SO, since I went out this morning, I have seen multiple vehicles in ditches, cars sliding sideways into intersections, and people trying to pull u-turns into oncoming traffic.

The best advice for most people is DON'T Drive. This should be common sense.

All Wheel Drive and Four Wheel Drive vehicles have an advantage when driving in snowy weather, but Front Wheel Drive vehicles can fair just fine. A Rear Wheel Drive vehicle is not good in the snow. This is due to weight distributions and traction. No one has traction on ice.

Starting:
Knock ALL the snow off your car. This includes the hood, roof, and trunk. Make sure you headlights and tail lights are clear as well. USE YOUR DAMN LIGHTS.
Let your car warm up with the defrosters on for a few minutes. This will start melting the layer of ice/snow that is on your vehicle. Then you can make sure your wiper blades are clear of snow and ice as well. This is important so that when you use them you don't just streak water across the windshield. Try to get as much snow/ice off of you side windows as you can as well.

Driving:
Start slowly. The gas pedal meeting the floor does nothing for you. You want to keep your RPM below 2000 for the most part. If you loose traction, let off the gas. Once started, do not go over 30mph. This is for your safety as well as others.
Plan turns well in advance. Slow down gradually without using your brakes. Do not just turn the wheel suddenly, you will loose traction and keep traveling in the direction you were headed.
Braking takes patience. If you just push the brakes, you will lock up your tires and slide. You can depress the brake pedal slowly and gently, and pump them. You want to slow the wheels down, not stop them. This is where most people screw up and cause lots of problems. If you lock up your wheels you go from little traction to none.
When following people, allow at least 500 feet. When approaching hills, do not stop. You want the momentum as well as keeping traction. If you stop on a hill, you will not be able to continue up it. If someone is in front of you as you approach a hill, back off and let them gain more distance. You don't know if they are coming back down the hill backward.

If you brake hard and/or try and turn too suddenly, you will slide into curbs or ditches. If you mash the gas, your speedometer will read 90, and you will not be moving.

If you have questions about any of this, feel free to ask. If you dont care, then neither do I.

[Edited on January 20, 2009 at 11:41 AM. Reason : typo]

1/20/2009 11:38:36 AM

please send an email to everyone in raleigh

I'm Big Business and i approved this message.

1/20/2009 11:39:19 AM

Quote :

"PEDAL MEETING FLOOD"

Quote :

"IT DOES NOTHING"

1/20/2009 11:40:39 AM

Quote :

"since I went out this morning"

Stopped reading right there

1/20/2009 11:43:41 AM

I know how to drive in the snow and have experience doing so. I used to pull people out of ditches when in my old maxima, mostly jeeps.

I feel comfortable driving in this weather, as it is NOTHING. I can't help that most people are stupid and think they do know how do drive in this.

Maybe what I wrote will help a few avert disaster.

1/20/2009 11:47:43 AM

Oh, I'm not saying YOU can't drive, or any of us. I'm fine in the snow, I was trained for winter weather by an engineer.

I'm just saying stay the fuck off the roads to avoid the idiots who'll collide into anything.

1/20/2009 11:49:36 AM

it's always the cocky ones that bust their ass.

1/20/2009 11:50:14 AM

Quote :

"I was trained for winter weather by an engineer. "

oh shit for real!?

1/20/2009 11:50:24 AM

^^^good advice for most.


I was out a 8am, and there weren't too many people on the road.
They slid off of it

Quote :

"it's always the cocky stupid ones that bust their ass. "

Fixed it for you

[Edited on January 20, 2009 at 11:52 AM. Reason : .]

1/20/2009 11:50:45 AM

i got into a slight understeer doing a three point turn in a neighborhood this morning after going tot he mailbox

it was cool though b/c i was barely moving in the first place and got out of it quickly

1/20/2009 11:51:11 AM

Quote :

"If you stop on a hill, you will not be able to continue up it."

Traction control would help here...


Too bad this trucker didn't read your post. He t-boned a ditch.


[Edited on January 20, 2009 at 11:52 AM. Reason : ]

1/20/2009 11:51:23 AM

Quote :

"I was trained for winter weather by an engineer."

im glad to know an engineer can convey the mechanics of smoothly depressing pedals and turning steering wheels

1/20/2009 11:51:39 AM

Quote :

"it's always the cocky ones that bust their ass. "

1/20/2009 11:52:45 AM

Traction control only helps so much. IF you have no traction, there is nothing to control.
When you stop on a hill, you compact all of the snow under your tires, and kill whatever traction you had.

1/20/2009 11:54:43 AM

You'd be surprised, I've seen a front-wheel drive car pull itself up a wet sheet of ice with traction control.
Even with that said, don't rely on it to keep you safe.

1/20/2009 11:56:02 AM

Snowy roads?


lots of experience... but my ass isn't going anywhere today since I don't have to.

It's also best NOT to stop if possible... b/c starting out is probably the hardest thing to do... If you find yourself having to start out on an uphill slope, don't gas it, instead turn your wheels and worm your way up until the car has gained breaking momentum...

1/20/2009 11:56:14 AM

Fifth Gear tests out ABS, traction control, and stability control at a winter test facility near the arctic circle:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tSy5tHtT1g

1/20/2009 12:01:47 PM

General rule of thumb. allow for 4 times the distance to stop as it took you to get up to speed.

1/20/2009 12:02:21 PM

Shift down to slow down

1/20/2009 12:17:43 PM

You guys are nuts. To drive in the snow:

To go forward stomp the gas. The snow/ice will soon melt as your tires will heat up.
To stop slam on the brakes. This will force the ice to break apart and allow you to stop faster.
4x4 vehicles can drive through anything. People that say ice will make a 4x4 useless are wrong.

This just provides 4 wheels that are able to heat up and melt away the ice.

If you do happen to get in a wreck do not move your car. Allow your car to stay in the road so others can be alerted to your wreck. You may also want to get out of your car and walk around it a few times to inspect for damage. Please, whatever you do, do not allow yourself to think it was your fault. This was certainly caused by someone else that should not have been driving today. People will understand this more if you are irate and talking on your cell phone shortly after the accident.

1/20/2009 12:26:41 PM

1/20/2009 1:43:30 PM

i have a no wheel drive vehicle and it does fine

its everyone else i'm worried about

1/20/2009 1:44:02 PM

i have no intent of leaving my apt at all today


people be crazy

1/20/2009 1:46:20 PM

I had a Dodge Neon in high school (parents 'throw away' extra car that I used) and never had any problems at all in the snow and it snowed at least 8-10 times a year. My Mazda 626 that I had in college was shitty in the snow, but it hardly snowed at all when I had it.

Now I have a RSX and I've driven it to Tahoe in the snow a few times and it seems to be fine. I've run in to no problems. If you are inexperienced in the snow, you should try not to drive in it. If you do drive in it, just don't be a fucking idiot and you should be alright.

Ice is a different story, no matter your experience in it. I never drive in ice if I can help it...

1/20/2009 1:49:11 PM

if you are inexperienced how do you become experienced without driving in it?

1/20/2009 1:50:06 PM

RAWR RAWR RAWR

KING DOUCHEBAG HERE

I AM A BETTER DRIVER IN THE SNOW AND ANY OTHER ELEMENT THAN YOU

RAWR RAWR RAWR

1/20/2009 1:50:36 PM

Fuck.

I was hoping no one would respond to that, before I had a chance to edit.

1/20/2009 1:50:37 PM

Quote :

"i have a no wheel drive vehicle "

wut? like the flintstones??

1/20/2009 1:56:42 PM

Quote :

"You can depress the brake pedal slowly and gently, and pump them."

If you have ABS, pumping the brakes ain't gonna help any. If not, then that's good advice. And "slowly and gently" works wonders.

Quote :

"Traction control only helps so much. IF you have no traction, there is nothing to control. When you stop on a hill, you compact all of the snow under your tires, and kill whatever traction you had."

Yep. My car has traction control and it didn't do me a whole lot of good on the icy hill my house is on. Took me about 5 minutes to go up maybe 100 feet of hill, while a little sideways most of the time (yes, Virginia, RWD is bad in the snow). My drive to work was rather scary as a whole; hopefully the one home will be a bit better.

1/20/2009 1:58:41 PM

Quote :

"You can depress the brake pedal slowly and gently, and pump them."

Youre' not suppose to pump ABS are you?

1/20/2009 2:00:12 PM

ABS pumps itself, much like DNL.

1/20/2009 2:01:15 PM

ZING!!!

1/20/2009 2:01:42 PM

This is why I love my Evo and snow tires been running errands and food runs all day.

1/20/2009 2:03:40 PM

My Police Crown Vic is rear wheel drive, should be a fun night

1/20/2009 2:22:26 PM

If ABS engages, you are trying to use your brakes too much.
By pumping brakes I was more reffering to pedal modulation to very pressure before lockup.

1/20/2009 2:23:57 PM

good tires make a huge difference.

1/20/2009 2:30:04 PM

Quote :

"your speedometer will read 90"

speedometer gears are on drive wheels?

Quote :

"Shift down to slow down"

that can fuck you up too if you don't know what you are doing and let the rpms's shoot up. the drive wheels can break loose and start you sliding or spinning just as easily as breaking too much.

1/20/2009 2:34:26 PM

^yeah...well you take your foot off the gas let your car start slowing down, then shift down...you shouldn't be going so fast that your rpms shoot up when you shift down anyway....I mean you are driving in snow...if you're going too fast to shift down then you're going too fast.

1/20/2009 2:39:28 PM

^^speedometer gets readings from different places on different vehicles.
My maxima would break 100 while sitting still. Don't know about my VW.
The wheels ARE spinning at speeds that would corrolate to a high speed, but with no friction, it doesn't do much.

Just like putting a car on a lift and putting it in drive. You can make the speedo say all sorts of crazy things even though the car isn't moving.

[Edited on January 20, 2009 at 2:40 PM. Reason : .]

1/20/2009 2:40:07 PM

Quote :

"My Police Crown Vic is rear wheel drive, should be a fun night"

Hahahaha sucks to be you.

I drove my caprice home through a snow storm in WV, VA. WV was canceling school the night before, and those mofos are not afraid of snow. It was interesting. Good news is that with some good snow tires, it's not that big a deal. Caprice/crown vic are so heavy they just keep on going once you get them started, no matter what's under them.

1/20/2009 2:40:20 PM

Quote :

"good tires make a huge difference."

HELL YES THEY DO. My tires spin in rain, in the snow this morning my car was just about useless and uncontrollable. I was as easy on the gas as possible and the tires still spun. Driving in the snow has a lot to do with what a shitty car you have, and mine is definitely not good for these conditions (RWD only, crap tires).

1/20/2009 2:52:53 PM

My tires are rated ultra high performance summer and have a snow rating of N/A.
Worked just fine today, though they say you should avoid pushing them at any temp under 40 degrees

Its all in how you drive.

1/20/2009 5:06:34 PM

Winter Weather Advisory until Wednesday at 9pm for black ice. Gonna get cold tonight!

1/20/2009 5:20:43 PM

Just got back riding on my motorcycle... I if I'm two wheels and can navigate properly, so should 4 wheels.

1/20/2009 5:29:03 PM

my anaconda honda made it

well i wouldn't drive now. i just went ice skating in my clarks! but at 530ish i slid in a couple places. no biggie. at like 630 we slid a lot down this hill off dixie, but it was still ok. now done with the driving for the night!

1/20/2009 7:41:02 PM

Here the guide for driving in the snow in NC:

Stay off the roads!

1/20/2009 7:47:02 PM

here's how you drive in the roads




MAD DEVIL CRACK VAMPIRE

RUN MOTHERFUCKER RUN

1/20/2009 7:47:54 PM

Quote :

""

cool, the tires changed sides

1/20/2009 8:19:33 PM

date night

1/20/2009 8:20:38 PM

i remember in '05 when raleigh got like half an inch of snow, and it fucked all the roads up. the snow started coming down during class, and i had to drive home afterward. i was heading down hillsboro st to get to my place OFF KAPLAN. i had to go under the RR bridge. for those familiar, you know the slight slope to the road there. well everything was going fine until that point. the fucker in front of me decided to slam the breaks at the bottom, even though we were going slow, that means i had to try to stop, which sent me sliding towards the oncoming traffic. thank god last second the jackass in front of me corrected, cuz i didnt have a second to spare before i would have hit someone. yea, i should have given a little more time before heading down, but i had already spent something like and hour and a half or two hours just making it down h'boro st.

i remember i finally got home, and my roommates and i just watched failed attempt after failed attempt by the people who lived down the street to make it up the road towards athens.

whenever it snows, there are always those jackasses who go out driving for fun. i guess most of them learn, sooner or later, that even when the road conditions are shitty, there is still someone at fault when there's an accident.

1/20/2009 8:21:20 PM