posted by: Apex
Gunning it is almost as stupid as braking (though not quite). Any change in loading in limited traction is pretty bad. You'd want to ease into or out of the throttle, giving each tire the greatest chance to work against the slide.

Edit: Grr... can't type today.

When you are in a slide like the one the Cayenne was in with very little distance before crashing, easing out of the throttle will not get you out of it. You need to get your 4 wheels moving to pull yourself out of it. If you just ease off, you'll end up wiping out just like she did.

I've lived and driven in a very rural mountainous area that got lots of snow. I've had to drive like this when going into slides. You slide, point your wheels into the direction you want to go, hit the accelerator and your wheels will dig you out. If you slide, turn your wheels, let off on the gas, nothing will happen. Make sense? Your wheels need to pull you out and hitting the accelerator to spin them until they grab is the only way out when you have very little time to stop.

Watch some winter rally racing, maybe you'll understand what I mean then.

I've raced on the equivalent of glare ice (polished track in standing water), in both AWD and mid engine, RWD. If the rear swings out like in that picture, steer into the slide and dip into the accelerator smoothly to transfer weight rearwards. You never ever gun it in that sitution. Do some winter rally racing, you'll realize you're wrong.

Apex, what if we have a FWD car?

 

[halik]

how did i miss that at audiworld?
hehe i drive an a4 quattro 🙂

 

[LAUST]

I never have high expectations from a "Luxury SUV" driver anyway 😉

I still stay it should require a special class drivers license to handle a vehicle over 4000lbs, one where you actually get a REAL test too, not this drive around the block crap the DMV's pull now for their lazy testers. Just remember I would have to take it also and I am more then willing to if it keeps these morons out of vehicles they can't handle 😀

 

[PlatinumGold]

Originally posted by: KokomoGST
Hehe... I was borrowing one of my family's SUVs to work (I can't believe my store was still open!!!) on Saturday and there was a douchebag with a Honda Passport in front of me.

He figured he had 4WD and tried to take a turn as if it was dry... considering that there was no pavement showing beneath the hardpacked snow... that was a mistake #1.

Mistake #2, this stupid person brakes late... and hits the throttle to go around the turn breaking loose the rear tires. The traffic light for the intersection was green...

Mistake #3, realizing that the rear end is coming around they step on their completely useless brakes completing the spin and turning the 90degree turn into a hairpin turn. He was lucky that the lightpole had so much snow around it that the snow stopped him on impact. Meanwhile, I'm putting along laughing my @$$ off as this was the SECOND of three idiots I saw spinning out or skidding into snow on my 6 mile trip to work.

another great example of why i hate the popularity of 4wd vehicles. being 4wd does NOT make you invincible and in a lot of driving situations 4wd doesn't help you at all. where it is MOST effective should NOT take place in city driving.

 

[mAdD INDIAN]

Originally posted by: halik
how did i miss that at audiworld?
hehe i drive an a4 quattro 🙂

I thought you had an RX7 or a DSM?

AgaBooga: If you get into a slide in a FWD, well depending on the slide you'd want to a) let off gas..wait for the tires to get traction then slowly get back on throttle..or b) slam the gas turn the wheel and count your blessings and finally c) pretend your carlos sainz and just pul lthe handbrake and turn the wheel 🙂 (ok don't really do that in an crowded street).

Best bet is to go find yourself an empty parking lot full of snow and initaite slides and try to get out of them.

regarding slides in RWD, from my limited experience, I found that counter-steering and giving a bit of throttle usually gets me out of slides.

 

[Apex]

Originally posted by: AgaBooga


Apex, what if we have a FWD car?

FWD is very similar (in terms of what you do), but it tends to start a slide pretty different. Because FWD vehicles tend to have most of the weight up front (65f/35r distribution is pretty common), there's less of a tendancy for the rear to step out of line. When it does though, you want to again, steer the front towards the direction the rear is sliding, and smoothly press into the gas. That transfers weight back a bit, giving your rear tires more bite, as the front wheels scrabble to pull you out of the slide.

 

[Doggiedog]

I have rally raced in snow using full time 4WD. I know how to control my slides so that I can pull myself out it. Of course if you are using RWD and gun it your rear end would spin out but if you are using FWD or 4WD and you are in a slide with little or no distance to spare, easing into or off the throttle will not help you get out of the slide before you wipe out. You need to put power to the wheels to pull yourself out of the slide.

Ice is a completely different animal from snow. Ice gives you little or no traction. With snow, you have some level of predictability. Perhaps a better way of saying gun it could be modulating the accelerator. Regardless, if the person slipped on ice, there is probably nothing they could have done. With snow, you can pull yourself out unless you were going too fast.

Argh..It's 1 AM and I'm still up because my basement flooded and the plumber is here fixing the pipe problem.

 

[T2T III]

Here's what all of you are probably thinking: 🙂 🙂 Click Me 🙂 🙂

 

[Ornery]

Apex and Doggiedog were the only ones to mention ice. If that driver suddenly found they were on a sheet of ice under that snow, going downhill, they were screwed no matter what they're driving, or how much skill they have, short of having studded tires on all four corners, which is pretty damn rare. By the looks of those pictures, I'm betting that's what happened.

 

[StageLeft]

Morons think that AWD/4WD means that they don't have to slow down in inclement weather.

 

[NFS4]

HEHEHEHE😀

 

[DurocShark]

Originally posted by: GagHalfrunt
The "mighty" Cayenne is one of the worst possible vehicles for driving in snow. It's bloated beyond belief to cater to the luxury crowd, it's not intended for adverse conditions. If you get 5,000+ pounds sliding the wrong way on a slick hill it's impossible to get it back under control. Idiot drivers think 4WD is magic and will bail them out of anything. Wrongo.

My favorite snow cars?

88 Subarus
80's Samurais

This is from experience in Big Bear, CA. I had the opportunity to try virtually anything. My GF's Samurai pulled those idiots with jacked up Toyota's out of more drifts... 😉

My only personal cars up there were a 71 LTD (horrible in snow), a 76 Vega Wagon (great in snow, crappy aluminum engine), and a 78 Datsun 200sx (OK in snow).

 

[DurocShark]

Originally posted by: NFS4
HEHEHEHE😀

Uhhh Huuuhhhh...