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Winter Drivers. Scratch that. Winter Driving. Scratch that. Winter sliding.

billski

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Time for my annual dig out the old winter driving rant. I know, everyone on this forum is an expert winter driver. Well, stop tooting your horn and tell me about the dumb things you see people do in the snow and ice. I don't mean a real accident. I mean lapses of common sense, or simply unskilled an untrained licensed vehicle operators.

Probably my all time favorite is getting out of being stuck by stepping on the gas harder and harder until you've melted and refrozen all the snow around your tires and cemented in until spring. :)

 

skiNEwhere

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Got the hakkas (hakkapeliitta or however you spell it) rotated, balanced and aligned. The studs on the front were wearing down a little, now they are on the back.
 

Geoff

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My favorite is "invincible" SUVs that end up upside-down in the median strip. "I have all seasons" also makes me bite my tongue rather than laugh in their face.
 

SkiFanE

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My favorite is "invincible" SUVs that end up upside-down in the median strip. "I have all seasons" also makes me bite my tongue rather than laugh in their face.

Or those SUVs all tricked out (ie Infiniti with cool chrome and big tires) and then going 20mph the entire length of Rt26 in 3 inches to SundayRiver (50 cars backed up behind them - took me 30 miles to finally pass them lol).
 

hammer

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I know how most here feel about winter tires, and yes they are better than all-seasons in the snow and ice, but I just don't get out in conditions requiring them enough to justify the expense. Don't tell me that they can be cheaper, I have looked around and steel wheels don't seem to be available for my car, I don't want to beat up my rims, and I don't feel like burning out my TPMS warning light.

I'll do my best to stay out of the way of those of you who think you can drive at the posted speed limit on snowy or icy roads.
 

ctenidae

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1st real snow last year, I downshifted to slow down before making a turn, and nearly stalled out, but then started spinning tires because the compression braking was too strong for the lack of grip, and then the idle power was too strong. Started to go a bit sideways until I thought to put the clutch in. First time I've ever run into that particular situation, despite never having owned any car other than a stick.
 

crank

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I am indeed an expert winter driver...have been driving through snowstorms in various mountain chains throughout the states and the great white north since I got my license 41 years ago. Sometimes I get a little frisky, bit of skid here spin a doughnut or so there... and one day, season before last that lead to a spot of trouble.

It was on a back road near Sunape and there had been about an 8-10" snowfall. I was spinning my wheels and fishtailing around on
a straight section when I lost it and ended up in the snowbank. I went in fairly hard and it took a good half hour of shoveling and a couple who happened to be walking by to help push to get my 4wd Highlander back on the road. Later that same day I was, for God know what reason, reposition my car in our friend's driveway to get closer to make it easier to load up for our ride home. I managed to slide off the driveway and had to spend at least an hour shoveling and chipping a hard packed mess from under the car's frame along with finding some planks in the barn to fix under the wheels. After I finally got it out I decided I was not driving anywhere that evening and we stayed over and drove home, without further incident, on Monday morning.
 

wa-loaf

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An inch or two of snow on ice and snow tires won't help much!
 

ctenidae

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Videos like that always amaze me. You know you're screwed when the wheels are locked, and you start sliding anyway. There's no way you're stopping or steering until you get big crunch. And then you may just roll around the car and slide until another big crunch.
 

Abubob

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You know you're screwed when the wheels are locked, and you start sliding anyway.
The best way to slide is to lock up the brakes. That's what anti-lock is all about. Even though the instructions tell you pumping the brakes interferes with anti-lock my pre 1990's driving skills alway kick in.
 

ctenidae

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The best way to slide is to lock up the brakes. That's what anti-lock is all about. Even though the instructions tell you pumping the brakes interferes with anti-lock my pre 1990's driving skills alway kick in.

Yes, but when you've stopped, and then start sliding backwards with the wheels locked, as some of the cars in the video did, there's not much you can do.
 

Glenn

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Yes, but when you've stopped, and then start sliding backwards with the wheels locked, as some of the cars in the video did, there's not much you can do.

Letting off the brakes, allowing the tires to spin, then braking again "may" help. At least that way, the ABS would kick in and you might be able to steer; albeit slightly.
 

wa-loaf

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Letting off the brakes, allowing the tires to spin, then braking again "may" help. At least that way, the ABS would kick in and you might be able to steer; albeit slightly.

I was thinking that would be your best bet. Just locking up and sliding is useless. If you are lucky you could steer your way back down the hill. But it does look insanely slick so there may be no good options here.
 

skiNEwhere

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I really don't see winter tires, even blizzaks helping there, as that was straight ice. The only thing that might help are studded tires, and only only if you kept a consistent speed up the hill. If you stopped, you'd probably still be screwed.

Looks like this was in CO. A lot of people do use studded tires here in the winter, i'm guessing those people who made it up in the beginning of the video had such tires.
 

Abubob

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Yes, but when you've stopped, and then start sliding backwards with the wheels locked, as some of the cars in the video did, there's not much you can do.
I agree that maybe maybe the pickup really couldn't have maneuvered very well but the cars that were faced downhill definitely should have let off the brakes and steered. Even the truck would have done better backing down and while letting the tire roll. Don't get me wrong you still have to brake some but off and on. I've gone down hills on shear ice in control by this method ie, slide, steer, slide, steer. It really works. And btw snow tires are better on ice than all weathers because they are formulated for ice, which incidentally, is why you don't want to drive on them in the summer because they'll wear down very quickly.
 

billski

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The only thing lacking was common sense. I sympathize with the early crashers who had no idea of conditions, but after a dozen or so blatant crashes, with people and cars in the road, that it might not be a good idea. Hindsight is 20-20, but I might have stopped on top and watched for a bit before I decided to proceed.

The other thing lacking was the knowledge of how to drive in a skid. Perhaps they couldn't do anything to prevent the slide, but recognizing that skidding with brakes locked wasn't helping might have made some of these folks ease up on the brakes. Reminds me of skiing a bit. Sometimes it's better not to stop or try to slow down; powering your way through the danger then braking later might be the best strategy. Of course you're counting on your path ahead being clear and safe. Not always a fair assumption on an icy day.
 

nick danger

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Four wheel drive pickups, going too fast. Hey, you there stuck in the ditch, you didn't get the memo that all cars have four wheel brakes?
 
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