Driving in snow

[NevGroom]

I guess we all have our own 'methods', so how do you handle the snow?

Personally, I get a little peeved (polite) with those that follow the well worn tracks (ie nearly everybody), get into the fresh snow and there's just so much more traction to be had (comparitively). The tracks are worn down and so ridiculously icy even 4wd is no help! The virgin snow even allows for [limited] effective braking!

[NevGroom]

Oh, and yes - The South of England has ground to a halt!!

[westy]

well we only had 2 ft of snow oop north yeterday, but i was so smug today at not getting stuck and passing a stuck range rover!

[Atik]

I find driving in the snow to be fun but also very scary at the same time. I never take any risks, except when I am doing handbrake turns and powerslides around wide corners :D

Managed to get 3 AYC bars yesterday too at 2mph. YES, just TWO miles per hour. Accelerate hard on ice and the car has a mental breakdown - lol.

I also cruised past many 'high end' cars in the hilly street of Oldham yesterday. 4WD rules!

[Davezj]

check out the threads from last/early this years snow.

http://www.clubvr4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=37494&page=2&highlight=driving+snow

there are more.

[Davezj]

ABS sucks in the snow/ice.

it is far too sensitive for snow/ice conditions, it is fine in the wet/dry but snow/ice i tried it out tonight and it is pants, try it for yourself.
drive down an open/carless ice road 15mph and slam on, you loose all feeling in the brakes due to the pulsing pedal (and the drinding brakes sound bad) and it takes a long long time to come to a stop.
Then try it again and only brake as hard so you don't activate the ABS and you will stop much quicker than with the ABS fully activated by slamming on the brakes.
it is quite sceary, you should try it and get used to the feeling. so you can try and avoid it.

[psbarham]

i just keep my foot in, and look out the side windows, why else are they there?/rally /rally

[miller]

i just keep my foot in, and look out the side windows, why else are they there?/rally /rally

Exactly! hero points for rubbing a fence/gate/hedge too!


I went past a woman yesterday who was in a brand new punto, she was sat that close to the wheel her chin was resting on the steering wheel, doing 2mph down a snow packed residential street. /TTTH

I was in the Airtrek, we were only two cars on street so i go to overtake, get broadside with power down then the turbo comes on song.....i overtake her sideways looking out the side window. I kept the slide on for the rest of the street just to let anyone else looking that it was intentional /Banana :sweethear

Loveing it

[gareth001]

Exactly! hero points for rubbing a fence/gate/hedge too!


I went past a woman yesterday who was in a brand new punto, she was sat that close to the wheel her chin was resting on the steering wheel, doing 2mph down a snow packed residential street. /TTTH

I was in the Airtrek, we were only two cars on street so i go to overtake, get broadside with power down then the turbo comes on song.....i overtake her sideways looking out the side window. I kept the slide on for the rest of the street just to let anyone else looking that it was intentional /Banana :sweethear

Loveing it

Love the sound of that - I was stuck in traffic moving about a car lenght a minute - finally got to a side road which hadn't really been driven on which goes up a small incline. Thought why not, lets see what happens - but didn't slip or struggle once. That bypassed some of the que but still was about another 1/4 mile to my turning so took the next hill which is steep, thinking lets try this. Again no problem, no slipping at all. Got to the top where there was about a foot deep of snow and had fun getting the ayc lights on in a straight line until I got home :p

[steve190]

My works van, Ford Transit connect, low powered and front wheel drive had no problems, even on A41. the ones having problems were either rear wheel drive or high powered automatics. Put thing in drive and stand on the break, not a very good way to control the power.

[giblet]

Been driving my sisters A3 as the vr4 aint back on the road yet. Suprisingly fun as its a diesel auto. All i need to do is stick it in drive and it will naturally pull forward without pressing on the go pedal. The low profile tyres however are useless. Took a corner at 6-7mph, sodding thing span out. Thanksfully it was 3am an no other cars were on the roads.

Brothers jag is absolutley tripe in this weather. Rwd + low profile 19"s = spinning non stop

[gareth001]

Been driving my sisters A3 as the vr4 aint back on the road yet. Suprisingly fun as its a diesel auto. All i need to do is stick it in drive and it will naturally pull forward without pressing on the go pedal. The low profile tyres however are useless. Took a corner at 6-7mph, sodding thing span out. Thanksfully it was 3am an no other cars were on the roads.

Brothers jag is absolutley tripe in this weather. Rwd + low profile 19"s = spinning non stop

I followed a new XKR around a roundabout yesterday - he couldn't go any quicker than just over idle speed around it as the back end was slidding around

[funkstardelux]

i feel left out ..no snow at all in shropshire..just frost boohoo

[pezza]

In hilly Hemel the whole town came to complete halt last night, traffic was creeping along less that 1mph..., the roadsides were littered wth abandoned vehicels this morning..

I gotta say, that I have been so impressed with how this current VR is handling the snow.. Like other VRers have mentioned, I been driving up and down hills with relative ease, altho taking it very slowly, whilst other vehicles sat spinning. Both deepish and compacted snow havent posed problems. *touch wood that nothing will happen now I have stated this*

I also must mention that I feel so much more confident in the manual VR than I ever did in the auto a few years back in similar conditions, (and thats not to start the age old debate about which box is better :-) as its plainly the manual :D *joking*) but the extra throttle/clutch instant control has made life a lot easier this time round. I am So relieved that I don't have the Beema 540 in these conditions, as I did this time last year!

Gareth it sounds like you are having fun with your snow tyres there :-) I am guessing they are still 205s? What are they like in the wet and dry?

I do have my standard 16s in the garage and was wondering how much of a difference that snow/mud tyres would make.. Apart from the obvious tread pattern and possibly compound has anyone had any experience with testing / comparing winter/mud/snow and summer/all season tyres in these conditions?

[Atik]

I actually missed out on the snow driving earlier this year as my gearbox died right before the snow.

My Corolla was awesome though back in 2005. Out-maneuvering many other cars on the road. Managed a 180 degree handbrake U-turn in a cul-de-sac and an awesome WRC style powerslide round a bend. I am too chicken to try the same stuff in the VR4 - lol

[elnevio]

Haha Gareth, I didn't realise you had snow tyres on - they must make a HUGE difference in these conditions!

[gareth001]

Gareth it sounds like you are having fun with your snow tyres there :-) I am guessing they are still 205s? What are they like in the wet and dry?



Yes I was stuck in Hemel for about an hour yesterday before I got to Berkhamsted. My Fiancee took 4 hours from Tring to Hemel though.

Tyres are still 205's all round. They are not bad in the dry, although I have managed to quite easily when pusing, 4 wheel drift in the rain around roundabouts with 2 AYC lights on.

Summer tyres are rubbish in the snow - not tried on the VR-4, but I've had two cars with F1's on, MR2 Turbo and Camaro 5.7. Both handled great in dry and wet, but in snow were rubbish.

[gareth001]

Haha Gareth, I didn't realise you had snow tyres on - they must make a HUGE difference in these conditions!

I could not be more happy with my choice of leaving them on over winter - they work wonderfully. Before the VR-4 I made the mistake of having a Range Rover 4.6, this had all weather tyres on. I am convinced though, the snow tyres on the VR-4 handle better than the Range Rover did with all weather tyres in snow.

[gareth001]

My Corolla was awesome though back in 2005. Out-maneuvering many other cars on the road. Managed a 180 degree handbrake U-turn in a cul-de-sac and an awesome WRC style powerslide round a bend. I am too chicken to try the same stuff in the VR4 - lol

I was watching a guy in a curtesy car on Saturday doing hand brake turns, KIA of some sort. Saved him doing a three point turn though!

[pezza]

Gareth what manufacturer makes the tyres you have on at the mo?

The toyo T1Rs on mine at the mo are 235s but they seem fine but I have not been pushing it at all.. just interested in how different 205 winter tyres on 16s would make...

[gareth001]

Gareth what manufacturer makes the tyres you have on at the mo?

The toyo T1Rs on mine at the mo are 235s but they seem fine but I have not been pushing it at all.. just interested in how different 205 winter tyres on 16s would make...

Dunlop DS-1 - although I think they are now selling as the DS-2's (different tread): heres a thread on a canadian forum about them: http://www.canadiandriver.com/forum/index.php?topic=23374.0

[Ghost_2008]

I have been lovin the Snow, sham about the other road users........ I have had one little slip on ice but thats it..... managed to get up a hill thick with ice with out any issues at all, after a Focus driver told me not to bother, however it still took me two hours to get home....... before I left work I was doing some lovely donuts in a freshly snow covered car park.......

However I am currently running some Snow and Mud Toyo run flats and they are awesome.......... they are very capable in normal road conditions, add snow and it makes everyone else look silly.......

[pezza]

Sounds good ... :-) Wonder when the next bout of snow will be upon us...

[steve190]

Hopefully not before Thursday as I'm driving up to Scotland for Christmas at home

[steelie600]

tip on
traction control off
clog down

SMILE!!!!!!

[Davezj]

have to agree with the traction control off and tip on, good advice

[elnevio]

have to agree with the traction control off and tip on, good advice
/yes

[giblet]

have to agree with the traction control off and tip on, good advice

How do i turn tc off on a facelift car? Got the auto box washer sorted and drove it to the gym. Had fun attempting a drift in the empty car park, but had to stop after my first attempt as the staff are killjoys :(

[RobboVR4]

I had great fun on our works ring road round the airfield, there was no traffic. Just me, the legnum, a large empty twisty road, & loads of compacted snow on there.

/Steeringw /woot2

[Davezj]

you lucky bugger!!!

[RobboVR4]

you lucky bugger!!!

I love having a work with private roads
:d

[peter thomson]

How do i turn tc off on a facelift car? Got the auto box washer sorted and drove it to the gym. Had fun attempting a drift in the empty car park, but had to stop after my first attempt as the staff are killjoys :(

You don't have traction control on your Galant

[dave-at-home]

This is my first season in a VR4 (in any 4x4 actually) and I am bricking it!

Probably more to do with my driving style than anything else, but the I have had a few too many instances of the boot spoiler trying to overtake the bonnet as a direct result of too much enthusiasm on the the loud pedal !

Such fun tho and I agree; they tackle slippery hills like a mountain goat kitted out with with Velcro slippers. At least I may get the chance to make use of the fully comp part of my insurance policy this year!

[RobboVR4]

Such fun tho and I agree; they tackle slippery hills like a mountain goat kitted out with with Velcro slippers. At least I may get the chance to make use of the fully comp part of my insurance policy this year!

Must agree with you Dave, i have had mine just over a year and must admit today i was travelling on the slippery roads alot faster than i would of dared in a normal fwd car. Especially good on the slippery hills, its funny watching other cars struggle when u just go past them.

[aboo]

Have to agree with Dave about the ABS being crap in this weather.

I nearly went up the arse of a Ford Galaxy to day at low speed. Turning right from some light & traffic was stoped touched the brakes to slow down & the ABS kicked in. Its like having no brakes. Managed to clip the kerb softly & avoid hitting it.

[psbarham]

Exactly! hero points for rubbing a fence/gate/hedge too!




double hero points thanks, I was doing it in a 5tonne twin wheel LWB sprinter which now has a chunk on hedge between the rear step and the bumper, can't imagine how that happened though :whistle: :whistle:

[ianturbo]

I was waitin at the bottom of the street behind a 307 and he must have tried for 10 mins to get up ,then he pulled to the side and said you have a go to witch i did and drove straight up and past him first time !!!
to say he looke pissed off would be a understatment !!/Banana
ian

[ANTHONY]

i'v got a company vauxhall vivaro. in the snow ....one word SH!T

[psbarham]

i'v got a company vauxhall vivaro. in the snow ....one word SH!T

yup, i took one of ours out yesterday, my god it was ****, mind you the handbrake worked well, shame it didn't have enough grip to get enough speed up to make proper use of it, allegedly /Hmmm

[WizardKing]

On the weekend, I got up and it looked like this ;


31568

.
On Monday, I opened the door to see this ;

31569


.
I took it to be a sign . . .
. . it must be silly-time !

Still new to a VR4, I promptly went out to find myself a nice, big car-park to play in. My excuse, if needed, may have been something along the lines of my upcoming travel-plans include every single country (on this island, that is !) and about 1500 miles in a few days. It's always a good idea to familiarise oneself with the handling characteristics of a vehicle, especially under extreme conditions :dizzy2:

I can hardly believe the way the Leggie fights back at you with tooth and nail. Under your right foot, there's a gremlin smashing back through the brake pedal with a hammer. Meanwhile, he's got one or two cousins clanging a stack of hammers in and around each of the four corners.

Just as the battle settles down, you floor the throttle. The moment of boost is nigh and . . . and . . . and . . . nothing , nicht , nyada.
Thor's Thunder evaporates as if taken at birth, straight out of the Plenum chamber. Recirculated or vented to the atmosphere, it doesn't matter. It's gooooone !!



. . . .
On the other side of the coin, it does a mighty fine job at successfully negotiating the initial, intended direction of travel /bananaroc /bananaroc :-ished: :laugh: /duh /Hmmm /Hmmm

[aboo]

I have to go out in the Transit tomorrow to pick up bikes I bought for my boys & the tyres the boss has put on it struggle in the wet so I'm not looking forward to driving it in the snow.

[steelie600]

On the weekend, I got up and it looked like this ;


31568

.
On Monday, I opened the door to see this ;

31569


.
I took it to be a sign . . .
. . it must be silly-time !

Still new to a VR4, I promptly went out to find myself a nice, big car-park to play in. My excuse, if needed, may have been something along the lines of my upcoming travel-plans include every single country (on this island, that is !) and about 1500 miles in a few days. It's always a good idea to familiarise oneself with the handling characteristics of a vehicle, especially under extreme conditions :dizzy2:

I can hardly believe the way the Leggie fights back at you with tooth and nail. Under your right foot, there's a gremlin smashing back through the brake pedal with a hammer. Meanwhile, he's got one or two cousins clanging a stack of hammers in and around each of the four corners.

Just as the battle settles down, you floor the throttle. The moment of boost is nigh and . . . and . . . and . . . nothing , nicht , nyada.
Thor's Thunder evaporates as if taken at birth, straight out of the Plenum chamber. Recirculated or vented to the atmosphere, it doesn't matter. It's gooooone !!



. . . .
On the other side of the coin, it does a mighty fine job at successfully negotiating the initial, intended direction of travel /bananaroc /bananaroc :-ished: :laugh: /duh /Hmmm /Hmmm


Andy have you murdered santa????

[Scanny]

i saw a porsche abandoned on the M8 on sunday, among many others. 1 parked on the crash barrier, another on its roof although there was no snow at that location and of course, 5 jack knifed trucks on the radio, the last one being the one that pushed me over my legal hours to a 16 3/4 hour shift due to sitting on the motorway for 3 1/2 hours. i have to admit that i did get into a little trouble on a hill on the M8 as the traffic stopped and i couldnt get traction to get going again uphill so on with the hazard lights and i span the wheels all the way up the hill where i had a more balanced weight distribution ie over the drive axle instead of over the trailer wheels. the galant has had no problems at all other than having to clear the snow off her every time i have driven and after that long shift i had to dig her out of the car park at work. i do have a pic but i have recently moved and i dont know where my cable is

[Scanny]

just looked outside. my car is covered in snow again!

[col1n]

the snow is brilliant, the leggy has far more grip in the snow than i thought with traction control on, but its better off,lol its really surprising the amount of complete kn*bs that think they can drive in the snow and really dont have a clue especially bmw drivers, look at me ive got a beemer and its FAST but i go nowhere in the snow,lol

[gareth001]

the snow is brilliant, the leggy has far more grip in the snow than i thought with traction control on, but its better off,lol its really surprising the amount of complete kn*bs that think they can drive in the snow and really dont have a clue especially bmw drivers, look at me ive got a beemer and its FAST but i go nowhere in the snow,lol

The best image I saw yesterday was watching a Ford Focus go past our office with it's hazzards on going no more than about 15mph. Now the road outside our office yesterday was totally clear, if not very slightly slushy in the middle. So behind the focus was a dumper truck and behind that was a learner driver who was keeping up easily.

I really think some people get over paranoid when driving in snow. I'm not saying you should drive as if it was a sunny day in July (although the VR-4 makes you think you almost can!) . But there are some people out there who are doing the 10-15mph speeds on major roads that have no snow or ice on them at all!

[giblet]

Best scene for me so far was yesterday. At a set of traffic lights as a passenger in a 1.3 cvt micra. A nob with a carrera 4s pulls alongside. Guy starts creeping at the lights. They go green and we both gun it, he just sits there with his wheels spinning as the micra beats him :D

The idiot tried it again at the second set of lights and the same thing happened. He didnt look too pleased haha

[miller]

Best scene for me so far was yesterday. At a set of traffic lights as a passenger in a 1.3 cvt micra. A nob with a carrera 4s pulls alongside. Guy starts creeping at the lights. They go green and we both gun it, he just sits there with his wheels spinning as the micra beats him :D

The idiot tried it again at the second set of lights and the same thing happened. He didnt look too pleased haha


i would love that! Point and laugh....point and laugh:2thumbsup

[WizardKing]

Travelling down the M55, the snow was coming down thick and fast and about 6 inches deep.
Needless to say, traffic was moving at around 30mph or so.

Just before the Preston junction (20 miles), I saw not one but two BMW's crash. The first was travelling on the nearside lane as I approached to pass with a very wide berth (I was on the third lane, next to the armco). He suddenly totally lost control with no apparent reason. He span it three or four times in an attempt to regain control before hitting the nearside barrier.

It was close, very close to hitting me. Thankfully, I happened to be in a far superior car that allowed me to steer and brake myself sufficiently to avoid a crash. I am almost certain that in anything else I've driven, I would've been hit. Having said that, I doubt that I'd have been overtaking in those conditions !


31616

[giblet]

That looks like fun! No snow round theres parts today, had some more fun in a quiet car park tonight. Thinking of putting the vid onto youtube but not sure what the deal is with rozzers and videos of hoonage in car parks

[WizardKing]

If it's not part of the public highway, it's none of their business.
Not certain that this is a legal fact but last weekend I gave it plenty in an empty car-park. The road next to it has a set of traffic lights. I saw at least three Police vehicles at the lights and none paid any actual attention to my antics, just glanced over.

As long as the car-park is on private ground (most are) they can't say a word. Might be different if it were on a council one, though.


/ttiwwop /ttiwwop :-policema

[giblet]

Sod pics, ive got a video :p

Its pretty grainy though as it was shot at night on my n97. Will upload it this evening :)

[WizardKing]

good on yer !

[Roadrunner]

If it's not part of the public highway, it's none of their business.
Not certain that this is a legal fact but last weekend I gave it plenty in an empty car-park. The road next to it has a set of traffic lights. I saw at least three Police vehicles at the lights and none paid any actual attention to my antics, just glanced over.

As long as the car-park is on private ground (most are) they can't say a word. Might be different if it were on a council one, though.


/ttiwwop /ttiwwop :-policema

Er, be careful doing this! Even if apparently private ground, if the public can access it, traffic laws still apply. From a recent discussion on Pistonheads:

"Private land can be a public place.
The road traffic act incorporates many offences both on roads and public places.
Standards of driving offences are incorporated within public places.
Careless and Dangerous driving are two offences that can be committed in public places and private car parks.
Be careful where you play!"

If there are gates at the entrance to the car park, you may be fine if they're closed, otherwise the police can deem the carpark to be a public place. A lot of it is down to the policeman involved, of course - if you annoy one, you'll be hard pushed to argue against him.

My mate was done for a burnout in a store carpark on a cruise evening - got 3 points and £60 and just avoided an ASBO!

[giblet]

Uh oh! The car park I used belongs to the council i think. Will refrain from posting the video up then. Dont really wanna annoy the local plod