"KayPee" (phamthk)
11/11/2014 at 00:25 • Filed to: None | 0 | 28 |
Just experienced my first time driving in the snow today. I lived in Texas my whole life, and now I'm going to school in Colorado. I took my car out to the local school parking lot to get used to the lack on grip and had a blast!
I've been reading about driving in the snow and ice because I know this day would come. From everything I read, I feel that the two most important things are to separate turning from braking/accelerating, and to get proper winter tires.
Can the oppo community give me some tips to not be a Texan that shouldn't be driving in the snow (and maybe tricks like parking facing east to save you the efforts of scraping ice from your windshield.)
Big Bubba Ray
> KayPee
11/11/2014 at 00:31 | 4 |
Best advice is just to get out and drive. You can read all you want, but you have to put it all into practice to get better.
Simply just drive slowly and very carefully and you'll be golden! You're already on the right track by hooning in some parking lots. Those are the best places to learn the limits of your car instead of having these things catch you off guard on the road!
thedevilinside
> KayPee
11/11/2014 at 00:35 | 3 |
Go slowly, don't panic! Don't assume you'll know the road conditions on the other side of a corner. I made that mistake once.
TheHondaBro
> KayPee
11/11/2014 at 00:36 | 0 |
What drive type is your car?
Jordaneer, The Mountaineer Man
> KayPee
11/11/2014 at 00:40 | 3 |
I just got my license in August, but have lived in Idhao my entire life, so I am used to snow and some tips I've picked up from having lived through 17 winters.
drive in the snow if possible, if there are tracks where there are car tires normally, don't drive on those, there is often black ice (this means you'll oftne be off to one side of the lane.
4WD helps accelerate, but it doesn't help you stop
Start in second or 3rd gear if possible, you won't spin your tires that way.
use engine braking when going down hills, you will have less of a chance of locking up your tires and skidding (and consequentally crashing, your tires will still be rolling, and therefore have mroe grip)
Give yourself a lot more time than on dry tarmac to stop and start.
4WD DOES NOT MAKE YOU INVINCABLE!!! (i live in a college town, lots of students seem to think that they don't need winter tires and that they can drive like they normally do because they have 4WD)
and MOST IMPORTANTLY:
Do many donuts in parking lots.
KayPee
> TheHondaBro
11/11/2014 at 00:45 | 0 |
FWD
Milky
> KayPee
11/11/2014 at 00:47 | 2 |
Hoon. Every. Day.
deekster_caddy
> KayPee
11/11/2014 at 00:47 | 2 |
No matter which wheel drive your car is, go figure out how to make it spin round and round. These are called Donuts and they are both fun and educational! Figure out how to make it spin, then figure out how to make it not-spin. There's nothing like practice!
TheHondaBro
> KayPee
11/11/2014 at 00:48 | 2 |
FWD does good in snow, especially with the engine weighing down the drive wheels. A decent set of chains and you'll be good.
Wacko
> KayPee
11/11/2014 at 00:55 | 0 |
parking brake and parking lots are your friends. When I started I would pull the parking brake, and then try to regain control. You get to know your, and your cars limits.
BoulderZ
> KayPee
11/11/2014 at 00:58 | 1 |
Welcome to CO! Good on you for trying out the snow a bit. That "feel" is a great skill to have. Handy tips, in no particular order:
1. Clear your car, including the hood and the roof, no excuses. You need the visibility, and no one likes the asshat driving down the road with a mini-blizzard behind them.
2. When you park, put your windshield wipers up. Our intense sun will get your car good and warm in the day. Then when the sun goes down (at like 4:30 here in Boulder by the mountains), any moisture still on your car or falling from the air will freeze your wipers to the windshield. Then you're screwed when you get blinded by splash back and glare.
3. Buy a bottle of two of windshield washer fluid. Check and refill at least monthly, maybe more if you drive/commute a lot. Our liquid deicer does a great job but the splash back is nasty and hard to see through.
4. No, we don't plow side streets. It's expensive, easy enough to drive on, and melts quickly the vast majority of the time anyway.
5. You will come up on people going too slowly on occasion. If you want to and can pass safely, fine. If you're ripping along and everyone is going 15 mph slower than you, they're probably not the problem. Go with the flow, know that snowier days mean you should plan a little extra transit time. It's easy, as the forecasts are really not too bad here.
6. If you have 4wd or AWD, good for you. It means nothing for brakes or handling. So if you're again going way faster than everyone else and thinking "Wow, they should all get a car like mine", see #5 again.
7. Keep a snow brush/scraper (a good one) in your car. Buy another one and keep it in your house/condo/apartment/dorm room/whatever. When you go out to clear your car of a foot of snow, it sucks to have to open the door to get the brush and a whole bunch of snow falls in or gets sucked in to your interior. That or you get snow all over yourself using your gloves/mittens/sleeves. Brush off enough to get it open, start the car and get all the defrosters going while you fully clear the rest of it. Don't forget to put your secondary brush back in the house before the next storm.
8. If you live in a neighborhood with street parking, don't bogart a space someone shoveled out in front of their house. Shovel out your own space, and your sidewalk, too.
9. Speaking of shovels, keep a small one in your car, along with a blanket or a spare big coat, maybe some shelf stable food/beverage. It's rare, but we have ended up with highways slowing to a crawl, stopping, and then everyone is stranded waiting to get picked up or towed out. It's great to have that stuff then.
10. Really good honest-to-god winter tires. Get them. "Oh, but a set of Blizzaks is like $800". Guess how much body damage you'll do in one slide and hit when you come up short on traction? $800 is cheap. Besides, they'll last a few winters unless you just drive tons.
11. The first couple of storms are the worst for driving. The ground isn't super cold yet, so it melts, then freezes as ice. Once it's colder, the traction is actually a bit better. Also, right now we have a bunch of never-evers who just moved here for school/work/whatever, plus however many people kinda forgot how to drive in snow during summer. It'll be carnage for a bit, but it's good for body shops, auto sales, and bus ridership. It'll get sorted out before Christmas.
12. Just about nobody ever gets in a snowy collision and says, "I was going way too slow and not following closely enough." Yes, there is a thing as going too slow, but you get what I'm saying.
13. Don't park downhill against a curb on wet pavement knowing you won't get back to your car before it all freezes for the night. Now you're at the bottom of hillside skating rink. Similarly, watch for black ice spots while walking to/from. Falling on that shit hurts really badly, and you stand a good chance of destroying stuff you're carrying (laptops, groceries, etc.).
Good luck with school, and get out to enjoy the winter here! You don't need to ski to enjoy it (though that's fun, too), there's lots to see and do!
Wacko
> TheHondaBro
11/11/2014 at 00:58 | 1 |
you are kidding for the chains right?
I live in northern canada, been driving here for 20 years and never saw anyone use chains. Well not on a public road.
TheHondaBro
> Wacko
11/11/2014 at 01:03 | 0 |
No I'm not kidding about the chains.
Jordaneer, The Mountaineer Man
> Wacko
11/11/2014 at 01:05 | 0 |
Damn me and my RWD biased 4x4 SUV, parking brake wont' work, only real drifting.
Wacko
> TheHondaBro
11/11/2014 at 01:05 | 0 |
winter tires and chains?
All Motor Is Best Motor
> KayPee
11/11/2014 at 01:08 | 1 |
Aside from leaving yourself a LOT more distance to stop on snow and ice, always remember that other people ALSO need a lot more distance to stop, so don't pull out ahead of someone unless you think they have PLENTY of distance to stop/slow down.
If somebody is tailgating you and there's stop and go traffic try and maintain a slow, steady speed instead of speeding up and slowing down. This way if you have to stop suddenly you'll both be going a lot slower.
Also, you can save your wiper blades if you try and clear the ice off the windshield with an ice scraper first. If you try and use the washer fluid to clear it all, you'll wear out the blades a lot faster. Make sure you use really low temperature rated washer fluid, or else it's gonna freeze solid.
If you get snow/ice stuck on the wiper blades, you can pick them up and let them slap on the windshield (not too hard!) to get it off.
If your windows are fogging up, your windshield defroster works best when it ISN'T set to recirculate (so instead you are taking in outside air). Keep the insides of your windows clean and you'll get less fog buildup on them.
KayPee
> BoulderZ
11/11/2014 at 01:08 | 1 |
Thanks for all of the insight! I'll definitely try and keep these tips in mind.
TheHondaBro
> Wacko
11/11/2014 at 01:11 | 0 |
I meant just the chains. Winter tires are a better option, but they are marginally more expensive for seasonal use.
Wacko
> Jordaneer, The Mountaineer Man
11/11/2014 at 01:13 | 0 |
I don't own any FWD's anymore, with my awd sx4 I just give it a little more gas, and real drift. And with my jeep tj, I just put it 2 high.
Wacko
> TheHondaBro
11/11/2014 at 01:19 | 0 |
maybe for you guys, but I have snow now,and will have snow till the middle of April. I always owned winter tires and summer tires, way before it was the law here in Quebec. I installed my winter tires yesterday. It's been snowing since Saturday.
PowderHound
> KayPee
11/11/2014 at 01:38 | 0 |
Small inputs. Don't gun it, don't slam the brakes, and don't jerk the wheel
Denver Is Stuck In The 90s
> KayPee
11/11/2014 at 02:15 | 0 |
Where do you go to school? I was at school downtown today, luckily I ran out of RTD passes so I had my dad pick me up. I didnt have to be downtown in the snow today, Hooray. But I have school on wednesday and I'll have passes by then. FFFFFFFF.....
My advice: just drive to nowhere for the sole purpose of acquainting yourself (and your car) with the cocaine that has fallen from the sky
KirkyV
> KayPee
11/11/2014 at 08:17 | 0 |
My entire country is utterly, utterly incapable of dealing with any amount of snowfall, so... Well, my plan is to get together with some friends and drag sledges around the local Tescos car park.
kiwi_matt
> KayPee
11/11/2014 at 09:05 | 0 |
1) Get the best winter tires you can find. They are worth the cost.
2) Once there's a fine layer of snow on the ground, find a empty parking lot and hoon it. You'll learn how to control your car that way (or at least it's the most fun way).
Sasquatch
> KayPee
11/11/2014 at 09:35 | 0 |
When you are at a red light and it turns green count to five then go. Or wait for the cross traffic to show signs of slowing, avoiding a tbone from the guy surprised by the light at 40 mph and zero traction.
nucciOMG
> KayPee
11/11/2014 at 10:09 | 0 |
My best suggestion is be smooth. Gentle inputs. Too quick on the gas, front tires break loose. Too hard on the brakes, wheels lock up. Too quick turn in, weight transfers and you understeer.
Unless you're tying to hoon.. then in that case: hard on the brakes, turn hard, and then hard on the gas, oppo out.
BarryDanger
> KayPee
11/11/2014 at 12:35 | 0 |
You grew up driving in Texas and want to learn how to drive in Colorado?
I can offer you no advice. Watch out for cyclists and please don't drive downtown.
KayPee
> Denver Is Stuck In The 90s
11/11/2014 at 20:18 | 0 |
I go to Mines over in Golden.
This morning my car wouldn't start, so I hitched a ride with my roommate.
I'll definitely take you up on driving around turn burn a little gas and have some fun! (Assuming that I can get my car to start.)
Also, that reminds me that I should probably get to finding my RTD pass also.
Denver Is Stuck In The 90s
> KayPee
11/11/2014 at 20:54 | 0 |
My brother is at CU Boulder. He actually got a scholarship to mines, but turned it down. He has an Israeli Friend at mines. His name is Avi, He is a crazy cyclist. If you want some fun driving, go through Idaho springs, maybe even morrison