YACT: Winter Driving Tips

[CraigRT]

Agree with the stay home thing 100%...
nothing worse than a scared driver on the road, they DO cause accidents.

 

[MikeMike]

my tip.

its always fun to see how much control you have of your car, when turning into your driveway, see if you can floor it, and get sideways, and still recover

rwd in the snow is more fun than fwd.

anyone, who does not normally get snow, and currently has snow/ice. just stay inside. its better.

donuts are fun, just dont get caught doing them, its wreckless driving.

snow tires, are NOT necessary. summer tires in snow, is not right. all season tires can be fine, just know wtf your doing.

4wd helps when turning, and you dont want to slide, rwd saves gas so flip into 4wd to turn, slip back into rwd for going (if you can)

MIKE

 

[Asharus]

Yesterday on my way home from work while going 60MPH in the snow, the guy behind me spun out and went into the grass.

Some people overcorrect themselves when the lose traction...

The key to correcting yourself, (dunno if it's right, but it's how I do it) is making small adjustments. For instance, while I was accelerating from 30MPH to 50 - 60 MPH, sometimes the car will tend to fishtail (RWD). I would just let off the gas and steer towards the fishtail until I'm going straight again, then re-apply the gas.

 

[LAUST]

Very nice LordThing

 

[Asharus]

Originally posted by: nourdmrolNMT1
my tip.

its always fun to see how much control you have of your car, when turning into your driveway, see if you can floor it, and get sideways, and still recover

rwd in the snow is more fun than fwd.

anyone, who does not normally get snow, and currently has snow/ice. just stay inside. its better.

donuts are fun, just dont get caught doing them, its wreckless driving.

snow tires, are NOT necessary. summer tires in snow, is not right. all season tires can be fine, just know wtf your doing.

4wd helps when turning, and you dont want to slide, rwd saves gas so flip into 4wd to turn, slip back into rwd for going (if you can)

MIKE

Yes, drifting is a crapload of fun. I tend to do it on corners that are "safe" to do it in, for instance, in the parking lot at work this morning. I must admit that it takes practice, and experience in racing simulations such as Gran Turismo 1 - 3 and Project Gotham 2 helps as well.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: LordThing
5)Tires: You hear clothes make the man? Well, tires make the car. Don't spend 20k on a car and skimp on tires. If you live in a state that gets more than an inch of accumulation, buy dedicated snow tires. I bought a set of 4 from Samsclub for under $200 mounted and balanced. These should last me a good 4 seasons. If you don't want to buy them locally, try TireRack or Discount Tire Direct. Great prices and you can research the tires prior.

Bullsh!t. Until I got my Mark VIII (285 ft-lb of torque, RWD, 60+% of the weight in the front) I'd never had a car that needed snow tires. I use Potenzas (performance tires) in all seasons on my 924S and it ran through 16 inches of snow just fine last year when Pittsburgh got hammered. The necessity of snow tires is dictated by the driver and the car, it would be an incredibly piss-poor driver who had no business on the road who needed snow tires in a place that got only a couple inches. Sheesh.

ZV

 

[Asharus]

Originally posted by: LAUST
Very nice LordThing

One thing I always try to tell the younger crowd, When I was 16 my brother Travis and I used to go to a mall parking lot by our house after hours when it was empty and just drive around and purposly spin out and try to gain control, learn to manuver all that stuff. I can say it REALLY helped my confidence quite abit as far as how I drive in winter conditions.

I think it's a great way for people to learn what the ice and snow can do to you and also learn what to do if you do lose control

Yep, an empty parking lot is a great place to learn the limits of your automobile. Also, when you buy a new BMW, a complimentary driving school held in Spartanburg, SC pits you through tons of driving conditions while testing the limits of the cars.

 

[xxAgentCowxx]

Originally posted by: LordThing
I figure since the bad weather has hit, maybe some people are not used to driving in it or maybe we can share experiences/tips to help.

Here are my few to help kick it off:

1) 4 wheel drive: 4 wheel drive does not also mean 4 wheel stop. Please remember that these large SUVs are heavy and carry alot of momentum. One patch of ice and you are out of control.

2) Take your time: Again, just because the road seems only wet, doesn't mean it's not dangerous. Please don't pass or quickly change lanes in these situations.

3) Don't be a hazard: Taking your time doesn't mean doing 4mph the whole way. Doing so causes slowdowns and problems for people behind you. Riding your brake down the hill may only cause you to slide more than if you let momentum take you down.

4) Steady pace: Going up or down hills, make sure you keep a steady speed or pace. Not too much gas so that you never have that issue of getting stuck half way up.

5)Tires: You hear clothes make the man? Well, tires make the car. Don't spend 20k on a car and skimp on tires. If you live in a state that gets more than an inch of accumulation, buy dedicated snow tires. I bought a set of 4 from Samsclub for under $200 mounted and balanced. These should last me a good 4 seasons. If you don't want to buy them locally, try TireRack or Discount Tire Direct. Great prices and you can research the tires prior.

6)Gears: Know your gears. Even automatics have more than one you can use. If you drop your car into low or 1st gear while going down a hill, your engine will help slow you without having to use your brake. This definately helps in icy situations where using brakes will only cause you to slide. 1st gear also helps keep your tires from spinning out by slowing your acceleration when you tap on the gas giving you greater control going up hills or through unplowed streets.

Lastly...

7)If you are too scared to drive, stay home. Being nervous behind the wheel only compounds the issue. Have someone take you to work/school or take public transit. Don't risk your life and my life trying to get there.

Any other suggestions or tips?

You forgot the most important:

Do not drive like a fvcktard.

 

[crypticlogin]

Allow more buffer space in everything, like how much space you need to safely pull into traffic. And god damnit, YIELD when you have a yield sign. On any other day you could probably cut into that space but not today, when your tires are slipping.

Yield != Entering main flow of traffic while disrupting it.

 

[ScoobMaster]

Originally posted by: LAUST
Very nice LordThing

One thing I always try to tell the younger crowd, When I was 16 my brother Travis and I used to go to a mall parking lot by our house after hours when it was empty and just drive around and purposly spin out and try to gain control, learn to manuver all that stuff. I can say it REALLY helped my confidence quite abit as far as how I drive in winter conditions.

I think it's a great way for people to learn what the ice and snow can do to you and also learn what to do if you do lose control

You'd think high schools up here in the north would offer "winter driver's ed" classes that would take students out to a designated area of the parking lot to teach them control on snow and let them experience sliding, skidding, and gaining control in a CONTROLLED instructive fashion. NAHHHH - that makes too much sense. Let's teach the kids how to parallel park - THAT is an important driving skill sure to save lives.

 

[LAUST]

Driving schools like that are awesome.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: LAUST
whatever that ford car is they use now adays.. drawing a blank.. prolly cause I don't see hardly anymore

Crown Victoria. Nice cars actually.

ZV

 

[Spencer278]

Originally posted by: JBT
Bad weather has just hit we've had snow since november in Vermont. Those tips looks pretty good though. Esspecially the "don't be a hazard about half of the accidents I see are caused by theses people going 20 mph while every one else wants to go 35 mph. The other 50 % are stupid flat landers that think there SUV is good in snow when infact it is not esspecially when they aren't even in 4 wheel drive on the high way!!!

So true. I've seen flat landers driving around corners so slow in vermont that they slide down towards the inside of the turn and off the road. Here is my tip stay far away from anyone you see driving with their flasher on because of the snow.

 

[HomeBrewerDude]

and if you do get stuck in a snow bank, don't bother trying to dig yourself out. Just tow your car out by attaching tow rope to bumper. Rev towing vehicle and 'snap' the tow rope for a more effective tug.

 

[Haps]

Rear wheel drive vehicles in snow are now much more dangerous then fwd. If your gonna save gas by staying out of 4wd then make sure you baby your rear wheel drive.

When making lane changes across a slush pile either take your foot off the gas and make a very slow lane change or keep a steady speed and make a slow lane change. DO not apply gas or brake when corssing a pile of slush or snow. Doing so your looking to spin out.

Carry a tow rope. Any vehicle with a properly secured tow rope is far more effective pulling something then a number of people pushing.