How Fast do YOU drive on Snow?

[zorgon]

How Fast do YOU drive on Snow?

[zorgon]

[burntheships]

 

I imagine they could not see in the weather, so tragic.

[zorgon]

How Fast I (used to ) Drive on Snow

[zorgon]

I imagine they could not see in the weather, so tragic.

Back in Toronto they get these pileups on the Freeway a lot... Mainly on Hwy 400 North  People just won't slow down  70-80 mph ... You cannot do anything when a gust of wind blows up the snow for a white out

But in that second one visibility is fine  it's just the fast ones that start the chain reaction

Now then   Zorgon's Rally tips on stopping on a slippery surface

DO practice in an open parking lot though till you get the feel of it 


1)  In winter drive on the right side, not the center or left lane. Center lane you get trapped, same in left lane because usually there is a barrier  In the right lane if you need to stop suddenly on snow/ice, forget the brake and head for the ditch. In winter there is usually a snow bank from plows or the ditch is full of snow. 90% of the time you won't even scratch the car by ditching it.  Just be sure to not make a sharp turn and thereby role it. Panic braking will always slam you into the mess.

I actually did this once when there was a patch of invisible ice on a freeway that was missed with the salt truck  It was ether that or hit the oil tanker (combined with method 4 )


2) Well okay so these are not for the average driver but you can still practice them The main trick is knowing how YOUR car reacts when you lose traction. In that video on the back road you will notice that the camera appears to point at odd angles on the turns  That is because when turning a corner at that speed your car is sideways...  (yes you cannot drive on the freeway that way )  It's called 'drifting"  Your car is already facing the turn before you get to the turn,,, Here is a clip of the technique applied on the street in traffic    (At the end he does Method #3 )

Not bad  He does make one error and stops after over drifting...





So go to a parking lot in winter preferably without a lot of lamp posts and see how your car handles in a drift (slide) Bear in mins that you need to turn your wheel opposite of the slide to control it > Watch his front wheel on the slides. I picked this vid because of the camera position

3) Hand brake turn...

This requires practice and fast reactions. In the video above near the end you see him slide and go in the opposite direction in seconds...  This is done by jamming on the handbrake (usually need a car with that brake lever in center but this can be done with an automatic with more practice)

In effect you spin the car 180 degrees and step on the gas going the opposite direction.  Walter Boise did this once at a spectator stage   100 MPH on ice... 180 turn slam into reverse   second 180 turn and stopped exactly at the checkpoint car  His navigator never had to get out  just handed the car from the window  LOL it was impressive to watch

In that case the hand brake locks the rear wheels so you can change gear

4) This one was taught to me by a racing instructor in Canada. It is part of a course on defensive driving and it was done on an oil slick... the way it works its that when a car spins each spin reduces the speed by 50%

So  one day on the way back from a raley, he was in the car ahead of me  and was on a T intersection... we were doing about 90... we were not planning to stop at the intersection but an old couple just happened to be dawdling along and would be at the intersection at the same time he would make that sliding turn.

So he tossed the car into a spin   3 spins  from 90  to 45  to  22.5 to  11 then an easy stop right at the stop sign.  I swear those old guys probably had wet pants

Sigh  the good old days

Okay you likely won't be doing those moves  but DO get out to a parking lot and get the FEEL of YOUR car so you know what to do and what not to do when an emergency happens

The guy in the first film that ditched it and ran was the smart one   




I did see ONE guy do it in that video  He headed for the snow covered bank/ditch and jumped out of the car

[zorgon]

This one shows the drifting very nicely





And what a million candle power headlights do for you

[zorgon]

Put this on FULL SCREEN turn up the volume and enjoy

[micjer]

I made a post on this topic about the same time.  LOL  Should combine the two threads.

I live north of Toronto so I am all too familiar with the crashes on highway 400.

The area I live in is considered ski country.  When the snow is flying people want to leave Toronto and other areas with little snow and head north.  They are excited to get here, and forget that driving in snow can be dangerous.  Both because of the low visibility, but also once you hit the brakes, it is likely slippery and stopping distance is increased.

The other thing is a lot of skiers, have purchased 4 wd vehicles, which gives them a false sense of securtity.  Yes they are better than 2 wd, but once you start to skid, hang on!!!  Chances are they are going faster to begin with.

I have driven in whiteouts, snowy roads, and black ice conditions.  There are many times when slowing down is necessity.  Completely stopping can be dangerous however as you have to remember that there may be vehicles coming behind you.  Perhaps even a snow plow!

I have also seen pileups due to fog and bush fires.  Slow down if you can't see!!!

I can guarantee you though, if you slow down on highway 400 in a blinding snow storm, there will be a group of idiots on your ass wanting to pass.  Let em go and then wave at them in the ditch.

[Shasta56]

I was northbound on I-25 last year when we got that crazy mini blizzard right in the narrows.  That's a tricky area to drive in good weather.  It got really slick, really fast, and visibility was almost zero.  I slowed down and got off the highway at Alameda.   Other people were still barreling along at 65 or 70 mph.  The major pileup happened just after I had been through that section.   People insisted on blaming the weather.  We all know it doesn't snow in Denver in the winter.   Nobody seemed interested in admitting that driving too fast for conditions could have been a factor.   I was late for a patient visit that morning,  because I slowed down,  but I got there in one piece.

Shasta

[Wrabbit2000]

I guess I could add a couple helpful things from a trucker's perspective. Winter was always a time that I both looked forward to and dreaded, while prefering to take loads across I-80 and I-90 in the Northern Plains over loads on I-40 and the Southwest. A blizzard would have people asking why the road was closed at all, in Montana...while a couple inches of snow in New Mexico got people killed every season I was out there.

1). Don't follow trucks on snow. Sounds like a no brainer, but ..maybe not so much for how often I saw people do it. Trucks are narrow enough to park in a car space for width, but that doesn't mean the tires have anything in common for space or width. Trucks can follow each other and in deeper snow? You can almost take your hands right off the wheel in some cases, for how tight one remains in the track of the one in front. Cars? They kinda bounce right and left between the ruts that come close...but just don't quite fit.

2). Drive in snow..NOT on 'clear white surface' or recent plowed but NOT clear. You still have traction...even if it isn't much...in snow. There is 0 on ice and not much more on a fresh plowed road where they only plowed part way down. Your traction got plowed right off the top ..and leaving 2 wheels...carefully and deliberately...in the softer snow along the right edge of the highway is a great idea at times. (it can also be tricky..so don't try that for the very first time with other vehicles around close)

3). Bigger ain't better...it just crashes in slower motion. I think I saw more SUV's in the ditch than I saw cars...and I know I saw more trucks over the years than I did 4 wheel vehicles. I don't know if people just THINK bigger is more stable, and so drive harder and crash harder ...or if the edge of control does move out and against logic as the vehicle gets bigger. I never got silly in an 18 wheeler to test the edges and find out..but an SUV doesn't make highway driving on snow/ice safer. It just gives that impression, IMO. (They come in VERY handy in slow driving where 4 wheel and high clearance matters, of course)

4). Finally, always always always take extra food, water and supplies as needed (like stuff for kids or babies) when travelling! I just figured losing time for hours at a stretch, on remote stretches of interstate and far from anything, anywhere, was a standard and actually nice part of winter. Those were like breaks at times..at least when planned for. I mean wrecks and road closures that come in winter as sure as snow. I found myself helping more than one car with kids who hadn't even considered a 3-5 hour wait in stopped traffic though ..and I looked around more than once to wonder..how many folks in cars were really suffering in those? Be Prepared!

Just my couple carrots into the blender.

[zorgon]

I made a post on this topic about the same time.  LOL  Should combine the two threads.

Okay will do

I live north of Toronto so I am all too familiar with the crashes on highway 400.

The area I live in is considered ski country.  When the snow is flying people want to leave Toronto and other areas with little snow and head north.  They are excited to get here, and forget that driving in snow can be dangerous.  Both because of the low visibility, but also once you hit the brakes, it is likely slippery and stopping distance is increased.

Been there done that BUT I used my Rally car to hit the slopes

The other thing is a lot of skiers, have purchased 4 wd vehicles, which gives them a false sense of securtity.  Yes they are better than 2 wd, but once you start to skid, hang on!!!  Chances are they are going faster to begin with.

Faster? Ummmm errrr....

I have also seen pileups due to fog and bush fires.  Slow down if you can't see!!!

That SHOULD be a no brainer... problem is they give licenses to people with no brain 

I can guarantee you though, if you slow down on highway 400 in a blinding snow storm, there will be a group of idiots on your ass wanting to pass.  Let em go and then wave at them in the ditch.

I tended to take the side roads when possible especially going to Ottawa... Once had a Quebec highway patrol pull me over on a back road  No traffic so I was having fun...  He thought I was going a little fast but when he saw the car up close he let me go

OH SNOW TIRES   DO make a difference and UNDER INFLATE THEM  a bit you would be amazed at how much traction you gain   (Rally trick We even put tubes in the tires so if the bead broke you still had air)

A hard tire with no treads is DEATH waiting around the corner

[micjer]

Oh yes driving in Quebec.  That is taking things to another level.

They do love to drive quickly there.

I was driving in northern Quebec one time and was being followed rather closely by this impatient driver on a winding stretch.  There came a straight stretch so this person went flying past, narrowly getting back in front of me as on coming traffic was approaching.

Anyways 15 minutes later I come around a corner to see police car lights and lo and behold they had pulled this car over that had passed me a few miles back.  I chuckeled as I drove by.

15 minutes later I look in my rear view mirror and quess who was back!!!!  This time I pulled off into a gas station for fuel.   See ya!!!!

[burntheships]

Okay you likely won't be doing those moves  but DO get out to a parking lot and get the FEEL of YOUR car so you know what to do and what not to do when an emergency happens

Good advice really, even if it rarely snows where you live it is better
to have a little preparation. Otherwise, it could be the ditch, or worse.

I was driving in northern Quebec one time and was being followed rather closely by this impatient driver on a winding stretch.  There came a straight stretch so this person went flying past, narrowly getting back in front of me as on coming traffic was approaching.

Anyways 15 minutes later I come around a corner to see police car lights and lo and behold they had pulled this car over that had passed me a few miles back.  I chuckeled as I drove by.

15 minutes later I look in my rear view mirror and quess who was back!!!! 

Similar experience here, someone passed me but they spun out and
had a bad ending, no second chance.

Ice can come on very quickly.

[zorgon]

Russians Vs a Snowy Hill

1 pass  20 fail 1 luck as all heck

[Shasta56]

I've driven I-40, 80, and 90.  And I've driven in Vancouver,  BC.  The most polite thing I can say, is that those experiences were interesting.   Two mice for the blender.  Let's make stew.

Shasta