Not The Highway Code. Real Tips And Observations.

Or keep it in the garage if that's an option.

 

If you Couldn't drive a 2 wheel drive vehicle in adverse conditions,, 4wd isn't going to change that, after all traction and stability control can't react until there is a differential, or incident. Automatic transmission is no help either. In the old days if you thought there might be an icy area ahead, clutch in and coast across as a vehicle in motion will continue in a straight line unless you screw it up, or sloping roadways. Used to ride motorcycles on frozen ponds for fun, subtle inputs on steering, brakes and throttle is all that's required.

 

Agree, except for the riding on frozen ponds bit!

Oldfart

 

Frozen ponds !!
As kids we used to carry huge stones onto frozen ponds and lakes, raise them as high as we could, then bring them down hard on the ice to try and smash through it. We knew it was dangerous but that's how we got our "kicks" in those days I suppose.

 

Oh that takes me back a few years

Oldfart

 

I find that being doubly careful around car drivers who drive wearing a hat is sound advice.

Whether baseball cap or trilby, fez or fedora, hat wearing is usually a bad sign in my experience.

DS

 

Have you ever heard the amazing noise a stone makes when threw onto a large body of frozen water? Quite spectacular

 

Large majority of todays drivers couldn't drive their finger up their hole, again modern cars may be partly to blame. They try to separate the mechanics of driving and turn a vehicle into a lounge where you relax with your multimedia bluetooth hot spot mp3 downloads and entertainment to take your mind off driving. I see people stuck at road ends regularly this time of year. Pulling away in 2nd is not a concept to people

 

I love technology but to my mind modern cars have too much readily accessible technology available to the driver. This can provide too many distractions than is good for aware driving. When I think my first car, a proper Mini, had a foot operated dip switch, a floor mounted push button to start, sliding windows, no radio and a looped bit of black wire to open the doors. 848cc and 34hp of raw power!

Oldfart

 

My current car (shitroen C3), absolutely horrible thing! If you need to adjust the heater for example, you have to stare at a touch screen and navigate your way to the heater controls! then try to tap on small icons with an outstretched arm while bobbing about! What on earth was wrong with physical knobs and buttons you could adjust without looking? Yes cars of old certainly taught you driving skills. I doubt anyone under 30 would understand a choke these days

 

They probably think that's something that happens near the headboard and not near the dashboard

Oldfart

 

My Skoda Vrs is a horror show in slippery conditions. 180hp through the front with ultra low profile tyres and about 3 inches of ground clearance on the front bumper is bad enough. You then have to add in ultra intrusive traction control, a couple of years back i had to turn off traction control just to reverse into a parking space in the slope car park at work because there was about 1/4 inch of sleet on the ground.
4 wheel drive on stupid tyres is no better, my Subaru has rock hard high speed compounds, its a liability.
Winter tyres on anything make more difference than anything else, trouble is they are only effective below 7 c, but are they worth the expense for 3 months a year here (at those temps) and more than an inch of snow fall all winter every 5 years or so?
I prefer to watch the forecast and if its snow, park a mile away from home so its at treated roads and get up a bit earlier and walk to the car.

 

Had one myself.

I’ll not forget when it was freezing the inside of the windscreen would freeze up as you were driving along

 

Even better if you jump up and down on it!!

 

Wow, that photo reminds me of some of terrible winter road conditions that I drove in back when I lived in Minnesota. Part of why I now live in Arizona. Stay safe out there, @Hobnail!

 

One of the reasons I like driving a standard transmission car again is that you really have to be engaged and actually drive the car! It keeps me more on my toes and in the present moment when I have to shift gears manually. Plus I find it much more fun!

 

Or the need for a wooden peg.

 

Reminds me of Bosnia dead of night and light snowfall giving way to a heavy sustained fall. In the space of an hour it goes from slightly white to 5-6”, more where it drifts, and clearly much more to come.
On top of the mountain is a family in a VW Beetle no longer able to go forwards or backwards. In broken a German and English they beg a tow. I agree. They go to the back of my Land Rover equipped with meaty snow chains on all 4 wheels. I shake my head and point to the front. We are about to go downhill.
It was a bit like playing a fish watching this car in front swinging and tobogganing on the end of the line once we got to the descent proper. I just kept it from rocketing off the track into the trees at the innumerable bends and controlled its speed. Back on the valley floor it did get a tow into Tomislavgrad and then they disappeared with no great gratitude that I can remember.

 

A few years ago, I was on the way home after a few inches had dropped, I live in the Chiltern Hills and I was making progress up on particularly steep part in my Renault Megane - (1995 registration 1.6lt front wheel drive manual gears - before ABS and Traction control) I came across a Porsche Cayenne. Was she struggling, a brand new 4x4 and she just couldn't get it to go up the hill, she kept on revving far to high, wheels fighting the revs Vs traction control
As I was waiting for her (to thin a road to overtake) she decided it wasn't for her, did a 6 point turn and chose to try another way.
I just engaged 2nd gear, feathered the clutch and took my sweet time, no problem.

So if stuck on an incline on icy road, use a higher gear than usual, don't rev it and let the tyre grip without too much torque/power so the tyres don't slip and take your time - you will go a lot faster and safer if you go slow.

If the weather report also shows snow, I usually carry a small box of road salt in the boot