why can't people drive in the slightest bit of bad weather!?

[Kalahari]

Hate the 4x4 drivers, not just the big things but cars with 4x4, who think four wheel drive allows them to go really fast forgetting that everybody has four wheel brakes and will stop faster than them because they are braking from a lower speed!

David.

 

[Dalua]

If you know how to drive in snow you don't actually need winter tyres.

Sort of - but you might also need a shovel, a bag of cinders and a piece of old carpet in the boot .
Not, of course, that one shouldn't carry a shovel anyway.

I feel that 20years or so ago when cars had much narrower tyres than they do now it was easier to drive on snow with non-snow tyres.

 

[Yorkie]

Anyone used 'Snow Socks'?

A useful aid to safer driving on snow covered roads or total waste of time?

Yorkie.

 

[RDG]

I used snow socks last 2 years on our VW Caravelle. They don't work miracles but they do make a significant difference, especially going up gradients. They aren't too awkward to put on / take off if you put them on before you're actually stuck.

 

[bewsher500]

If you know how to drive in snow you don't actually need winter tyres. It's all about driving smoothly and keeping your momentum going

Would love to keep momentum up but some **** in a Mercedes has parked sideways across the road!
dont get me started on discos, range rovers and Porsche cayennes with 30 profile racing tyres!!


I once had a very embarrassed disco4 owner asking to be pulled out of the gutter as he couldn't get his barge up the camber!!
would happily obliged if either one of us could have found the invisible towing eye!!

 

[Primer]

I've been forced into a ditch before in the snow by a land rover defender driver as he was driving in the middle of the road and wouldn't move, he never stopped and I ended up lifting my car out of the Ditch on my own.

In 1999 I came up to Scotland to do a weeks skiing, I did almost 2, 000 miles in the snow with no issues and then on way home less than 200 yards from my house and an idiot accelerated coming towards me, lost control and ploughed straight into me.

To be honest I now try and stay off the roads if it's snowed as even though I have an Audi Quattro with winter tyres it doesn't matter how safe or prepared you are if none of the other muppets are as you will still be sat in the same traffic jam as the idiot in the rear wheel drive BMW is that's causing the problems 5 miles up the road.

 

[User00003]

Would love to keep momentum up but some **** in a Mercedes has parked sideways across the road!
dont get me started on discos, range rovers and Porsche cayennes with 30 profile racing tyres!!


I once had a very embarrassed disco4 owner asking to be pulled out of the gutter as he couldn't get his barge up the camber!!
would happily obliged if either one of us could have found the invisible towing eye!!

you're good at sideways parallel parking next to stone walls too Ed BTW, so much snow and ice in same corner today I almost joined your club!

 

[diverdave]

I dislike driving now, it is not a fear thing, i just dislike having cars driving badly all round me, too close to me and generally not understanding simple highway code rules.
I have driven for nearly 30 years, am blue light trained, HGV trained, drove fire engines for 15 years, done numerous driving refresher courses, every 3 years i think, off road driving and 4x4 courses, even an argo driving course.

The problem is young drivers are trained to pass a test, and that is it. They then get a pass and really believe that they can drive. Everyone rushes everywhere (i drive fast, and make positive progress, but am not reckless) but i see people in the morning rat race jumping lights, cutting folks up and the like, to get to work early and then bitch about how terrible work is. It makes no sense, i know that sounds really old, but i guess i am tired of cutting bodies out of cars.

Winter driving just amplifies this, on warm dry roads they get away with it more, but the driving in its own way is just as bad. I must admit that is drive 2 4x4 cars, had all the big powerful cars in the past, but now have a day by day 4x4 and a defender for my fishing, shooting and towing the argo and boat. It is 24 years old and is my winter car. it is not an extreme off roader, but has 2 alternators, 2 batteries and chunky tyres and a winch. Living in NE scotland i can see use for both and the landy is not a full time car or ideal for long journeys with the family.

But one thing to remember, a landy or decent 4x4 with ground clearance and proper winter style tyres should be able to go basically anywhere in sensible conditions. it will also let you get way further into trouble, and when 2 tones starts to slip it will slide properly, a kerb certainly wont stop it. If you get a landy or similar stuck, you will need another or a tractor to get you out.

One a final note, my wife drove a 2x4 skoda yeti for a couple of winters, and it stuck everywhere. It could not get up our road in a very gentle incline when icy. I had to tow it with the defender many times. Eventually i drove it and it came up the road no problem. It had all manner of traction control buttons that cut the power totally when it started to spin, even slightly, so when setting up motion it basically stopped every time it tried to move. Turning this off for 5 yards and it was actually quite a decent drive. I wonder how many drivers actually know what these features are for?

 

[sikadog]

Driving through Staffordshire on the A50 dual carrageway early one morning in 4 inches of snow, everone was driving along the inside lane at 20mph the outside lane was all virgin snow.

After 10 minutes I got bored ( I was driving a twin wheel transit pickup ) they were very good in the snow, I hooked out into the outside lane and overtook the slower inside lane, when I looked in my mirrors the outside lane was full.

The traffic line in the inside lane was 3 1/2 miles long and at the front a Disco with a woman driving.

 

[David T]

If you know how to drive in snow you don't actually need winter tyres.

Yeah would agree with that. Don't have winter tyres, never had. Feel that putting winter tyres on gives some drivers a false sense of confidence in their and their cars ability leading to them doing stupid/careless things. Some drivers should know better but for others, such as new drivers, its a learning experience. We've all been there at some point and that is why we are all such wonderful drivers now.

 

[roedeerred]

Best one I've had was man off the road one snowy morning flagged me down and aske for a push out .
Have you got it in 4WD I asked
reply I don't know how to do that

 

[Dalua]

Yeah would agree with that. Don't have winter tyres, never had. Feel that putting winter tyres on gives some drivers a false sense of confidence in their and their cars ability leading to them doing stupid/careless things. Some drivers should know better but for others, such as new drivers, its a learning experience. We've all been there at some point and that is why we are all such wonderful drivers now.

Nevertheless, you can go places on ice and snow on winter tyres that would be impossible without. I wouldn't have believed that until I bought some, but it is indeed true.

 

[David T]

Nevertheless, you can go places on ice and snow on winter tyres that would be impossible without. I wouldn't have believed that until I bought some, but it is indeed true.

Sorry don't agree. I do 50k a year on all types of roads and up and down the country including farm tracks all on normal road tyres. That's before I even get the chance to take the car shooting. Cant say I have never been stuck but when I have it was in conditions were anything would have got stuck and, ultimately, was my fault for misreading the conditions.

Our techs used to have winter tyres fitted and I was called out to help them weekly as they were stuck. More often than not their over confidence at having winter tyres made them think they were indestructible. Similar to the Range Rover syndrome we have all seen I guess. Once they got used to what their tyres could do no more problems but what their tyres could do wasn't anything different to what my normal tyres could do.

Comes back to training and experience.

 

[weeman]

Sorry don't agree. I do 50k a year on all types of roads and up and down the country including farm tracks all on normal road tyres. That's before I even get the chance to take the car shooting. Cant say I have never been stuck but when I have it was in conditions were anything would have got stuck and, ultimately, was my fault for misreading the conditions.

Our techs used to have winter tyres fitted and I was called out to help them weekly as they were stuck. More often than not their over confidence at having winter tyres made them think they were indestructible. Similar to the Range Rover syndrome we have all seen I guess. Once they got used to what their tyres could do no more problems but what their tyres could do wasn't anything different to what my normal tyres could do.

Comes back to training and experience.

I totally agree, approx nearly 20 years ago before health and safety became crazy my old man and grand father use to take me on to the building sites on a Saturday helping them out. I still remember now my grandad saying. If you can drive an old thwaites manual wind up dumper across a mud, soaking site, stock pilling your earth without getting stuck your a good driver, if you do get stuck you'll soon learn not to. Within two years I mastered it. Driving the old dumpers up to 6ton I think certainly, certainly improved my driving in winter conditions as of today.
My previous place of worked asked me how I could drive an old m reg vauxhall Astra down the lane to them as two staff members needed a disco. They said had I had special training, I just replied yes on a building site. Cheers grandad.

Any one else remember the old thwaites dumpers......??
You'd even break your wrist, or choke to death once got the buggers started.
Then the introduction of the 714 key.....sxxt I now feel old

 

[User00003]

I think having good winter tires on is just sensible and shows respect to your fellow drivers, AS LONG as you don't drive with any less care than you would have on summer tires, it's just safer and more fit for purpose.

had 4 decent one's installed on the Mrs car today, including new brake pads, £280, I think that's a small price as they will come off in April and go on for another 2-3 seasons come every November or so.

 

[Dalua]

Comes back to training and experience.

I'm pleased to hear that! I've not had any training, and my experience is beyond doubt that for going up gradients, as well as general driving, in ice and/or snow, the tyres designed for the job knock the others into a cocked hat.

Perhaps I should go and get trained on how to make summer tyres, which nowadays are essentially rock-hard cut slicks, grip on frozen roads!

 

[countrryboy]

Winter tyres weren't doing much good tonite, had a bit of a squeaky bum time, trying to take 1t of wheat up shoot and do a bit of lamping on way home, side roads a complete sheet of ice far worse than expected, only just got to the top of the first hill, pulled in and bottled it afore the next hills as no more turning points for trailer, managed to get it turned just and then had to come back down that hill and make the corner at the bottom. Was a few times i was almost ready to drive it into the verge and hope the trailer followed
Just hope i can get it up the morro as i need my trailer emptied


U say winter tyres dinae make much difference but about this time last year someone put a link up to an Auto Express? test they done on some snow dome, took a 2wd and 4wd car (think both ford Ka's?) and tried to see how far they could drive on normal and winter tyres, the 2wd got a good bit further the 4wd got right to the top nae bother when before only got 30 odd m. Thet say winter tyres do grip better on dry conditions than 'normal' tyres but only below 7 degrees, something to do wi softer rubber, so will wear quicker
Think in the old day's more folk would run there motors on old 'town and country' tyres which were far grippyier than modern tyres. I run my winter tyres on my wee van all year to get more off road grip and amazing the places u can put it.

 

[Jagare]

Winter tyres wear faster when its over 5c. The quality friction tyres are just as good in the snow as studded tyres but tyres with studs are best when its icy. I've got Friction tyres on the caddy and studded on the mitsu. When we get the snow and ice i use the mitsu. saves having to plough the road before i go to work.

 

[Tom270]

I Absolutely agree with Ranger 22 post 10 most drivers have no training to drive in bad weather, take your test and carry on for 70 years, its madness.
We use cold weather tyres, they are good and as long as there no one "stuck" ahead we usually get there, if we have trouble on go the snow socks and they are GREAT, in the right circumstances.
Cold weather tyres have different side walls and offer better tread to road in the cold and tread better than summer tyres too, you can run them all year round if you want but may not get same mileage per set that way. Also important to change tyres earlier in winter as legal limit offers longer stopping distances in the wet and less grip in snow.
I do 999 response in my own car and love snow socks had a set for two years now and never failed to arrive, yet.
There is no substitute for training and experience and probably many drivers should use another mode of transport in really bad weather or stay put but this is contentious.
I have seen an all singing and dancing Range Rover with more electronic traction controls than you could shake a stick at but the wrong tyres stuck and the elderly farmer in his series 2 Landy with narrow blocky tyres drive steady past.
Lots of good advice in this thread.

 

[tumbleweed]

I have been driving for 30 odd years and every winter for nearly them all we where guarenteed snow and some winters when younger there was up to 4-5 ft in places and on the roads you would see cars scattered up and down the streets and the reason because people did not assess the situation that there was present at the time and they thought that they would take the chance and there where loads that were proved wrong.The next door neighbours jumping into the car with a suit an pair of shoes hoping to make it to work and that was the biggest problem for normal people was getting to work, picking the weans up, getting the shopping and whilst they take the chances out on the roads, they do not for one minute think that if something goes wrong then they totally expect the emergency services to help them when most of the time these services are struggling themselves with old vehicles and sub standard funds to enable them to get the true equipment that they need.
So if you dont need to go out then think of all the other people that are risking life or limb to save yer erse if something goes wrong. Stay in the house. sorry rant over. Be safe everyone and let there be a very Happy Festive period for all.