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dingus
Oct 20, 2004, 3:30 PM
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dmt
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zozo
Oct 20, 2004, 3:35 PM
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When you start to fish tail dont slam on your brakes. Take your foot off the gas and turn gently in the oppostite direction your skidding.
When I moved to Colorado I couldnt believe how people drove in the snow.
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j_ung
Oct 20, 2004, 3:39 PM
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Nice! I like this. I'll even add a couple.
(First, an addendum to the Emergency Kit: sleeping bag, food.)
7. Sometimes... SOMETIMES... it's smarter to just stay home. Eastcoast ice storms come immediately to mind, since these conditions can easily negate more than a few of the above snow-driving tips.
8. Decelerate BEFORE you get to the curve/turn.
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atg200
Oct 20, 2004, 3:55 PM
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In reply to: 8. Decelerate BEFORE you get to the curve/turn.
this is a big one. braking hard while you turn is a good way to lose control of your vehicle.
in the last year, i saw several bad accidents, one of which i think was a fatality, in little cottonwood canyon. they were all caused by people passing when they shouldn't. when the road conditions are bad, it is much more difficult and dangerous to weave through traffic. considering that you are just going to get stuck behind more slow people in a minute or two anyway, it is much better to just chill. i am an aggressive driver that loves passing huge lines of cars, but it is just not worth it in bad conditions.
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iltripp
Oct 20, 2004, 4:00 PM
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Very good thread dingus. I can relate. Nothing worse than sharing a snowy road with people who don't know how to drive in those conditions.
A quick point to add....
Learn how to downshift!!!!
Going down a steep hill: downshift. Use the brakes as little as possible. If you need to slow down quickly, downshift and pump the brakes. Never slam on the brakes.
In reply to: 3. Don't rely upon your 4wd to do your driving for you. 4wd's seem to wreck more in snow storms than regular cars... there are more of them and the drivers are usually just as clueless as those driving Daihatsu's tend to be. You sort of have to know how to drive on slippery surfaces before you can drive on slippery surfaces. This single most important thing to remember about slippery surfaces is that they are slippery.
Ditto that... SUV's provide a huge false sense of confidence. Knowing how to drive in the snow is much more important than having 4wd. Granted, some situations require 4wd, but I'd rather have myself driving my front wheel drive car then someone else driving an SUV. Also, many SUV's fail miserably as far as handling goes, so you might even be safer without it.
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atg200
Oct 20, 2004, 4:04 PM
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if you drive a gigantic SUV, keep in mind that 4WD means four wheel drive and not four wheel stop. those things can slide forever. my little subaru outback was much better for driving on snowy roads than the toyota tacoma 4WD i drive now.
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bandidopeco
Oct 20, 2004, 4:09 PM
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Having a 4 wheel drive will only help you go. It does NOTHING to help you stop!!! This is especially important when driving downhill. Growing up in Squaw Valley, I was able to learn a few tricks, one of which is driving with 2 tires, normally the 2 right tires, slightly in the snowbank. You get more traction this way, and if you start to slide out of control, you can ease the car into the snowbank to help you stop. Remember, it's much much better to stop using the snowbank then the bumber of the car in front of you.
Another thing I like to do is check how my car reacts in the current conditions. When I start driving on a snowy day I'll purposefully (in a safe place) hit the brakes hard, and turn hard, just to see when my car skids. This is usefull to know.
One of the biggest advantages of growing up near a big ski area was having a wide open parking lot to practice skidding. If your stay overnight it might be a good idea to take the car to any large, vacant parking lot that's covered in snow. Here you can purposefully spin the car, skid, and learn what you can about how your car really handles in the snow. try skidding and getting back in control. Over-correcting is a big mistake, and i saw the results first hand last year when a brand new volvo started fish-tailing 2 cars in front of me on highway 89 between tahoe city and alpine meadows. The driver had 3 or 4 chances to stop by driving into the snowbank, but he kept on overcorrecting. This caused him to spin out into on-comming traffic and hit a new pickup truck comming the other way. Do you want to dig your car out of the snowbank, or deal with insurance?
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natas
Oct 20, 2004, 4:10 PM
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what do people from NC know about snow.
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cologman
Oct 20, 2004, 4:13 PM
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DRIVE FAST - BRAKE HARD! :?
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davidio
Oct 20, 2004, 4:19 PM
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In reply to: if you drive a gigantic SUV, keep in mind that 4WD means four wheel drive and not four wheel stop. those things can slide forever. my little subaru outback was much better for driving on snowy roads than the toyota tacoma 4WD i drive now.
VIVA LA SUBARU!!!! About one in every four Vermonters drives one. It snows here a little bit. I'm on my second one. PLUS it has gotten me SOOOOO many chicks!! Fits a pretty decent ammount of ski/climbing/backpacking/lemonadestand/beerbrewing/bbq gear, too.
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itakealot
Oct 20, 2004, 4:20 PM
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Front wheel drive cars are great in the snow too. To put on the chains just turn your wheels out and you can get the chains on is seconds. Once in my 4x4 trooper the CHP at the check point said if I want to drive in 4x4 mode I had to have a set of chains for each tire! So I had to drive all the way to mammoth in 2 wheel mode after spending $70.00 bucks on chains in Bishop thinking I wouldn't need any for 4x4.
On snow, only 20 to 40 percent of your tire surface is actaully being used.
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dingus
Oct 20, 2004, 4:24 PM
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In reply to: Once in my 4x4 trooper the CHP at the check point said if I want to drive in 4x4 mode I had to have a set of chains for each tire! So I had to drive all the way to mammoth in 2 wheel mode after spending $70.00 bucks on chains in Bishop thinking I wouldn't need any for 4x4.
Solution: Next time, lie through your teeth at chain control (he was just being a dick). Yes I have them. Oh, they're buried in the back...
I have even thrown the chains from my wife's saturn in the jeep for this particular purpose (SURE I HAVE CHAINS!!! you didn't ask if they fit!)
DMT
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usmc_2tothetop
Oct 20, 2004, 4:32 PM
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If your car does not turn the way you want it and slides straight, at a moderate speed you can quickly lock the E-Break for a sec and it helps bring the back end around to help turn the car. Sometimes alittle acceleration is needed with a front wheel car, but if your at a moderate speed just a "tap" of the E-Break helps. try this in a parking lot first to get the feel and it WILL help you with a failed turn, to prevent you from going off the road.
On another note, I don't ski but the ski goggles thing sounds like a good idea. Do you know a good brand for a good price???
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dingus
Oct 20, 2004, 4:36 PM
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In reply to: On another note, I don't ski but the ski goggles thing sounds like a good idea. Do you know a good brand for a good price???
Amber or yellow 'driving' or 'shooting' glasses provide the same effect.
You won't believe the positive impact storm glasses provide. Besides improving vision, they greatly reduce fatigue and storm headaches that come from squinting for hours on end, concentrating on peerig through that last 1 inch of clean glass on the hopelessly frozen over windshield.
Once you get below the snow line, take em off though.
Serengetti are good ones, though very expensive. Sierra Outfitters has them on sale frequently. Goggles.. what ever is on sale at REI. Decent ones start at around $45.
DMT
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imnotclever
Oct 20, 2004, 4:43 PM
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In reply to: In reply to: Once in my 4x4 trooper the CHP at the check point said if I want to drive in 4x4 mode I had to have a set of chains for each tire! So I had to drive all the way to mammoth in 2 wheel mode after spending $70.00 bucks on chains in Bishop thinking I wouldn't need any for 4x4. Solution: Next time, lie through your teeth at chain control (he was just being a dick). Yes I have them. Oh, they're buried in the back... I have even thrown the chains from my wife's saturn in the jeep for this particular purpose (SURE I HAVE CHAINS!!! you didn't ask if they fit!) DMT
There is so much about this dialog that I don't understand. CHP? Chain control? This must be either a mountain or regional thing. Explain this please. I don't even think I've seen a car with chains on in my life.
My snowblower has chains.
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usmc_2tothetop
Oct 20, 2004, 4:45 PM
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Thanks
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dingus
Oct 20, 2004, 4:51 PM
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In reply to: There is so much about this dialog that I don't understand. CHP? Chain control? This must be either a mountain or regional thing. Explain this please. I don't even think I've seen a car with chains on in my life. My snowblower has chains.
OK, the thing to understand is that A. Minnesotans in general know more about snow driving than any humans ought to know. Lets get that established straight away.
But Minnesotans don't know nothing about MOUNTAIN driving in the snow, and sharing the road with people who live in places where it NEVER snows.
It's the combination of mountains and noobs that dictates the need for chains. Studded snow tires aren't legal on the streets of Oakland, so Cal drivers outside the mtn areas can't go that route easily.
The chains serve a hugely important purpose... they slow the traffic down.
CHP is California Highway Patrol... remember the CHiP's TV program from the 70's? Pauncho and Lefty or whatever the hell their names were?
Anyway, think about crossing a mountain pass at 8000 feet in a driving snow storm on an interstate highway where the vasy majority of your fellow drivers have little or no experience with snow driving... chains are your friend my friend.
Chains in the flatlands make little sense of course.
Cheers
DMT
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usmc_2tothetop
Oct 20, 2004, 4:52 PM
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I hate when I see that dumb ass that only scraped just a line on they're windshield so it's like they are driving in a tank. And they wonder why they go slow.
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drector
Oct 20, 2004, 4:54 PM
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4WD helps you stop if you have an old clunker. When I drive my '74 Bronco in 2WD and brake, the rear wheels lock up real quick. With 4WD engaged, the front and back are tied together so there is a braking benefit from 4WD. The rear cannot lock without the front locking too.
Of course all the posts are mostly right on about 4WD giving a false sense of security.
Also, when skidding, turn to the direction the car is going and not the direction the car is pointing or rotating. This means that if the rear of the car is passing the front of the car on the left, steer the front of the car to the left to keep it in front of the rear of the car. I think one of the early posts described it as turning the direction of the skid but people who can't do it also don't know which direction is the direction of the skid. Go out to a parking lot and skid your car in the snow for practice! Get as comfortable as possible with it.
Keep right and let others pass. Move over at a pullout if you can't drive at a speed that is reasonable to others.
And it's dumping snow in Tahoe right now. Incline Village got almost a foot last night at the ski area. Wow.
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jeph
Oct 20, 2004, 5:05 PM
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In reply to: I hate when I see that dumb ass that only scraped just a line on they're windshield so it's like they are driving in a tank. And they wonder why they go slow.
To add to this, people who ONLY clean their windshields need a good smack. That foot of snow on your roof is going to come off sooner or later... it's fine if it comes off immediately (and completely, although your rear window is probably now covered) but it's never good when it turns into a thick sheet of ice and pops off when you're going 70mph on the highway, in heavy traffic.
Some great tips in here. Unfortunately, here in MA, most people need to re-learn how to drive in the snow every year. The first few snowfalls are not a pretty sight.
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slobmonster
Oct 20, 2004, 5:08 PM
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If you drive a FRONT-wheel drive vehicle, you will find that the traditional advice regarding steering into a skid does NOT apply, or at least not as well. Instead, and I know this is counterintuitive, a brisk little tap on the accelerator can swing your tail end back around.
Drive with your gears. When I'm behind someone and it's snowing, and they appear to barely ever even tap the brakes, I know that they know what they're doing. Or they might ve high on the smack.
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crag
Oct 20, 2004, 5:26 PM
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Snow schmow who the hell needs any of this advice? What with all of the added safety features on today's cars, we need not concern ourselves with such silly little events.
“NOT to worry honey I'll get us there, firing up his new X whatever SUV our valiant and brave snow warrior packs his brood in to their bright and shiny vehicle equipped with Full Time 4WD, ATC, VSC, 4W-ABS, NAV Control, run flat Blizzak tires and front, rear with side curtain air bags."
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petsfed
Oct 20, 2004, 5:39 PM
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In reply to: what do people from NC know about snow.
Not to feed the troll, but STFU. If you're sliding on the snow in Wyoming, you shouldn't be driving to begin with. When it snows in NC, its wet, its heavy, and it ices up fast. So if you're a good snow driver in North Carolina, chances are you're a good snow driver anywhere.
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davidji
Oct 20, 2004, 5:50 PM
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In reply to: Snow schmow who the hell needs any of this advice? What with all of the added safety features on today's cars, we need not concern ourselves with such silly little events.
Speaking of which, does anyone here disable their ABS for certain conditions, or all the time?
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corporatedog
Oct 20, 2004, 6:07 PM
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Good topic DMT - I would also suggest carrying 2 sets of chains if you do any driving on roads other than the main drags.
Five times last season I came across people walking down the road looking for help. Seems that the cheapo Walmart specials they bought had broken - leaving them stranded on the road with one good chain and one broken.
Suggest paying some decent money for a GOOD set of chains. Decent chains will run you 50 -70 bucks - but will last. For a second set - you can go with something cheaper as a back up. Also - get an extra set of the rubber tension bands.
Stay away from those snow tire cables unless you only drive plowed roads through town. Yes, they are easier to put on, but they will NOT cut into ice and slush on the open road like a set of ladder chains will do.
Since putting chains on can be wet and messy - I carry a 6x8 foot piece of Tyvek house wrap to lay on. Got it for free from the housing tract down the street - works great - folds down small, weighs next to nothing, is waterproof, cleans with a blast from the water hose.
You mentioned a shovel - YES. Even if all you do is drive to the ski resort - carry a small folding shovel. The guys who plow roads at the resorts will push 1-2 feet of snow up against cars parked along the road side. When you come back from skiing all day - you wont' be able to move your car unless you first move this wall of snow. Rather than scratch at it with your gloved hand for 1/2 an hour like an idiot - whip out your too cool GI Joe shovel and dig out in 5 minutes. Impress your friends!
Another trick is to carry some pieces of old carpet strips in the trunk. I have 2 pieces about 1 foot wide and 4 feet long. If you do get stuck or stopped and need traction - lay these strips in front of the tires and drive right over them to get your speed up. Small tree branches from pines, cedars or spruces will work as well.
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