Driving in snow

[treacheroustexan]

Well what are your thoughts? Love it? Hate it? Roads are pretty icy with drifted snow over top right now. Ugh.

 

[Billy-Klubb]

hate it. always have. I grew up in SD and MT. as an adult lived in NV, WY, and now MN. NV was by far the best for winter driving. I hate snow. I hate ice. I hate the cold.

 

[treacheroustexan]

I hate it too. so much. so I shouldn't feel bad about not going to work today?

 

[wtaylor3]

I love it in my truck, turns me into a world champion drifter....however, on more main roads with the other michiganders that seem to forget how to drive in the snow from one year to the next or even one snowfall to the next get involved its not as enjoyable

 

[Zepth]

My biggest problem is usually those around me. Loose the back end a little (fwd), no big deal for me. Stick with it and stay off the brake. Others tend to panic and then cause more problems.

The other thing is that a lot of people with these fancy 4wd cars can get fantastic get up and go, uphill starts, snowbanks you name it. What does 4wd not help with? When a tire locks up or the abs is on and there's nothing under you to get grip on. Biggest issue with this is because they can accelerate (better), and handle better, they think they're indestructible. Nope.

 

[Psylocide]

Love it... floccing idiots around you are the biggest threat.

I have a third gen 4Runner, I use that thing to to around people in the ditch or up over curbs or drifts... 75 on the interstate and DGAF.

My 83 Olds Delta 88 is fun too (although I park it for most of the winter)... 2 tons of steel, RWD just floating around, exploding drifts.

 

[GrogNerd]

I'm not worried... I got 4wd AND big tires!

 

[brettwasbtd]

My biggest problem is usually those around me. Loose the back end a little (fwd), no big deal for me. Stick with it and stay off the brake. Others tend to panic and then cause more problems.

The other thing is that a lot of people with these fancy 4wd cars can get fantastic get up and go, uphill starts, snowbanks you name it. What does 4wd not help with? When a tire locks up or the abs is on and there's nothing under you to get grip on. Biggest issue with this is because they can accelerate (better), and handle better, they think they're indestructible. Nope.

This, I live in Maryland and we get a few significant snowfalls every year. The problem is most people are not prepared (good tires) for driving in snow. Those that are are inconsiderate of those that aren't and it just creates a lot of problems

 

[SmokeyMcBong]

The other thing is that a lot of people with these fancy 4wd cars can get fantastic get up and go, uphill starts, snowbanks you name it. What does 4wd not help with? When a tire locks up or the abs is on and there's nothing under you to get grip on. Biggest issue with this is because they can accelerate (better), and handle better, they think they're indestructible. Nope.

Completely agree with you there. I have a 4x4 with big tires and I love to drive in the snow but I tend to do it in 2wd. 4wd likes to lull you into a false sense of security because of the acceleration and handling. What lots of folks seem to forget is that, although not all autos are four wheel drive they are all four wheel stop! When a 2wd can't stop, a 4wd can't either....

 

[Psylocide]

Well that's just like... common sense.

But I have to remember that some folks only get a couple of snowfalls a year. We drive around in the frozen tundra for months but we still have idiots that can't even drive in fair weather... let alone this stuff.

 

[unionrdr]

Driving on snow is a lot like when a dirt track is still "loose". And when you get into a nose-out slide with front wheel drive, just tap the brake while at the same time cocking the wheel a bit in the opposite direction of the slide & ease it back. you now have a perfect 4-wheel brake drift. It helps re-point the nose of the car back into the direction of travel. To bad so many don't understand that. I learned that stuff from my step grandpa & Fangio.

 

[brewkinger]

Growing up in the northeast for pretty much my whole life, I can say that I do not mind driving in the snow. I agree that it is everyone else on the road that is my concern.

Growing up in Watertown NY, at the edge of the "lake effect" snow area, I can recall getting several feet of snow in a single snowstorm, so from November through March, driving in the snow was an everyday occurrence.

Dad took us to the parking lot of the high school with no obstructions, put the Subaru in 2WD (long before the AWD and ABS). Got the vehicle going around 35mph and then BANG, hit the brakes and figure out what to do....
About 1-2 hours of this and I can assure you that tactical driving and being able to pretty much CALMLY get yourself out of most every situation came effortlessly.

2 bits of wisdom that I still use today are:

1) stay off the brake (although with ABS, the opposite can sometimes work as well)

2) When in doubt.... GUN IT!!!

 

[gratus fermentatio]

For the most part, driving in snow isn't too bad; as long as it's not a blizzard. I put chains on the truck & just go chugging past idiots who can't seem to drive a 4x4 in the snow & get stuck. I laugh at them as I drive by. The thing that gets me is when everything is covered in a glaze of ice, like it has been for the last 3 days here. Even my chains have a tough time getting traction on ice & going up or down the mountain roads can get pretty hairy pretty quick. As long as you know what you're doing, you should be OK. That being said, sometimes you can do everything right & still end up in a ditch. Winter driving is just part of living where there's a cold winter & owning a vehicle.
Regards, GF.

 

[edroberts]

Driving in snow... not that bad. Driving with other idiots is another story (especially after the first snow of the year). I got rear-ended one year. Guy got out of his truck and said, "I don't know what happened, I had my 4-wheel drive on." Ugh... I "kindly" reminded him that 4-wheel drive is only good for starting... and that we all have 4-wheel BRAKES.

 

[Melana]

I have no problems driving in the snow and like other posts here it's the other idiots that cause the problems.

 

[Eugenio]

Moved to Boston from Puerto Rico 6 years ago, so learning to drive in snow...was interesting. Now I dont mind it, in fact rather enjoy it since the streets are less full. I find the trick, similar to driving in heavy rain and puddles, dont make any sudden jerky movements, or break the friction with strong breaking/accelerating.


The other idiots on the roads...thats another story.

 

[GHBWNY]

Living here in Western New York, home of the infamous "Wall of White" (11/14), we are accustomed to sudden and unpredictable weather patterns, especially in the winter and being on the lee end of Lake Erie. For instance, this past Sunday it was snowless and 47 degrees; today, 3 days later, we have 6" of snow, high winds and wind chills of -30. All you can do is be prepared and be careful. Still a lot of crazies who think 4WD is the answer to their winter woes --- like the guy sitting in his 4WD SUV 20 feet off the road last night. He may have lost total visibility, but even so, you don't keep pushing through something you cannot see. My theory has always been that most "accidents" are not "accidental", but an intentional ignorance of good judgment.

 

[Wreck99]

Love it!

 

[unionrdr]

I'm in the other end of the snow belt myself. Like we say here in NE Ohio, if you don't like the weather, wait 5 minutes...

 

[TheCADJockey]

The worst part about it, is that everyone thinks they are a good driver. In my opinion, the better someone thinks they are at driving, the worse they actually are. If you are comfortable and care-free, you are not paying the road the attention it deserves. It only takes you looking down at the radio or phone for a split second for something disgusting and catastrophic to happen. Driving professionally was some of the most terrifying years of my life. You see things unimaginable, snow or not.

 

[GrogNerd]

maybe LoCo should have cancelled school yesterday.

 

[dkevinb]

hate it. always have. I grew up in SD and MT. as an adult lived in NV, WY, and now MN. NV was by far the best for winter driving. I hate snow. I hate ice. I hate the cold.

I was born in Michigan, lived in upstate New York for a long time, and graduated from Michigan State University. I got job offers in Detroit, Akron, Sioux Falls, and Newport Beach, California. Guess which one I picked.

 

[JoshuaW]

Today has been pretty bad in Northern Indiana. Im not to intimidated by it though. I have driven rear wheel drive cars my entier life, at times some less than sensible (ever drive a Miata through a blizzard? I have). After last winter I said "To hell with this!" and sold my Infiniti Coupe for an Infiniti Crossover with AWD. There are so many spots I look at and think "Would have been stuck there last year" and just blow right through them. Its fantastic! The biggest problem is remembering that AWD will help go, but it does nothing to help you stop.

 

[TheCADJockey]

On the way home from thanksgiving dinner, I went into a fishtail going down Route 400. It lasted almost 5 minutes and I was surrounded by panicking traffic. At one point, the car had spun around so far that I could see the screaming faces of the car behind me. It was the most difficult fishtail I've ever experienced being I was surrounded by cars on three sides and a ditch on the other, so I could not just reduce speed and take my time to get out of it. I had to keep the side to side from hitting the other cars while managing speed and avoiding the car in front and behind me.

When we got home and sat down with a sigh of relief, I brought it up. My friend said he just let his body go limp with fear. My wife said, "I can't believe you were funking drinking your coffee at the same time!".

 

[GHBWNY]

The biggest problem is remembering that AWD will help go, but it does nothing to help you stop.

If it's slippery coming to say, an intersection, I'll throw my 4WD truck into neutral and tap the brakes. Reduces the chance I'll slide through.

 

[GHBWNY]

At one point, the car had spun around so far that I could see the screaming faces of the car behind me.

This reminds me of those eternal words of wisdom I am sure we have all heard before:

When I die, I want to go peacefully like my grandfather did–in his sleep. Not yelling and screaming like the passengers in his car.

 

[unionrdr]

All in all, don't fear the snow & ice. But DO respect it. Don't & it'll bite you hard right in the shorts! I still think the loose dirt track analogy works. When the snow on the road is loose before it packs down too much.

 

[Melana]

On the way home from thanksgiving dinner, I went into a fishtail going down Route 400. It lasted almost 5 minutes and I was surrounded by panicking traffic. At one point, the car had spun around so far that I could see the screaming faces of the car behind me. It was the most difficult fishtail I've ever experienced being I was surrounded by cars on three sides and a ditch on the other, so I could not just reduce speed and take my time to get out of it. I had to keep the side to side from hitting the other cars while managing speed and avoiding the car in front and behind me.

When we got home and sat down with a sigh of relief, I brought it up. My friend said he just let his body go limp with fear. My wife said, "I can't believe you were funking drinking your coffee at the same time!".

Best thing i've read today.

 

[M4car223]

Best thing i've read today.

+1

Having recently moved to New Englnd from the south (second winter here) my driving experience in snow is very limited. Add in my RWD Ram 1500 and you get one stressed out driver.

I have a bit of driver training, in terms of a few EVOC classes for the military and fire department, and am a confidently cautious driver.

My stress comes from the other people around me when I drive. From the little old lady who can hardly see over the steering wheel who is teaching herself how to send a text while doing 35 in heavy snow on the highway. So I avoid it any chance I get, blood pressure is already high enough.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Driving in snow is easy.

Stopping can be tricky tho'.

Maybe that is why it's often suggested to NOT do 60mph on a snow covered highway. How easily so many forget.

 

[Murphy2012]

Not a snow, cold, or ice fan, yet I live in NH! It seems the older I get, the less use for it I have.

Although, it does give me more reason to stay inside and brew in my kitchen, and not go outside to do yard work or gardening!

 

[Psylocide]

Driving in snow is easy.

Stopping can be tricky tho'.

Maybe that is why it's often suggested to NOT do 60mph on a snow covered highway. How easily so many forget.

Yeah... especially when the speed limit is 75. Going unnecessarily slow in lower visibility is more of a danger than the slick road conditions.

 

[vincentAlpha]

I've no issue driving it myself, but yea it is those other drivers who get spooked by a couple inches of snow that are what keep my off the roads these days. I live in Newfoundland now and I was not honestly expecting just how freaked out people get here over a bit of snow on the roads. Seriously makes me miss the backroads of eastern Ontario, may not have been the best shape come winter but you didn't have to worry about more than a couple people and more likely than not they knew how to drive in snow.

 

[z-bob]

I don't like it. A few things that help tho' (I drive a 2WD pickup):

• Remove the ABS fuse so I actually have brakes when there's patches of ice on the road.
• Put skinny tires on (LT215/85R16's)
• Put a few bags of concrete in the back.

 

[GHBWNY]

I don't like it. A few things that help tho' (I drive a 2WD pickup):
Remove the ABS fuse so I actually have brakes when there's patches of ice on the road.
Put skinny tires on (LT215/85R16's)
Put a few bags of concrete in the back.


Gotta love those old VW Bugs with rear engine, rear-wheel drive and 165/80-15 snow tires! NOTHING could stop that car from going through snow! Except when the snow got so deep that the rear wheels would drive the front end up onto the snow so far the front wheels would be off the ground. Downside was, VWs had a horrible heater, even before the heater cores rotted out.

 

[DrunkleJon]

I enjoy snow driving. especially when no one is on the roads. When I was learning to drive my dad took me to an unplowed parking lot and we practiced driving in it to experience what it feels like to lose control and how to regain it. My girlfriend a couple years later got in a snow related accident and afterwards I did the same for her. My biggest problem with winter weather is the fact that people around here seem to forget how to drive if anyone even mentions some sort of moisture in the air. Heck if someone sneezes people all forget what they are doing.

 

[BrewerinBR]

I live in western central portion of the lower peninsula of Michigan and my house in the woods is on a hill about 1200 feet above sea level. About 50 miles west as the crow flies is Lake Michigan at about 600 feet above sea level. This time of year the west/north west winds blow cold arctic air across that 150 plus miles of open fresh water the snow starts to pile up, and 18 to 24 inches overnight is not an uncommon thing. My work place is 86 road miles north west of home and all but 11 miles is on 2 lane blacktop through the Manistee National Forest. Even more fun is the lack of light, it is dark when I leave home in the morning and the sun is setting when I leave work.
It is not the snow covered roads through dark uninhabited forest, it is not the ice covered intersections without lights where the white tails stand, it is not the snow driven by gale force winds into a frenzied blinding blizzard, it is not the fact I have 2WD Chevy 1/2 ton.

It is the turkey's that bother me the most, those wild, unpredictable birds need to be respected and kept away from as they can react strangely and without warning or reason, especially when they are behind the wheel of a motorized vehicle.

 

[M4car223]

• Put a few bags of concrete in the back.

I had a though last year with bags of concrete. Everybody told me to buy bags of sand to weigh down the drive axle. After some brews while the wife and kids were gone to soccer I remembered getting in trouble, when I was younger, for leaving several bags of concrete outside in the georgia rain and humidity that my old man needed. They set up pretty quickly, so I plan on lining the bed of my truck with bags, drinking some beer and spraying them with the hose in hopes that they set up in the bag and are form fitted so I don't have to worry about a weight shift in a turn on snow....a "friend" of mine dealing with snow and the need for additional weight for traction learned that last winter.

 

[z-bob]

I just stack them right behind the wheel wells and let the snow set up the concrete. That puts the weight where it can do the most good, and also doesn't keep me from using the bed (like hauling a ton of firewood all winter does) The only problem is... where do those concrete blocks go if I have a wreck?

 

[M4car223]

Yeah, 80 lb solid blocks to the back of the skull don't sound like much of my idea of a good time.