Winter Driving Tips

[The_AK]

i know one tip is that when your stuck in snow or sliding, you press the gas even harder

[Alphamale]

Originally posted by google
bad tip!
i dunno where u got this from but cruising under neutral on any downhill with a 5spd or auto will cause u to lose traction even on dry summer roads

Have you tried it? I've tried it 3x. It works every single time. I live on a hill.

[anti_rice]

Originally posted by Alphamale
Have you tried it? I've tried it 3x. It works every single time. I live on a hill.

It is illegal to operate a vehicle down a hill in neutral. I dont know what kind of driving you do, but if it works for you then your doing something wrong when you driving your vehicle in gear. It is very dangerous and it wears out your brakes. Your transmission actually helps slow down your vehicle. Maybe you have a manual and you do heavy downshifting or improper downshifting which is causing your transmission to slow the car down to fast just as if it is acting like your doing heavy braking.

[Ikkaku]

Originally posted by AzNightmare
What do you guys mean by going uphill and not stop?
You mean if it's like single lane and the rwd car infront is stuck, do I just go around him??

Granted the area is clear and absolutely safe ... although I'm not sure how the police would take it.

Basically going uphill (depends on the steepness of course), if the car infront of you gets stuck, you should try to get around it or else you too would be stuck real soon. Oh, and if the snow is really bad, don't take Knight from 33rd to 41st I've seen so many cars stuck in that segment of the uphill climb.

[Alphamale]

Originally posted by anti_rice
It is illegal to operate a vehicle down a hill in neutral. I dont know what kind of driving you do, but if it works for you then your doing something wrong when you driving your vehicle in gear. It is very dangerous and it wears out your brakes. Your transmission actually helps slow down your vehicle. Maybe you have a manual and you do heavy downshifting or improper downshifting which is causing your transmission to slow the car down to fast just as if it is acting like your doing heavy braking.

I know it's illegal and I'm not telling people to go down a hill @ 50kph in neutral. What I'm saying is, if it's snowing and you're sliding, put it into neutral. Your car will stop faster. How do I know? Because I tried it and it works. There's only one way to drive an automatic. You either gas or you brake. when you're going 2-3kph or slower and you're sliding from braking...there's nothing else to do other than brake some more.

Just like you guys, I didn't believe it till I tried it.

I drive manual as well and I always downshift in snow/ice without any problems. I've gone down the hill I live on many times and I haven't had to use neutral in my manual vehicle.

The only way I can somewhat rationalize it is that putting it in neutral discconects the tranny from the engine and there is no more torque to turn the wheels...but that's as far as I get to rationalizing it. I hope it snows/ices over again so some of you guys can fool around and try this out.

[!Shuya80]

Originally posted by Mugen EvOlutioN
I noticed that too, its like wtf

just cuz u got 4x4 plus big tires doesnt mean u will stop 100 feet earlier than everyone else...fucking idiots

yea...just cause you got AWD or 4WD doesn't mean you won't skid...even though i drove my rav4 around it still fishtailed even though i was going like 20 in small streets...basically generally in snow DON'T DRIVE FAST..some idiot was driving 50+ in a small street and even though it was a small left turn he started fishtailing and almost crashed into me..

[Raid3n]

Originally posted by Alphamale
I know it's illegal and I'm not telling people to go down a hill @ 50kph in neutral. What I'm saying is, if it's snowing and you're sliding, put it into neutral. Your car will stop faster. How do I know? Because I tried it and it works. There's only one way to drive an automatic. You either gas or you brake. when you're going 2-3kph or slower and you're sliding from braking...there's nothing else to do other than brake some more.

Just like you guys, I didn't believe it till I tried it.

I drive manual as well and I always downshift in snow/ice without any problems. I've gone down the hill I live on many times and I haven't had to use neutral in my manual vehicle.

The only way I can somewhat rationalize it is that putting it in neutral discconects the tranny from the engine and there is no more torque to turn the wheels...but that's as far as I get to rationalizing it. I hope it snows/ices over again so some of you guys can fool around and try this out.

thats because even with your foot off the gas when you're in gear in an auto, it still accelerates a small amount.

[b-dub]

turn abs off if you can in the snow.

[Alphamale]

http://www.weather.com/activities/dr...tips/snow.html

If your front wheels skid...

* Take your foot off the gas and shift to neutral, but don't try to steer immediately.

* As the wheels skid sideways, they will slow the vehicle and traction will return. As it does, steer in the direction you want to go. Then put the transmission in "drive" or release the clutch, and accelerate gently.

http://media.<a href="http://www.ken...5625.shtml</a>

If a driver feels his or her vehicle starting to slide, Prebynski said to ease off the brake pedal and then break again a little lighter. Continue this, he said, until the vehicle is under control. If the driver can't get the car under control, Prebynski suggested easing off the brake pedal, putting the car into neutral gear and then braking again.

"This gives you about 75 percent more control over the vehicle to slow it down and to stop it," he said, "and always steer out of the direction that the car is starting to head."

Originally posted by azn_dp_boy
turn abs off if you can in the snow.

How the shit do you turn off ABS, short of pulling the physical plug where the wheels are?

[Timiant]

Originally posted by azn_dp_boy
turn abs off if you can in the snow.

No, leave it on UNLESS you are 100% sure of your ability to do emergency stops in snow. You don't want any inexperienced drivers w/o ABS slamming on the brakes and start skidding non-stop.

[b-dub]

Originally posted by Timiant
No, leave it on UNLESS you are 100% sure of your ability to do emergency stops in snow. You don't want any inexperienced drivers w/o ABS slamming on the brakes and start skidding non-stop.

Wrong, turning off ABS will actually decrease your braking distance in snow, sand and sometimes mud. The snow gets compacted infront of the wheels which help it stop. I've tried this out many times, abs off works best in snow.

[b-dub]

Originally posted by Alphamale
http://www.weather.com/activities/dr...tips/snow.html



http://media.<a href="http://www.ken...5625.shtml</a>





How the shit do you turn off ABS, short of pulling the physical plug where the wheels are?

It's different in each car. I know some fords you they have a switch. It's best to look in the owners manual. Some cars you need to enter a code.

[AzNightmare]

I haven't really had any bad experiences with snow driving except last year when I was in an inside street turning about 10km/h - 15km/h and slid out and hopped over a curb. And in december, I had some problems braking and overshot the stop line on vic and 41st. So the only problems I have in my mazda3 with all seasons tires is inside street turns and sliding when I stop.

So basically stop well ahead of time when you see a red light ahead or stop sign ahead, plan your stop position about 10 feet from the line (or car in front of you). Then roll up if necessary. I always stop short and roll up when it's snowing. It leaves "skidding" space. If I begin to slide forward from braking, I just leave my foot down hard. the ABS kicks in and I slide about 3-4 feet extra. But if I do the method I explained above, you still have 6-7 feet to spare, so no problem. So I don't think it's that necessary to do all the extra things. It's really not that complicated. I don't think removing ABS is necessary at all.

Turning on big traffic, most of the snow is cleared out in intersections, but even if not, just turn slowly, like 5-10km/h. There shouldn't be an issue. For inside streets, they will have more snow, so I suggest turning 5km/h or less. I would do a near complete stop before turning just to be safe.

Changing lanes, treat it like you're merging on a highway. Don't cut in, merge in. Turn your steering wheel degree really small. Use 20-30 feet distance if you must. As long as your wheels are pretty straight, you shouldn't ever lose control and slide sideways by changing lanes if you do this. Plan which lane you need to be on ahead of time if you need to turn, no last second cutting.

[Alphamale]

Originally posted by azn_dp_boy
Wrong, turning off ABS will actually decrease your braking distance in snow, sand and sometimes mud. The snow gets compacted infront of the wheels which help it stop. I've tried this out many times, abs off works best in snow.

I doubt doubt that...however, that leaves the problem of ice. USUALLY, when theres snow, there will also be ice. ABS works better with ice than no ABS at all. Another thing, if the snow does pile up in front of your tires...you have to back out to go straight again? Your method works...but I don't think it's flawless when applied to regular driving.

Edit: The 1st doubt is supposed to be "don't". Damn predictive text.

[google]

Originally posted by Alphamale
I know it's illegal and I'm not telling people to go down a hill @ 50kph in neutral. What I'm saying is, if it's snowing and you're sliding, put it into neutral. Your car will stop faster. How do I know? Because I tried it and it works. There's only one way to drive an automatic. You either gas or you brake. when you're going 2-3kph or slower and you're sliding from braking...there's nothing else to do other than brake some more.

Just like you guys, I didn't believe it till I tried it.

I drive manual as well and I always downshift in snow/ice without any problems. I've gone down the hill I live on many times and I haven't had to use neutral in my manual vehicle.

The only way I can somewhat rationalize it is that putting it in neutral discconects the tranny from the engine and there is no more torque to turn the wheels...but that's as far as I get to rationalizing it. I hope it snows/ices over again so some of you guys can fool around and try this out.

just because ur cutting off the torque means that ull stop faster..that is totally false

it cuts the power when u put it in neutral..sure
but at the same time when ur going downhill a greater force of gravity pulls ur car faster to the end of the hill which compensates for the power loss from ur engine..therefore ur speed is increased more compared to when u use downshifting and makes ur breaking distance longer

Originally posted by Raid3n
thats because even with your foot off the gas when you're in gear in an auto, it still accelerates a small amount.

as long as ur in 1st gear the car will move whether its a manual or auto

[Alphamale]

Originally posted by google
just because ur cutting off the torque means that ull stop faster..that is totally false

it cuts the power when u put it in neutral..sure
but at the same time when ur going downhill a greater force of gravity pulls ur car faster to the end of the hill which compensates for the power loss from ur engine..therefore ur speed is increased more compared to when u use downshifting and makes ur breaking distance longer



as long as ur in 1st gear the car will move whether its a manual or auto

Did you not read my post with the links? Did you also, suprisingly, not read my post clearly? I said that having no torque to the wheels is as far as I could rationalize it, but i didn't say it is the exact and full explanation as to why the car stops faster. You are making a huge mistake by assuming that torque at the wheels and the down hill gravity acceleration of the car have that much in common. When you want to talk about physics at least use the right terms and proper assumptions.

[alex.w *//]

good tips

[google]

no im a lil busy at work so i didnt read

mind summarizing the contents of those links?

[Alphamale]

Originally posted by google
no im a lil busy at work so i didnt read

mind summarizing the contents of those links?

They basically confirm what I said. I did summarize the links into quotes. Here they are again for your convenience:

If your front wheels skid...

* Take your foot off the gas and shift to neutral, but don't try to steer immediately.

* As the wheels skid sideways, they will slow the vehicle and traction will return. As it does, steer in the direction you want to go. Then put the transmission in "drive" or release the clutch, and accelerate gently.

If a driver feels his or her vehicle starting to slide, Prebynski said to ease off the brake pedal and then break again a little lighter. Continue this, he said, until the vehicle is under control. If the driver can't get the car under control, Prebynski suggested easing off the brake pedal, putting the car into neutral gear and then braking again.

"This gives you about 75 percent more control over the vehicle to slow it down and to stop it," he said, "and always steer out of the direction that the car is starting to head."

[!Aznboi128]

great tips EVERYONE should read this

[Rich Sandor]

If you have to stop in an emergency and I mean really stop quickly, as in the brick wall is a few hundred feet away, slam on the brakes. I know this sounds crazy, but you need to stop the wheels from turning immediately - lock the wheels. You will immediately start to slide/skid. If your car is in good operating condition, the skid should be pretty much controlled. As soon as you start to skid, immediatly release the brakes. Once you release the brakes, the tires will take grip at a slower speed. If you didn't panic after the slamming of the brakes part, you should have kept the steering wheel facing the direction of travel. As soon as the tires grip the surface, your car will slow down and head in the right diirection. If you car slowed down, but not enough, you need to lock the wheels up again and repeat this procedure. This, in essence, is what ABS does automatically. It unlocks the brakes at a very high rate as soon as the wheels lock up, slowing the car down safely. So, back to the part where you should know your vehicle -- does your car have ABS? If you do, none of the above is going to help you. Let the ABS do its job. Also, none of what has been said or a good ABS equipped vehicle will stop you if your tires won't grip in the first place (gotta have good winter tires).

NO. You DO NOT want to lock your wheels EVER.

Maximum braking efficiency occurs BEFORE the tires lock up - that applies both to ABS and Non-ABS cars.

If you do not have ABS, you should firmly and quickly apply pressure to the point *just before* your tires would lock up. IF you go beyond that, you must immediately release brake pressure to get the tires rolling again, and then reapply pressure to brake again - but not too much, you don't want to lock them up a 2nd time.

The ONLY advantage to ABS is that if you "suck at teh driving" and you invoke ABS by "panic braking", then you do not have to "pump the brakes" and you can continue to steer if you need to avoid an obstacle.

That said, SLAMMING on your brakes and getting into ABS will not stop you quicker than if you gradually and quickly and firmly apply brakes to the maximum extent without locking them up.

Doing this does take practive and experience...

[Rich Sandor]

I know it's illegal and I'm not telling people to go down a hill @ 50kph in neutral. What I'm saying is, if it's snowing and you're sliding, put it into neutral. Your car will stop faster. How do I know? Because I tried it and it works. There's only one way to drive an automatic. You either gas or you brake. when you're going 2-3kph or slower and you're sliding from braking...there's nothing else to do other than brake some more.

Just like you guys, I didn't believe it till I tried it.

I drive manual as well and I always downshift in snow/ice without any problems. I've gone down the hill I live on many times and I haven't had to use neutral in my manual vehicle.

The only way I can somewhat rationalize it is that putting it in neutral discconects the tranny from the engine and there is no more torque to turn the wheels...but that's as far as I get to rationalizing it. I hope it snows/ices over again so some of you guys can fool around and try this out.

Absolutely totally WRONG. If you are driving an automatic and you need extra help slowing down on snow, downshift into 3, 2 or 1. It WILL help you slow down a LOT.

[AzNightmare]

damn, such a pointless argument.
Just plan when to brake and brake. So what if your car slides.
If you anticipated the amount of space it will slide and left enough
space, then there's no problem.

[LoWeR-CaSe-VoWeLS]

I drive an auto, but luckily the gear box is laid out that i can shift through the gears like a manual if i desire (except 1st/2nd are combined). I've found that downshifting does quickly release momentum from the car. When you shift into neutral aren't you in sense disabling engine breaking?

[Alphamale]

Originally posted by Rich Sandor
Absolutely totally WRONG. If you are driving an automatic and you need extra help slowing down on snow, downshift into 3, 2 or 1. It WILL help you slow down a LOT.

Look, I know you're quite experienced in driving and such but I am not shitting you. Granted, I've only used this technique at super slow speeds like 2-3kph or less, I think those links that I have provided should be sufficient into convincing you that it works. I'll explain the exact situation in which this helped me.

I back out of my drive way onto a downward sloping hill. I put it into "D" and slowly release the brakes. Car starts moving forward but also sliding to the side. I hit the brakes gently but the car still slides. ABS activates, doesn't help worth shit. I put the car into "N" with the brakes on and immediately the car stops.

Like I said before, I wish it would snow/ice over again so some of you guys can try this. I'm not saying this ABSOLUTELY works at higher speeds, since I've never had to encounter slipping at such speeds, but at parking lot speeds it works 100% (and if you're sliding around @ higher speeds and you can't seem to do shit about it, why not try this method?). I understand why you guys are doubting me, as I doubted my mom when she told me. Just keep this in mind next time it's snowing/icy/slushy and see what happens. It works for me in the slippery snow/slush but for ice...I can't exactly say anything would really help.


Edit: Forgot to add that while going down the hill, I randomly put it back into "D" with my foot on the brakes. Right when I do that, the car begins to slip and slide again until I shift it back into "N".

Double Edit: I'm also unsure as to where most of you guys get the notion that I'm talking about high speeds. In my original post I stated that going down a back alley in snowy conditions. I later specified going even slower at around 2-3kph. I'm baffled at your assumptions and comprehension skills.