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Talkback: Monday Tip - Winter Motoring
 
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Talkback: Monday Tip - Winter Motoring
If I could offer advice, treat winter driving as though everyone else will drive their cars as though nothing had changed so keep in as high...
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Monday Tip - Winter Motoring
Driving to the mountains? Here's some topical advice to keep you safe and sound.

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Simon Chaplin
19/12/11 18:25
If I could offer advice, treat winter driving as though everyone else will drive their cars as though nothing had changed so keep in as high a gear as possible and leave a longer gap between you and the car in front.

If decending a hill, consider using a lower gear for engine braking rather than the brakes so that the deceleration is gradual.

Also consider braking earlier than normal if you need to but with a lighter pressure so that the vehicle starts to slow down earlier.
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gazza77
19/12/11 19:26
 Rookie 49 forum posts
Also, as someone who drives a 4*4, remember your 4 wheel drive may help with traction to get you going but it's extra weight makes it harder to stop going downhill, which is something many 4*4 owners don't seem to have realised given the standard of driving at times around the South Pennines.
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huskyman
19/12/11 19:30
 Rookie 3635 forum posts 2 photos 7 reviews 1 bookmark

Good advice Simon.

 Other bits of advice, don't use first gear to drive off in, second gear and "riding the clutch" is more likely to stop wheelspin.

 When approaching bends slow down sooner and more than normal.

 Be 'gentle' with steering, no sudden turns, you'll more than likely skid acroos road.

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Metric Kate
19/12/11 19:41
If it's really icy underfoot (or undertyre), drive off just by releasing the clutch, don't use the accelerator!
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alexander rae
19/12/11 19:49
 Rookie 6158 forum posts 36 photos
let Kate come and pick you up .
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Bryan Mclaughlin
19/12/11 20:04
 Rookie 192 forum posts 1 bookmark
If you have traction control it can be helpful to disable for some sections as some systems are very sensitive to wheelspin and remove power as soon as your wheels spin at all.

Winter tyres were fantastic in yesterdays snow and today's ice. Last year our Mazda5 was no good n those conditions.

Oh a few days in Volvo's winter training location in the frozen north of Sweden is also a great learning for bad weather
ESP etc change how you should treat a car in a skid as they sense the cars yaw and apply brakes to individual wheels to turn the car in line with your steering inputs
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Edited: 19/12/11 20:06
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huskyman
19/12/11 20:28
 Rookie 3635 forum posts 2 photos 7 reviews 1 bookmark

If snow is 'new' and not frozen over, it can be a good idea to turn anti skid braking system off, if you can, The build up of snow in front of wheels can stop you quicker.

 ASB, will keep wheels from skidding, on occasions this is not helpful.

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Spiritburner
19/12/11 20:55

+1 for winter tyres.  A Chelsea Tractor with low profile performance tyres will likely not be able to go where a 2 wheel drive car with winter tyres will go.   They don't make you invincible though - all good advice above.  My 4x4 car with winter tyres is better than our old Jeep Cherokee with low ratio etc with regular tyres - they really do make a difference. 

 Get a cheap set of steel wheels or 2nd hand alloys & slap the winters on them.   Alternating with the regular tyres means you extend their life & evens out the cost.  Buy early as well - price of winter tyres goes up as the cold weather sets in & the uK only gets a small allocation from the manufacturer as countries where winter tyres are compulsory get priority.

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gazza77
19/12/11 21:05
 Rookie 49 forum posts
+2 for winter tyres. My last 4*4 ran ATs which were great in the snow, but how often do roads hae a decent amount of snow on them? I'm now running a set of winter tyres, and the difference they've made in the slush I've had to drive through daily for the last fortnight has been remarkable.
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Spiritburner
19/12/11 21:15
Not just for snow - better grip in wet & dry at temps below 7.5 due to the different compound.
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gazza77
19/12/11 21:22
 Rookie 49 forum posts

To be fair (baring in mind in different vehicles), I've not noticed any particular difference in the dry between the ATs and the winters, even at cold temperatures. The winters are slightly better in the wet, but not hugely so, but the difference in slush and packed snow is very noticable. We've not had significant enough snowfall here to compare in fresh snow however, we've just had a regular dusting most days.

 Driving style, roads, level of gritting, vehicle etc all will play a part in the comparison, and as above, I'd certainly recommend winter tyres, especially for those who live in hilly and/or remote areas.

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