The Driving in Snow Tip Guide

A snowHead

I did my driving license test in Germany which is a lot more detailed than in England, but even then it didn't cover snow-conditions much. I find you generally only find out what works best by practise.. and I had a lot of practise when I found myself in a front-wheel drive car, with low-profile summer tyres on, in a german blizzard.

Figured if everyone mentions the odd bit of knowledge we may actually come up with something useful to those who are driving in the Alps/Snowy conditions for their first time.

The following are for a manual, front-wheel drive car. May/May not be different for other transmissions/drives.

*If you find yourself stuck in the snow, stop, put it into second gear and try again. Second gear > First gear. If that fails, turn off traction control and increase the throttle, that may help.
*I really wouldn't switch traction control off if you plan to turn though.
*If you find yourself turning but your steering wheel is having no effect; turn the wheel as far possible to where you want to go. So if you want to go left, turn it as far left as possible. Then pull the handbrake and increase the throttle. This will kick the back end out, meaning you turn.. and don't end up in the ditch. Don't forget to counter-steer the slide though.
*Don't slam the brakes, tap them. If this fails, the handbrake is your friend.

Any others? Prob be an idea to mention snow chains too.

A snowHead

Remember that your 4WD only has 4 wheels to brake with, just like any other car

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

* if you need these tips - and really think that kicking the back end out works well - please don't drive at the same time as me... Twisted Evil

I suspect actually by turning you mean skidding.

1) Drive slowly and smoothly, try not to use the brake or accelerator forcefully. Don't "tap" the brake, apply gentle pressure early. Leave your handbrake alone (I cannot remember using it ever - certainly not to park - in Canadian winter)
2) Be especially careful if approaching a junction or turn when going down hill. Assume you will slide and have a plan B. This might even involve putting your car into reverse to help brake.
3) Rather than spin the wheels if you are stuck - try brief attempts forwards and backwards. But be prepared to get out and push or dig snow out sooner rather than later. It becomes very hard to move a car that is grounded out on the snow. I've been there.

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I always switch off the traction control in my car in the snow. It really doesn't seem to understand snow and just emits a series of beeps and warning lights.

Your tips are really good. I generally just say to people, stay away from first gear and your brakes. Keep moving, in third gear if possible and keep it steady, no harsh movements. If you want to slow down to a stop, throttle off and drop it back to second, then apply the handbrake when you get to a near standstill.

I guess many drivers in the UK only rarely experience snow. Here it's usually only once or twice per winter. It's easy to forget the basics. The good thing is snow crashes tend to be low speed minor bumps.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

I would suggest 'engine breaking' by shifting down a gear instead of using the break

As has been said, moving off in a higher gear that first is good. Very gentle on the gas.

Apparently having a bag of sand is a good idea - you can use it to increase grip if your stuck

Warm clothes, plenty of food and drink in the boot incase you get stuck snowHead

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Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

An employee passed his test yesterday - they let him off emergency braking.

After all it is free

Just put on good winter tyres and drive normally........ wink

Get a Subaru. Drive carefully Smile

If going downhill and you find yourself sliding under braking, stick it in 1st gear and don't put your feet on anything - braking will cause you to slide again, and accelerating isn't a good idea. 1st gear will keep your speed as low as it can be with the wheels still turning so you don't slide, then find either a shallower incline or somewhere less icy. Or just crash into something to stop Very Happy

This is where the Subaru comes in handy, because the dents are character building.

If you're stuck wheelspinning in deepish snow, dig in front of the tyre in the direction you want to go - make the angle to get out smaller. Then use anything you can to increase the friction to get out - favourites include the mats from the footwells, bits of sticks and branches, children, you name it. If pushing to try and get out, rocking back and forth will work better than trying to push in one go, same with the throttle in the car, rock it back and forth.

More than anything, preparation is key - don't learn to drive in snowy conditions the first time you try and drive to the Alps at night, practice in a safe place (supermarket carpark) in weather like we've got right now, learn to deal with skids and make sure that your tyres are as good as they can be - even if not winter tyres or don't have chains. Have blankets and other things to keep warm if you do get completely stuck and have to sleep by the side of the road until rescue.

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Lizzard,

If you don't have 4WD, know whether your car is front or rear wheel drive and when you park consider the best way round for moving off again.

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I was in Holland on Thur/Fri last week and they got a couple of inches on ungritte/salted motorways: total chaos. The above tips worked pretty well. You need as little torque as possible, as this is what makes your wheels spin (hence as high a gear as possible). 70km of gritted teeth followed by hire car ice rally special in the deserted hotel car park. Repeated last night at Cribbs Causeway car park in own car with the addition of a Scandinavian flick to celebrate a successful completion of Christmas shopping. I've never seen so many different warning lights or heard so many alarms and beeps in such a short time. Oh yes Very Happy

snow reports

If you have a RWD Mercedes with fat low profile tyres leave it in the garage.

You know it makes sense.

stevew,

I haven't got mine any more but tbh my new car isn't much better.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

Colin B,

A snowHead

A snowHead

First gear and high revs

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

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Pratice in a Morris Minor on cross ply tyres. Perfect your drift until you can park like Elwood does in The Blue Brothers. Then get a Berlingo and it all becomes easy.

And buy some snow chains. What are people ? daft or something ? You pay for car insurance and hope not to use it, you carry a warning triangle, tow rope, viz vest, spare tyre. Why not a shovel and a pair of chains ?? On the news tonight "Of course snow like this is very rare in Britain", they said that last year.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

Lots of revs works for FWD...esp if you understeer at a motorway intersection or on a slipway roundabout Embarassed

. Wouldn't even begin to contemplate it with RWD Shocked

After all it is free

All good stuff, nothing beats smoothly and gently!

The obvious tip is to always point the steering wheel in the direction you want to go... sounds silly but works... think for a second.

A lot of people dont understand understeer/oversteer but it works in both circumstance. Rear wheel drive car, if you loose the back so your pointing into the inside of the corner on a left hand bend(Rock or concrete barrier in the alps) - just steer right (or vise versa for right handers)! Where you actually want to be going! Need to bear in mind that you need to keep an element of power to the wheels though (or dont totally back off). This will cause the momentum to shift and can spin you around. You need to keep pushing the car.

Front wheel drive, same applies, just be mindful you need to unwind the lock quickly if the wheels do catch some grip! Gently tapping brakes to shift the load forwards can help. (If all else fails and you really are heading for the ditch, you might be able to pull it around the corner using power. (Lets hope you dont find yourself in this situation though! Requires a little more skill/bravery)

Also worth bearing in mind the camber on some corners of the alpine passes, if you can straddle the centre line, using the wheel tracks still, less work for the suspension and so effectively more load on each corner.

All that said, if your not to familiar with the handling of your car definately stick to the smoothly and gently! Shocked

Happy and safe motoring! snowHead

Remember this

If you are racing about in the snow wear your helmet

if the car slides you may have too much inner wheel lead

There will always be a queue after snow has fallen

If your back end is skidding out you may have case of Dobe Limmer, this may get you from A to B faster

If all else fails rely on the good old snowplough

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I just took my mx5 to an empty snowy car park and spent 1hr powersliding it, great fun Toofy Grin

. So far this week I've been the only rwd car that has made it in to work, learning how your car handles is worth it.

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I'm not too sure about maximum use of steering wheel in any normal snowy situation (not talking about deliberate slides, or rally stuff here). Minimum lock, minimum throttle, minimum use of brake pedal, change gears down at as high revs as the car can take without stalling. Keep speed right down then if you hit anything it won't be hard.

Keep fuel tank full, get the right screen wash (mine is currently full of English stuff, used undiluted for "extreme conditions" and hopeless - frozen solid when it was really cold, and turns to little bits of ice when used at such "extreme" temperatures as -2 (plus a lot of windchill, I suppose, on the A40).

Learn to use snowchains and put them on when you feel loss of traction despite driving as above.

Don't have loud music on - you need to really tune in to what the car is doing to detect loss of traction as early as possible - and when you do, normally the next step is to ease off the throttle.

Don't overtake snowploughs. Leave a very long gap between you and the vehicle in front, so that if things begin to slow/stop in front of you you have some choice about where to come to a halt.

If the road is snowy, drive on a snowy bit, not in someone else's tracks if possible (like skiing in powder).

Don't use the handbrake when it's likely to freeze

Don't decide in advance how many hours it's going to take you to get from A to B.

Don't panic. Snow is what you want, isn't it? Smile. snowHead

You know it makes sense.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

pam w,

A snowHead

A snowHead

Totally agree with the long gap bit - seems often that many of the cars stuck have been travelling too close - if you're going up a dodgy hill and there's someone in front of you then leave a good gap and make sure they get up before you try. If you follow them up 6 ins from their back bumper and they stop you will too (probably in contact with said bumper!) It is amazing how many roads get blocked because of this, you soon get a log jam and everyone gets stuck. Evil or Very Mad

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Easiest tip of all

Let some air out your tyres, instant increase of grip on snow and ice

Dont forget to pump em up again when conditions are good

As for the Subaru, the one I watched head but the Arnco on the M4 on Monday wasnt helped by all the technology. That type of 4x4 are only any good when they have grip, Too much power for when there isnt any despite all the computers

Basically, drive gently and defensively, slowly, leave a large gap in front and use suitable tyres

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and don't rely on ABS in deep snow. First time ever I experienced sliding from v. slow on our hill on Monday morning - went to slow from v slow to vv slow and ABS kicked in wouldn't have been able to stop if I'd wanted to.
Proper snow tyres, not inexperienced at driving in snow, steep hill.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

While descending tight hairpins brake before the turn while the vehicle is going straight then release the brakes when you enter the turn.

frontwheeldrive - apply very light acceleration to pull you round the curve
Rearwheeldrive - let the car roll round the curve without touching the brake/accelerator pedals.

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pam w,
"Don't overtake snowploughs" as if! wink

my tip - if you are changing down a gear, let the clutch in _slowly_, and be prepared for weird stuff to happen.
Was descending a country hill at the weekend, in FWD diesel (on girly-racer tyres), and when changing from 3rd to 2nd to 1st, every time I re-engaged gears, car pulled alarmingly to left.... only by a foot or two... but on a narrow country road, not a lot of room for error. Approaching T-junction was concentrating the mind somewhat - suspect it took ~ 100metres to come to a standstill, from a speed of <20mph.
snow chains went on soon after!
(oh, and that was just outside Bury st Edmunds....)

Other top tip - ask the passengers to look in the ditches- found a BMW on sunday, not a mark on it (at least, not the side I could see, t'other (driver) side was lying in the ditch.)
Funny thing was, road was straigh, and flat, and just coming in to a built up area.... he didn't appear to have travelled more than a few metres from edge of road to final resting place, so can't have been going particularly fast....
Best find - a Cayenne on the road from St Fois village to St Fois station, last year.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

Buy a TVR

After all it is free

1) Don't approach roundabouts as if you can straight-line them.
2) Aim to stop at junctions about a car's length before the stop line - better creeping forward to the line than skidding over it
2b) Watch out for cars failing to stop as they approach their junctions.
3) If you have an auto and need to brake suddenly, use the button to drop down a gear for engine braking (then assist with brakes).
4) Pull wipers back from screen when parking (avoids freezing to glass, and failing when covered with snow).
5) When parking/reversing in obscure spots don't just check horizontal clearance, also check for submerged kerbs, bollards, and sudden drops hidden by snow.
6) Don't drive into anything you can't drive out of, e.g. down a steep drive.
7) Park well - with consideration to snowplough drivers who may not expect your car to be sticking out (under two metres of snow).
Cool

Make sure your battery is well charged. Carry a tyre pump/aerosol inflator. Carry a snow brush and shovel. Food, water, & blankets.
9) Clear your vehicle of snow whilst it's light (and warmer) - well in advance of commencing journey.
10) Remove snow from your vehicle, especially the roof - it's dangerous to others when it comes off (and can result in fines if caught).

Don't buy a house on a hill!

If you are driving uphill on snow and ice in a VW Passat press ESP - don't know what it stands for but it works! We saw a lady slithering all over the road in La Rosiere Eucharts last year in a passat..we told her about the botton and as if by magic she managed to drive off up the hill.

Don't drive downhill without chains! Found it rather hard to stop on a car park ramp yesterday and just managed to avoid hitting the wall. I was in first gear...maybe I should have been in second according to this forum?

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snowymum, I have to press the ESP button in my car (Citroen C2 VTS). It disables the traction control.

Help!!

The Driving in Snow Tip Guide

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