Tips for Driving in the Snow

[muzzlestuffer2012]

I grew up in Buffalo I invented drifting in the 70's I drove home drunk in the snow sideways the whole way. No not a good idea but that's the way it was back then and no accidents or tickets !!

 

[Sistema1927]

I remember my Yankee (Connecticut) grandfather telling me that the trick to driving in snow is to imagine that there is an egg between your foot and the gas/brake pedals. In other words, limit your control inputs. That advice has served me well for over 50 years.

I used to commute between Albuquerque and Santa Fe, mostly in an original Jeep Cherokee. I hardly ever had to engage 4WD, and would watch my speed and limit my control inputs. Never had a problem. Typically some jacked up 4x4 would come screaming past me, and more often than not they would be rolled over in the grassy median at the top of La Bajada hill. All they had to do was catch a corner of the median at the curve at the top of the hill, and over they would go.

One particularly bad day they closed I-25, and not wanting to spend the night at the office (hotel rooms in Santa Fe are outrageous, and I think that the Legislature was in session then, jacking up the prices even higher), I decided to take the back way on the Turquoise Trail. It hadn't been plowed, but I took my time and was back home in a couple of hours.

 

[Autonomous]

Practice in an EMPTY parking lot. Do not touch brakes if front wheels are any amount turned. Slow down sufficiently before attempting to turn. Test tire friction before necessary to slow down. Test side play of tires before being confident for curvy roads. At night following another vehicle, in your head light beams, if you see sparkles from rear tires, that means freezing condition, if not sparkles it is not ice but may be on the road. White ice is as bad as black ice, winter is color blind. If someone behind tailgates, deploy twin fifty rear gun.

If you see liquid spray from their tires, you know the top surface is not frozen.
Now, is there ice under the surface water???
Depends on previous conditions.
Heavy, deep rutted slush is about the only condition you can't trick into cooperating.

 

[S&WshooterFIN]

It's good to practice driving in the winter.
When I got my driver's license over 30 years ago, my hometown had several ice-covered tracks in the winter where you could practice.
In Finland, driving schools have one mandatory driving practice on a slippery track. In the summer, it's on a wet tarmac track.

Last winter I got to drive on slippery roads at the police driving training center for two days.
Two days of slippery corners, braking, dodging, driving lines, finding grip, the maximum speed at which you can control the car.
The cars were front-wheel drive or four-wheel drive, the same models that the police use in Finland, VW, MB and Skoda.
It was fun, but educational.
It's a shame that we weren't allowed to film videos there.


Driver Training Centre - Police University College
https://youtu.be/sGUvYUPMYYo?feature=shared

 

[ladder13]

We're getting 1-4 inches of the white devil Friday into Saturday, it's been 1076 days since the last measurable event.
The spreading of brine on the main roads has already started. The supermarkets will be cleaned out today, as usual, with the hint of snow.
A good time to catch up on Taylor Sheridans LANDMAN as nothing will be open.

 

[glowe]

I might be late to the party, but put on my first set of "All Weather" tires and the improvement over "All Season" tires was impressive. Pirelli WeatherActive tires have a unique tread cited by many as the best all weather tire on the market today. The tread design is horizontal and they are unidirectional, but are as quiet on the highway as all seasons. I drive on white roads for 4 months of the year, so where I live is a great testing grounds for these types of tires. Will not buy all season tires again.

 

[The Norseman]

"N" is for Neutral

Know how to throw the shifter into
neutral. Taking the power off the
wheels, when and how can save
you from an accident.

It's usually the other drivers around
you that you have to worry about.

 

[SweetMK]

How I drive in the snow,,,,,,,



AND,, since it is covered in snow, and ICE!,,, we have to do our cooking at home,,

 

[Muley Gil]

Had enough -- Plattsburgh NY, Pease NH, Bitburg Germany, Osan Korea. Mrs. Tinyman asked where we would settle -- like post #6, actually did that. Snow shovel on car roof, drove south, first place someone asked "whatinthehellisthat" we would stop. Here now in CA (Central Alabama).

Y'all are supposed to get some snow & ice real soon!

 

[Smoke]

I'm retired.

There are a lot of idiots in Colorado(That could actually be a complete sentence in itself) who don't know how to drive a car(another complete sentence) in the snow.

If I don't have to leave home on a snow day I don't.

 

[Goldstar225]

We're projected to get 7-10 inches here, about 2-3 times our annual average and aren't equipped to clear the roads to the same extent as our northern neighbors. Fortunately I'm retired so I'll just sit it out until the roads are clear.

 

[steelslaver]

Drove from my home to my brothers 250 miles, then from there to south of Denver a total of over 750 miles on ice and snow in less than 12 hours of driving time last Sunday running regular summer tires. No problems. Roads are bare down here by Huston where I will be for the next 6 weeks

You just have to do everything very smooth and gently and go slow in curves. Be alert, look way ahead. Do not break traction accelerating or going up hill

 

[pantannojack]

You just have to do everything very smooth and gently and go slow in curves. Be alert, look way ahead. Do not break traction accelerating or going up hill

I have learned to defeat my overdrive switch going up hill. A sudden change once broke both my Lemon Slip rear wheels loose and I did a 180 on a two lane at night. No one came down hill at that time.

 

[steelslaver]

On ice you do not want anything automatic happening, The absolute worst thing on ice is cruise control. Another thing that gets people in trouble with 4x4 and front wheel drive is that letting off the throttle can cause the front, steering wheels, to skid and when those wheels break loose even a bit, your steering control is gone, better to slightly power into a turn with powered front wheels.

When we were kids, we spend hours in empty parking lots, on frozen lakes etc messing around figuring out how and what

 

[mtgianni]

or go far enough north the snow and ice ain't so slippery some of the time.

I don't mind driving on snow and ice when the temps are low twenties to zero. It's the ice between 27 F and 35 F temps that gets really slick.

 

[NYlakesider]

On ice you do not want anything automatic happening, The absolute worst thing on ice is cruise control. Another thing that gets people in trouble with 4x4 and front wheel drive is that letting off the throttle can cause the front, steering wheels, to skid and when those wheels break loose even a bit, your steering control is gone, better to slightly power into a turn with powered front wheels.

When we were kids, we spend hours in empty parking lots, on frozen lakes etc messing around figuring out how and what

Started that as a kid and knowing how to skid and still be in control saved me a few times. I had a large shopping center close to my house when I lived in the burbs. I learned a lot and had some fun in those huge lots.

 

[S&WshooterFIN]

Homer: "Marge, this car is a winter necessity! It's built for snow!
Marge: "So are snow tires, Homer. And they're cheaper!"

 

[snubbyfan]

I'm retired. If it's nasty out there, I ain't going nowhere.

 

[bdGreen]

Wherever you drive in the North with snow it's a good idea to do a good cleanup after.

bdGreen

 

[arjay]

Drove from my home to my brothers 250 miles, then from there to south of Denver a total of over 750 miles on ice and snow in less than 12 hours of driving time last Sunday running regular summer tires. No problems. Roads are bare down here by Huston where I will be for the next 6 weeks

You just have to do everything very smooth and gently and go slow in curves. Be alert, look way ahead. Do not break traction accelerating or going up hill

Early teens driving my 51 ford truck with an empty bed and bald tires on snowpacked and icy roads on the way to school. Accelerated up hill,didn't get off the gas fast enough,ended up in a front yard after wiping out the guys mailbox and Susan,my sisters friend, hopped out and reckoned she'd walk the rest of the way