Winter driving question

[FrostyLight]

First off, I live in upstate Washington and I'm planning to take a trip to Oregon mid-December.

My question to you guys is, what can I expect with winter driving on a front-wheel drive car? I know that most of you up in Calgary must have at least some experience with winter driving.

I would appreciate general advice and/or suggestions - I've considered taking a flight and the train, but neither option will work. So I'll just be driving out.

Yes, I did check the search function but didn't find any pages relating to advice on winter driving, other than lowering tire pressure. I'm asking about what to expect while driving on snow/ice, and anything else you can think of. On a FWD car, that is.

And no, Im not driving my Corolla, that's staying at home.

Thx.

[Shaolin]

it's not that bad.. worst comes to worst I have to start in 2nd gear.

When stopping if you don't have ABS you just pump the brakes so your tires won't lock up.. if you have ABS then just step the shit out of it until it stops..

and common sense stuff like don't drive as fast in the snow because your stopping distance increases.. stuff like that..

[fast95pony]

Front wheel drive is great in the snow. All the weight over the driving wheels aids traction Just make sure you have good all season or,even better, snow tires.

[FrostyLight]

Yes, braking is a valuable skill.

I did mention that this would be a road trip - so what should I know before travelling on the highway / freeway?

I mean, besides the obvious of going lower than the speed limit.

[hjr]

the roads will probably be fine. If its quite shitty, just go slow. If it seems like most people are passing you, then you are probably going about the right speed for the conditions.

[FrostyLight]

Yep, I figured that since people are driving on the freeway anyways, so if theres ice, it should be melted with all the engine heat of the cars out there.

Plus, it'll be during the day, where its "theoretically" warmer, as opposed to nighttime re-freezing.

thanks for your comments. I suppose I'll be fine for the most part.

[Texas]

If you are in a slide, put it in neutral; this takes the drive out of the wheels thereby making any action somewhat more effective. 9 times out of 10 the most effective winter driving is not driving like an idiot... really... keep at a speed that you are comfortable with, if you need to hit the ditch, dont try to make for the road or you will roll, drive straight in. but dont if its down the side of a mountain or is dangerous.

[ZorroAMG]

DON'T pump the brakes on a non ABS car, that's a common misconception. Simply apply an even braking pressure with enough force to slow the car but not locking the brakes inducing a slide

[Moe Man]

90% of crashes is due to lateral stability ( understear) the only way i know how to prevent this is to get a tire brand called nokian. only tire that really helps in understear.

[GTS Jeff]

Originally posted by Moe Man
90% of crashes is due to lateral stability ( understear) the only way i know how to prevent this is to get a tire brand called nokian. only tire that really helps in understear.

haha i can think of many other ways that dont involve marketing tire companies hahahhaha

1. go slower
2. steer smoother. if the car isnt turning, dont just crank the steering wheel. that wont do shit.
3. brake lightly. dont lock up the wheels cuz ull be fucked if u do.
4. feather the throttle to try to pull u in the direction u want to go.
5. slow down dammit.

[statick]

to what zorro said, thats what they told me at drivers ed.

[Mikko]

Since you are a slippery-surfaces n00b, I can't emphasize enough - GET WINTER TIRES. GOOD ONES. There is a review topic in this same forum on them.

Even experienced drivers are totally screwed when caught on the wrong surface with the wrong tires if they didn't see it coming (patches of ice, for example). You are a danger to yourself and everyone else if you have no training, no experience, and then on top of it, not even adequate equipment.

Try to understand that the grip on ice is perhaps 1% of that on dry pavement. And that is with proper winter tires. On compressed snow, with the winter tires, it is 20%. Just as a comparision, gravel is 60%.

A good fundamental understanding of physics and tire physcis is definitely in order. Try to find literature on it. Ask people who know their stuff (not just those who think they know).

Whenever you get the chance, go try the limits of the car on all the different conditions and surfaces. Attempt to brake as hard as you can and see what happens (parking lot please). Do some wild steering. Try to steer while braking. Use handbrake to initiate a skid while turning, then try to correct it. Do this over and over.

Front wheel drive is nothing special in the winter. Only thing that can happen is that the ability to steer gets worse the more power is channeled through them (i.e. stay off the throttle if you want to steer the best).

Learn about black ice, too. If the temperature outside is near freezing or below, and the road looks wet - it might be ice, all of it! The more wet it looks, the thicker the ice layer.

Often there might be just a smaller layer of water on the road that froze, with the pebbles of the tarmac still portruding up. This gives an okay grip (for being winter). But any small increase in the ice layer means drastically reduced grip, down to nearly nothing.

[TypeSly]

if in a slide, steer in the direction of the slide. be smooth

[Kenny_boy]

yah, if you get in a spin, always keep your tires pointed int he direction you want to go, even if you aren't turning, you have no idea how much it helps you slide straight, (even if oyu are side ways)

Also, if you get into a skid, never touch your brakes until a) you are traveling in a straight line again or b) want to get killed...

and to avoid skids, when cornering, try to take the corner slow and don't touch the gas pedal... wait until you are traveling in the direction you want to be with your tires straight, then you can accelerate...

so yah, that is what I find that works from driving up in the peace country my entire life...

[nismodrifter]

Originally posted by Moe Man
90% of crashes is due to lateral stability ( understear) the only way i know how to prevent this is to get a tire brand called nokian. only tire that really helps in understear.

BEST ADVICE EVAR hahahhahahahhaha

[FrostyLight]

Yep, Mikko, harsh but true advice. I've driven on slippery surfaces with a RWD before, I was looking to find out how its different for FWD car.

I do have all-weather tires, so they should be alright. And, since I plan to drive from 11am to 5pm, there shouldnt be much of a problem as far as ice on the freeway. I'll keep an eye out for spots that look like water, could be the legendary black ice, haha.
Eh, ok, nothin to laugh about, black ice is teh suck. I hit it once 4 years ago, that was but hit nothing, thank goodness.

Thanks to all who gave advice.

[Kenny_boy]

Also, watch out for drifting snow, that can hid the damn black ice...

[DefektiveVibe]

if you need to stop downshift helps a lot in the snow i had a few experiences just recently when it snowed in calgary where i had to stop faster then normal and i dont have very great winter tires so i just down shifted slowly...dont downshift so that your car revs outta control just slightly. Also use even braking pressure and dont steer all of a sudden. Smooth movement is key

[GTS Jeff]

Originally posted by DefektiveVibe
if you need to stop downshift helps a lot in the snow i had a few experiences just recently when it snowed in calgary where i had to stop faster then normal and i dont have very great winter tires so i just down shifted slowly...dont downshift so that your car revs outta control just slightly. Also use even braking pressure and dont steer all of a sudden. Smooth movement is key

that doesnt make any sense at all. its impossible to control deceleration with engine braking AND its completely unnecessary since your brakes have easily enough power to lock the wheels in snow/ice.

[Kenny_boy]

Originally posted by DefektiveVibe
if you need to stop downshift helps a lot in the snow i had a few experiences just recently when it snowed in calgary where i had to stop faster then normal and i dont have very great winter tires so i just down shifted slowly...dont downshift so that your car revs outta control just slightly. Also use even braking pressure and dont steer all of a sudden. Smooth movement is key

Yah, downshifting on ice is just deadly, when your engine can't rev up fast enough, it makes your wheels lock up temporarily, which causes a spin... no, best thing to do when braking on ice is just to put it in neutral.

ALso, if you have ABS brakes, you can stop faster if you don't mash down on them, if your the brake pedal starts to fight your foot, then back off, trust me, experience on this one...