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Winter driving.

We have snow tyres on my 4x4 Yeti and all-season tyres on The Wife’s Yaris hybrid. No problems with weather so far. The Yeti will be having all-season tyres fitted in the future.

I hit some black ice on a 250 cc bike years ago, back when I used a motorcycle all year round as I had no car. (or car license!) Luckily I was only doing about 20 mph on a straight road. There was no warning or chance to save it, wham bam. Gave me a nasty hipper, and a shock.

I had several Reliant Robins (3 wheeled cars) and they were challenging to drive when the snow came. Character building though, at all times.
 
RJohan said:
An Honda ATR was worst, with an LSD in the winter booth wheels just spun when you applied the throttle. Older SAAB's with the handbrake on the front wheels (how did they think?).
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I'm surprised what you say about older SAABs. I had a pre General Motors 900 and it was fantastic in the snow. I once drove from Chesterfield to Stoke in it which is across some pretty hilly ground, including hairpin bends, and it handled it easily in 2 feet of snow.

Someone told me that the idea of the handbrake on the front wheels was to act as a limited slip differential in snow. You pulled it half way on when a wheel started spinning. Never had a chance to try it though and I have my doubts about how that would work o_O
 
2ManyBoxes said:
Someone told me that the idea of the handbrake on the front wheels was to act as a limited slip differential in snow. You pulled it half way on when a wheel started spinning. Never had a chance to try it though and I have my doubts about how that would work
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It’s true. It transfers torque from the spinning wheel to the other and will get you going. Also works on rwd cars with proper hand brakes.
 
Tony Lockhart said:
I always fancy an original Fiat Panda 4wd with some winter tyres on. No weight, loadsa grip and traction, wouldn’t care if it picked up a little damage.
I bet there are few left now. I’ll have a look.
I had one when I was a GP in rural Leicestershire. Certainly very good for getting about in the snow. However it meant that I got sent out on all the home visits while my colleagues sat in the surgery and drank coffee.
It never let me down until the day I traded it in at which point all the electrics failed.
edit: including the Sisley models, about 250, taxed or Sorned.
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We used to keep a 4x4 for winter use, especially for when I used to travel from Edinburgh to Aberdeen frequently. We got rid of it earlier this year though so have reverted to using my sons Fiesta as neither my wife's SLK or my C-class estate are any use in this weather. When my son eventually passes his test and takes the Fiesta I might get another 4x4 - maybe one of the new model Suzuki Jimny's (although I suspect I'd lose that to my son as he really wants one of those).
 
SteveG said:
my wife's SLR or my C-class estate
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As in Mercedes-Benz SLR, the 2 seater carbon fibre £500,000 road missile? And the boring £30K Berlin taxi?

I once knew a couple where the lady drove an E-type and he drove a Mini but that takes the biscuit.

And they say only men are petrolheads :rolleyes:
 
2ManyBoxes said:
As in Mercedes-Benz SLR, the 2 seater carbon fibre £500,000 road missile? And the boring £30K Berlin taxi?

I once knew a couple where the lady drove an E-type and he drove a Mini but that takes the biscuit.

And they say only men are petrolheads :rolleyes:
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Typo (sadly) - it's an SLK! She has mentioned replacing it with a Porsche this year though...
 
2ManyBoxes said:
Genuine black ice is no joke. I've only been on it twice and there is absolutely nothing you can do. Twirl the wheel. boot the throttle or brakes, nothing. You can't even see it.
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Indeed. That happens here in Swizzieland a few times a year (a longish cold spell, followed by rain - road turns into a skating rink over which you have no control whatsoever). I came off the bike on it once - my poor bottom hurt for three weeks. On another occasion, coming into the local tip, very slowly and braking gently, the car simply kept on going and rammed the steel steps beside one of the skips. Thankfully it was the old Astra with its big bumpers, so it didn't even notice that it had bent the steps. So, in such conditions, I simply don't go out - we live on a very steep hill ending in a T-intersection and I can imagine my ending up in the lounge of the house facing the street.
 
Black ice will dump you on your face very quickly on 2 wheels. The snag is that the front washes out and folds under you, so turning in won't fix it. In the car I now avoid a local street that's on a hill and not often salted, following a scare a couple of years ago when I approached the rather busy junction at the bottom, braked and nothing happened. ABS was pumping, speed stayed the same. On arrival at the main road I took my foot off the brakes so I could steer, turned in and hoped for the best. Fortunately there was nothing coming either way and the road was salted, so it turned normally and joined the road at about 10-15mph.
 
tones said:
Indeed. That happens here in Swizzieland a few times a year (a longish cold spell, followed by rain - road turns into a skating rink over which you have no control whatsoever). I came off the bike on it once - my poor bottom hurt for three weeks. On another occasion, coming into the local tip, very slowly and braking gently, the car simply kept on going and rammed the steel steps beside one of the skips. Thankfully it was the old Astra with its big bumpers, so it didn't even notice that it had bent the steps. So, in such conditions, I simply don't go out - we live on a very steep hill ending in a T-intersection and I can imagine my ending up in the lounge of the house facing the street.
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It is really terrifying, you're just sitting there wondering what you're going to hit and how much it'll hurt :eek:
 
My only bad experience with black ice was in my nearly new Passat in early 94 out in Yorkshire. I started out in mild Lancashire weather and had no idea how cold it was (no internal temp display in them days). It's a strange experience having literally no control of the car you were driving yourself only a moment ago. Amazingly there was a cart track in the same direction the car was going and somehow I managed to pray the thing into it (dry stone walls on either side). The only damage was to knock the tracking out and bust a bit of the lower bumper. I was very, very lucky.
 
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