Too lazy to read the whole thing about N gear or others. :p I drive A/T and I use 2nd gear myself most of the time for a slower downhill rolling and better torque for going uphill. My guess for when the only time you want to use N is when you are rolling super slow, since there is a minimum speed of how fast your wheels would turn if you are A/T and it is the same from D to all the forward gears below it.

Never tried that myself. Never had the need to do so, and I live on the highest point of Westwood Plateau on Parkway myself.

The sentence in RED and BOLDED is the tip, for people who are only interested in finding quick hints!

I posted two stopping tips. The last one is when you absolutely have to stop at all costs - I mean the kind where your life flashes before your eyes, the vultures are flying overhead, etc. Besides, when you're on ice (all of a sudden and out of nowhere) and you're going pretty fast, I really, really, really don't think anybody can get to the point just before the wheels lock up. This tip basically advises you to let go of the brakes immediately after lockup. At lock up, your wheels are literally not spinning. Your engine should now be at a lower RPM. As soon as you let go of the brakes, the tires should grip and you'll be going a lot slower. If you drive a standard, you go into the lower gears immediately.

My first experience driving in snow occurred two months after I got my license (34 years ago). I was in my father's 73 Nova (4 door auto). I was on Hastings at Boundary about to turn left onto Boundary. Traffic light turned amber. I see a car coming down Hastings. He has plenty of time to stop, so I proceed to turn. In the middle of the turn, I realize he ain't slowing down. He's not even looking. WTF? I boot it to get out of the way. As soon as I straighten out on Boundary, I see a wall of cars at the bottom of that steep hill. Nobody's moving and here I am acellerating. I hit the brakes (wasn't that hard, either) and immediately go into a skid towards the curb. I'm thinking the car's gonna go over the curb and into one of the houses. At the last moment, for whatever reason, before hitting the curb I decide to let go of the brakes. The tires grip and I shoot out of the skid and back onto the middle of the road again. The car slowed right down. It was amazing. From that day on, I started to practice driving in the snow at abandoned parking lots.

Just last week, I was on the feeway heading east on my way to pick up #1 son from Braid Street Skytrain Station. The road is clear and I'm moving at a comfortable speed. I get to the off ramp and there, I saw black ice. It was the whole length of the off ramp. A car is stopped up ahead and is just about to turn onto the street. I touch the brakes ever so slightly and the wheels lock up. My daughter's in the car and I'm yelling, "Noooo !" I get back into control just in time to come to a stop before the stop sign. I say to my daughter, "Did you see that?" She says, "What? I didn't know you were skidding at all." I guess I've gotten pretty good at emergency stops. Still scares the daylight out of me - losing control like that.

When in snow and on the freeway, avoid changing lanes. If you have to, and you have to plough through some snow, make sure you have a good grip on the steering wheel. You will have to literally fight through it. Do not panic and hit the brakes. Let the vehicle slow itself down. You should slow down before you change lanes. Tap the brakes to let the person behind you know you are slowing down and have the blinkers on early. Don't make any sudden jerky motions.

Another one. When you are at a left hand turning lane, make sure your wheels are not turned prematurely. Keep them straight until you are about to turn. I have seen cars being pushed into on coming traffic from a rear ender. This could have been avoided if the wheels were not cocked. Also turning lanes are not ploughed or salted as well as the rest of the road, so be extra careful when entering the turning lane.

Absolutely. Great tip. I don't know why more people don't do this when driving in places where there are steep hills.

Alphamale, I don't doubt your technique.
But I don't think I'll ever be going 2-3km/h ever.

Even in horrible conditions, I don't lose control in a back alley going 5km/h. Might be that I have all-seasons...

then what is the exact point of you posting in this thread about ur "N" theory? We need some useful on-road tips, not coming out of your driveway at 2-3 kmph. If you do crash into a tree coming out of your driveway or going down a backalley, might as well stay home. kthxbye.

PS. the main point of my post is all you're NEUTRAL shit is plain useless. (even if it does work, at *Ahem* 2-3 kmph)

you know what, these tips are nice, but how many people will actually remember these tips when they actually need to use it? When your vehicle isn't stopping and your about to hit something, not everyone will have a clear mind to think about what they should be doing.

^ thats so true.

Practice is the only way so that you reflexes react correctly in sudden accidental situations.

Bringing back an old thread.

On my way back home from No Frills in Coquitlam I saw this older Mercedes ahead of me. The rear window was like covered in snow. Damn bitch who was driving (non-Asian, BTW) was straddling two lanes. I managed to pass her, that's when I realized her windshield wiper was stuck as well. WTF? It looked like she had children or passangers in the car. Dumb ass.................

Clearly she's someone who feels windshield wipers are adequate for clearing snow from your car. I'm glad you bumped this thread, it seems like people are forgetting how to drive in snow after last years winter.

I love when people clear their windshield, rear window and side windows but fail to clear the rest of their car. People never seem to realize the snow on their hood blows onto their windshield, the snow on the trunk lid blows off and obstructs other drivers views, and the first time you stop hard the snow from the roof will all slide onto their windshield.

This is one of those rare times when bumping an old thread is helpful :thumbsup:

Depends on the steepness of the hill and your speed. If you're going down a steep ass hill at a moderate speed (Say, going down SFU via gaglardi) it'd be a really, really dumb move to leave it in Neutral. You'd gain speed and wouldn't stop gaining speed. If you left your car in 1st/2nd gear, the engine would restrict your speed to a safe maximum, and in my car the burble of engine braking with my exhaust is music to the ears.

Yep, people are pretty ignorant. If you take time to remove the snow from the windows, why not the roof. Dangerous stuff.

Clear the snow from the roof everyone!

Downshifting INCREASES the torque from the engine on the wheels. Shifting to N drops that torque to 0, allowing your wheels to match the speed of the car.

Yeah I didn't know this one either until last year when I got stuck in a bind and a passerby suggested it. Saved me from hitting a string of parked cars. :thumbsup:

Anyone know how much a set of winter tires would go at costco for an X5? I'm just at work, can't look it up myself.

you can get a ticket for failing to clear the snow from your vehicle roof.

I was caught in the snowstorm yesterday coming back from Washington, in a van with All-Seasons. I got home without a scratch on the car, except for a ding in the bumper by some stupid girl in Bellingham.

Which brings me to the most important point.

Keep your goddamn distance form the person in front. I was being tailgated (really!) yesterday. wtf? If I have to stop, and you are 5 ft behind me, you will hit me. Kids in an accord nearly did so, luckily I inched forward to led them skid to a stop. Lucky, I guess.

Oh, and drive slow (duh). A guy in an old 3series overtook me on the I5 going pretty fast. Saw him in a ditch to the right of the road about 1km north.

rofl :rofl:

This will be my first year on the road in Winter. Went out to some empty lots and just played around with stopping, skidding, sliding and getting back in control. I actually recommend doing this to anyone unfamiliar with their car/truck. Just make sure no one is there..

also did this yesterday and its my first time driving in the winter seemed liked the best way to learn rather than learning on the fly

^I did this as well, just so I could get a feel for how my car handles in snow with my new winters. It was definitely worthwhile, and beats learning on the fly.

^ It was pretty fun just sliding the car around not worrying about wrecking anything

$340/tire plus tax. Ish. Depending on what year/size wheels.

Give cars around you a good amount of space.
-Don't drive so close to their side as they might swerve to avoid snow washed up by the curb or large potholes.
-If you're being tailgated by someone, let them pass you or something. It's not worth staying in front of them and being rear ended if there is ice on the road.

Avoid driving on small roads and uphills and downhills, re-route to a safer road.

Drive slow.