Driving - ice roads

[garjo]

Just spend 3.5 hrs getting back from B'Ham (normally takes 2). Roads really bad, I don't drive 4x4, drive small japanese car. Any tips on driving in ice? - no fun when you come across black ice on motorway - understand you don't brake - any other tips apprecaited - got to go work tomorrow

 

Ta

[TJ91]

just go slower, set off in higher gear...thats all i ever do

kepp your distance from other drivers, you never know which cars are been driven by idiots and what they will do!

Edited December 19, 2010 by TJ91

[poontang]

Any tips on driving in ice?

 

got to go work tomorrow

 

 

The best tip for driving on ice is............don't.

 

Do you HAVE to go to work tomorrow? Why risk it if you don't really need to?

[Devon Fox]

AS above - unless its life or death dont risk it!

 

I am cancelling all my work for Monday & hope things clear up by Tuesday :(

 

Its a pain in the ***** but I dont want to wreck myself or my car or anyone else for the sake of a days pay.

[DSPUK]

John Watson skid school course I had said push clutch in quick and "gently" steer - Being younger those days and thought I knew it the instructor put car on full icy setting - believe me there is nowt you can do till you hit something hard.

 

So drive slower and keep distance as already said. -- I am surprised the gritters haven't done motorways.

 

Dave

[poontang]

I am surprised the gritters haven't done motorways.

 

 

They've used snow ploughs and gritters here, but the A12 was still a lottery this morning.

 

[Bluebarrels]

Road conditions around me aint great,and according to internet reports,many local councils have used 60% of salt supplies already god help us if we have much more snow :o Time to call in the Army,to get the job done correctly,and put the councils to shame BB

[Mrs Sweepy]

I never got out of third gear today.

And the only time I braked was when I pulled

up on my drive .

Lucky my part of the A12 was not too bad

but am dreading this evening .

So I will just do what I did this morning.

 

What got my back up where the ****** walkers

who decided to use the roads as paths.

xxxxSuzy

[AVB]

I drove back from my shoot yesterday evening. A normal journey time of a fraction over one hour became three hours. It was OK as long as you drove very carefully, used a high gear where possible and avoided the brakes. The problems were always large BMWs, Jags and in one case a Maserati (would you really take one out in the snow!). Powerful engines, fat tyres and auto gearboxes don't mix in the snow. Inevitably any incline and these cars just sat there spinning their wheels. In a car such as those I suspect you are banjaxed regardless of how good a driver you think you are. And of course everybody else suffers behind them. my little 1.5d Megan coped fine until I got home and was unable to negotiate the drive!

[TJ91]

Road conditions around me aint great,and according to internet reports,many local councils have used 60% of salt supplies already god help us if we have much more snow :o Time to call in the Army,to get the job done correctly,and put the councils to shame BB

 

time to get the unemployed out with shovels doing something useful

they can clear the roads for us workers who pay taxes to pay for ther fags and booze

[Bluebarrels]

time to get the unemployed out with shovels doing something useful

they can clear the roads for us workers who pay taxes to pay for ther fags and booze

And as much as i agree with you 100% both of us know it aint ever going to happen BB

[Bluebarrels]

I never got out of third gear today.

And the only time I braked was when I pulled

up on my drive .

Lucky my part of the A12 was not too bad

but am dreading this evening .

So I will just do what I did this morning.

 

What got my back up where the ****** walkers

who decided to use the roads as paths.

xxxxSuzy

 

Well done on getting home safely Suzy

 

Did you manage to clear the supermarket carpark of snow driving round and round so you didnt have to reverse Many thanks BB

[ollie]

The best tip for driving on ice is............don't.

 

Do you HAVE to go to work tomorrow? Why risk it if you don't really need to?

 

 

AS above - unless its life or death dont risk it!

 

I am cancelling all my work for Monday & hope things clear up by Tuesday :(

 

Its a pain in the ***** but I dont want to wreck myself or my car or anyone else for the sake of a days pay.

 

I can't believe this attitude. How do you think people survive in countries that get a lot more snow than us. I slogged my way from work (I work in a hotel so the hotel can't close) on Friday evening, back up to work on Saturday morning (I have to drive over a mountain road) and it took me almost 2 hours to drive 25 miles; then I found out when I got to work that some people from a few miles down the road couldn't bother their ***** coming into work . Also I only drive a wee corsa so it's not as though I am in a four wheel drive.

[holly]

working in glasgow mon tues wed , drive there tommorow drive back wed evening :o

[100milesaway]

Just spend 3.5 hrs getting back from B'Ham (normally takes 2). Roads really bad, I don't drive 4x4, drive small japanese car. Any tips on driving in ice? - no fun when you come across black ice on motorway - understand you don't brake - any other tips apprecaited - got to go work tomorrow

 

Ta

Highest gear possible for going uphill and lowest gear possible for coming down the steep bits. Don't brake or change gear aggresivly, and keep a very large space between you and the car in front. Pull over and yet the bumper huggers pass you if you can, you will normally see them in a wall around the next bend.Clean off all your windows and lights properly and use neat windscreenwash.If you are unfortuate enough to get into a slide steer into it untill you are back in control.If you are on black ice, usually you may have a small amount of warning before hand as the car loses road noise.We can all drive fast in snow the skill is in the stopping in control of your vehicle. It doesn't matter how many 4x4x4x4's you have none of them will have any control on serious ice without chains or studds. from Auntie.

[poontang]

I can't believe this attitude. How do you think people survive in countries that get a lot more snow than us. I slogged my way from work (I work in a hotel so the hotel can't close) on Friday evening, back up to work on Saturday morning (I have to drive over a mountain road) and it took me almost 2 hours to drive 25 miles; then I found out when I got to work that some people from a few miles down the road couldn't bother their ***** coming into work . Also I only drive a wee corsa so it's not as though I am in a four wheel drive.

 

Well done you, give yourself a pat on the back.

 

I don't expect the emergency services worry too much about other countries snow and how it affects them when they issue warnings to stay put unless ABSOLUTELY neccessary.

 

Bear in mind you might not be so lucky next time, and I doubt your boss will be paying for your wee Corsa to be repaired.

[ollie]

Well done you, give yourself a pat on the back.

 

I don't expect the emergency services worry too much about other countries snow and how it affects them when they issue warnings to stay put unless ABSOLUTELY neccessary.

 

Bear in mind you might not be so lucky next time, and I doubt your boss will be paying for your wee Corsa to be repaired.

 

Right so what would happen if everyone took that attitude but not travelling at the first sign of snow? Would you be happy if you were staying at a hotel and showed up to find it was closed because nobody would bother their *** leaving their house. I think the UK & Ireland is already enough of a nanny state without letting the snow take over aswell.

[ferretmanabu]

Right so what would happen if everyone took that attitude but not travelling at the first sign of snow? Would you be happy if you were staying at a hotel and showed up to find it was closed because nobody would bother their *** leaving their house. I think the UK & Ireland is already enough of a nanny state without letting the snow take over aswell.

 

Chill out a second. It's not really the first sign of snow and other countries are well used to worse weather on a yearly basis. This is not normal for us and so we are not equipped. If people are being told to stay put unless absolutely necessary, then there's nothing wrong with taking the advice.

[BlaserF3]

The correct tyres make a big difference I tried to buy some Winter tyres recently but they are sold out until the New Year.

 

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/products/total_tyre_guide/259435/winter_tyre_test.html

[poontang]

Right so what would happen if everyone took that attitude but not travelling at the first sign of snow? Would you be happy if you were staying at a hotel and showed up to find it was closed because nobody would bother their *** leaving their house. I think the UK & Ireland is already enough of a nanny state without letting the snow take over aswell.

 

Nothing to do with a nanny state is it.

 

ALL the emergency services have advised people not to travel, simple as that. If you want to take a chance that's fine by me, it's your car and your life.

If I had a REAL emergency I'd weigh up the risks, but travelling 25 miles to work in a hotel....No way.

[Dave-G]

The correct tyres make a big difference I tried to buy some Winter tyres recently but they are sold out until the New Year.

 

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/products/total_tyre_guide/259435/winter_tyre_test.html

 

Amen to that. The warninjgs about not travelling are made in the knowledge that most brits are too dumb or stubborn to fit winter tyres on - which have a lot more soft flexible grabby rubber in their compound than tougher summer tyres which stop flexing and gripping at about 7 degrees C.

 

After seeing all the reports about being due for another hard winter I decided to try some winter tyres on a spare pair of steel rims for the front drive wheels to swap over from my usual summer ones. I bought them in November from mytyres.com before they almost doubled in price. One of the best investments I ever made.

 

The difference is massive - I kid you not. I'm a reasonably sporty driver, like most taxi drivers - and can confirm I drive as normal over fresh or compacted snow with total grip and therefore with great confidence.

 

If you are toodling along in front of me and holding me up - I will be passing you and will be in better control of my car than you could possibly realise untill you try winter tyres for yourself.

 

They will be swapped back after the winter as the softer rubber will not survive as long on dry roads as harder compound tyres.

Edited December 19, 2010 by Dave-G

[JonD]

Driving in ice is far from ideal to start with.

 

If you have to drive on ice my advice would be as follows:

 

Turn the radio etc and passengers off so you can hear, if you lose road noise you are on ice.

 

Increase your stopping distances 10x

 

Read the road and plan what you are going to do well before you get there, i.e. if you see a set of traffic lights on green 100yds out think of a stop\commit point. (All the guys with a bike licsense will know what I mean as that's how we ride normally)

 

Be as gentle as you can with the brakes\clutch and gas, i haven't used 1st gear for the last couple of days or the brakes much either, double de-clutching to do a smooth change down and brake that way, anticipate what is ahead and keep momentum even if it's on tickover in 2nd.

 

Imagine you are driving with a dozen eggs on your bonnet worth a grand each and you won't go far wrong.

 

The roads here are still completely bad, that's the primary routes but still passable if driving to the conditions.

 

If they ice up over night then i may not go out tomorrow.

 

Jon.

[ollie]

Chill out a second. It's not really the first sign of snow and other countries are well used to worse weather on a yearly basis. This is not normal for us and so we are not equipped. If people are being told to stay put unless absolutely necessary, then there's nothing wrong with taking the advice.

 

Yes other countries are used to the weather; however, we had equally as bad weather last year and at some point most years we have a few days bad weather.

 

Nothing to do with a nanny state is it.

 

ALL the emergency services have advised people not to travel, simple as that. If you want to take a chance that's fine by me, it's your car and your life.

If I had a REAL emergency I'd weigh up the risks, but travelling 25 miles to work in a hotel....No way.

 

So you would rather lose out on a days pay. If that was the case that would be up to about a week now I would have lost in wages and unfortunately I can't afford to do that.

[Ferret Master]

I have a weekend job at a supermarket. As a result I spent 9 hours yesterday (including 1 and a half hours of breaks) shovelling snow and pushing trollies. What really got my goat was people driving around with 5 inches of snow all over their car everywhere apart from a narrow window there their wipers had been used. As soon as these nonces who are not fit to be in charge of a trolly let alone a car braked then their visibility was completely impaired as the now melting snow slid down their windscreen. Idiots.

 

FM

[poontang]

 

 

 

So you would rather lose out on a days pay. If that was the case that would be up to about a week now I would have lost in wages and unfortunately I can't afford to do that.

 

Ollie, you have to weigh up what's more important to you and your family should the worst happen.

 

The country loses hundreds of millions of pounds every day in this weather, due to lost days at work. The decision to issue severe traffic warnings aren't taken lightly.

We, as a nation are pretty rubbish at dealing with harsh weather conditions but I'm sure when these warnings are issued it's done in everyone's best interest. It would be interesting to hear from some of the emergency service personel on the site and hear their opinions.