Rich Posted December 18, 2009 Report Share Posted December 18, 2009 What is better for driving...FWD, RWD or AWD and how does each one behave on snow/ice? What is the best way to drive a car on snow/ice for all of the above? I have a good idea (I think), pull away in 2nd, don't slam the brakes on etc. After last night when I attempted to go downhill and felt the car sliding I kept stopping as I was bumping off the kerb Should I have just gone for it, left the car in 1st and tried controlling it, gently braking towards the end? It is quite steep though and bends round. I'm sure it's my wide tyres as well and possibly the brand that was also making it slide easily. Before I started modding cars and had 14" wheels I didn't have many problems with snow/ice. Yet having said that I can't remember having it this bad in the last 12 years like the 2 lots of snow we've had this year...what happened to global warming! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazza Posted December 18, 2009 Report Share Posted December 18, 2009 What is better for driving...FWD, RWD or AWD and how does each one behave on snow/ice? What is the best way to drive a car on snow/ice for all of the above? I have a good idea (I think), pull away in 2nd, don't slam the brakes on etc. After last night when I attempted to go downhill and felt the car sliding I kept stopping as I was bumping off the kerb Should I have just gone for it, left the car in 1st and tried controlling it, gently braking towards the end? It is quite steep though and bends round. I'm sure it's my wide tyres as well and possibly the brand that was also making it slide easily. Before I started modding cars and had 14" wheels I didn't have many problems with snow/ice. Yet having said that I can't remember having it this bad in the last 12 years like the 2 lots of snow we've had this year...what happened to global warming! AWD is great if you use the right tyres, waste of time otherwise FWD is better than RWD as the weight is over the driving wheels thin tyres with a deep tread are better, they dig in wide sports tyres are useless, they flatten the snow and make for a bigger surface to slip on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted December 18, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 18, 2009 AWD is great if you use the right tyres, waste of time otherwise FWD is better than RWD as the weight is over the driving wheels thin tyres with a deep tread are better, they dig in wide sports tyres are useless, they flatten the snow and make for a bigger surface to slip on When you say the right tyres for AWD do you mean winter ones? So what about a RWD car that has the engine at the rear, would that behave the same as a FWD only in the opposite way? I thought my tyres were flattening the snow when I got out and looked at the tracks, they're 215 wide. They don't have much tread left...about 2mm from the marker so probably not enough to dig in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazza Posted December 18, 2009 Report Share Posted December 18, 2009 AWD is great if you use the right tyres, waste of time otherwise FWD is better than RWD as the weight is over the driving wheels thin tyres with a deep tread are better, they dig in wide sports tyres are useless, they flatten the snow and make for a bigger surface to slip on When you say the right tyres for AWD do you mean winter ones? So what about a RWD car that has the engine at the rear, would that behave the same as a FWD only in the opposite way? I thought my tyres were flattening the snow when I got out and looked at the tracks, they're 215 wide. They don't have much tread left...about 2mm from the marker so probably not enough to dig in. most SUV's for example have hi performance sport tyres which are next to useless in snow, think typical land rover with big chunky tread off road tyres they are good in snow my CRV has 245 wide tyres and are only a month old, they just do not grip at all, yet in normal conditions they stick like glue rear engined RWD wouldnt be as good as FWD as the steering wheels would not have the weight over them or driving force, RWD drive would tend to understeer, the disadvantages of FWD in normal and high speed driving becomes an advantage in snow its easier to pull something through snow than it is to push it ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hms Posted December 19, 2009 Report Share Posted December 19, 2009 As mentioned above slow and easy on all controls. Use second if you can over first due to the extra torque. If you have a LSD diff and you are getting no traction, apply a little handbrake, this kids the diff into thinking it has grip and will apply power to the wheels. In a rear wheel drive is is also possible to use the kerb to give grip to the wheel and get you going. Came home through the estate the other night, sideways, on full lock, being overtaken by pedestrians! Have a set of Cooper tyres on the rear, not too much use, one track day, but no grip at all! h Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted December 20, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2009 most SUV's for example have hi performance sport tyres which are next to useless in snow, think typical land rover with big chunky tread off road tyres they are good in snowmy CRV has 245 wide tyres and are only a month old, they just do not grip at all, yet in normal conditions they stick like glue rear engined RWD wouldnt be as good as FWD as the steering wheels would not have the weight over them or driving force, RWD drive would tend to understeer, the disadvantages of FWD in normal and high speed driving becomes an advantage in snow its easier to pull something through snow than it is to push it ! A mate of the missus has a CRV and I don't think she's had any trouble, although the tyres aren't new. What about for pulling away, would a FWD still be better than a RWD? I just couldn't get my car to move uphill today, even in 2nd and tried gently pulling away, just got loads of wheel spinning. As mentioned above slow and easy on all controls.Use second if you can over first due to the extra torque. If you have a LSD diff and you are getting no traction, apply a little handbrake, this kids the diff into thinking it has grip and will apply power to the wheels. In a rear wheel drive is is also possible to use the kerb to give grip to the wheel and get you going. Came home through the estate the other night, sideways, on full lock, being overtaken by pedestrians! Have a set of Cooper tyres on the rear, not too much use, one track day, but no grip at all! h How do you mean use the kerb, as in bump up it or drive along side it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hms Posted December 20, 2009 Report Share Posted December 20, 2009 Providing there are no cars at the kerb of course! If you run they sidewall of the tyre agains the kerb, that tyre will gain grip, and you will start to move forward. Do this at idle speeds and you should get going without any tyre damage. h Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted December 20, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2009 Providing there are no cars at the kerb of course! If you run they sidewall of the tyre agains the kerb, that tyre will gain grip, and you will start to move forward. Do this at idle speeds and you should get going without any tyre damage. h Don't forget rim damage if you have low profile tyres! Good tip though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted December 21, 2009 Report Share Posted December 21, 2009 On the Vectra (FWD) i dropped the front tyre pressures to 20psi for the drive home tonight and i find rocking the steering from side-to-side helps when trying to get up hill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted December 21, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 21, 2009 On the Vectra (FWD) i dropped the front tyre pressures to 20psi for the drive home tonight and i find rocking the steering from side-to-side helps when trying to get up hill. Is that going to damage the tyre walls though? Also what size wheels are best for winter tyres, would 16's be ok or 15's better? It's just that when I do my brake upgrade the smallest wheel I could fit is 16". When I had my 15" steelies they had 195/60/15 tyres, could 195 be fitted to 16" rims or would 205 be the minimum? Or would it really matter if winter tyres were going to be fitted anyway? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted November 30, 2010 Author Report Share Posted November 30, 2010 Some good advice on the BBC website about driving in this weather - See here Good tip about using the cat litter as grit, I might buy a bag to keep in the boot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phipck Posted November 30, 2010 Report Share Posted November 30, 2010 i can talk about the MR layout and the FF layout but havent experienced FR in the snow. my old FF was fine in the snow at a modest pace. tyre pressure was dropped about 3 psi only, but it had a big tyre wall. the issue i found was with hills it didnt like dragging the rest of the car behind the front wheels. This is something that i was suprised at with the MR2, it is a very capable snow car, driven correctly. I drove all last christmas in varying levels of snow and ice, which stopped my previous FF pugeot. Corners have to be taken just a carefuly in both, although the mr2 doesnt have the engine on the front wheels you might be fooling yourself thinking its therefor light, it isnt really as the car has about a 44/56 weight balence favoring the rear it still has enought weight to grip the corners providing you arnt driving simply too fast. Hills ive found are much easier, possibly because its a pushing action rather than a dragging action? im not too sure but i was able to pass a reletively new bmw then later in the same week and 10 year old merc who were struggling going up a local hill. suffice to say FF and MR seem to be far superior to FR layouts in terms of capability Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phipck Posted November 30, 2010 Report Share Posted November 30, 2010 clearly the best mode of transport for this weather is somthing purpose built :-) this was what i woke up to 3 miles in the snow requires a special tool and this is the right tool for the job :-) being laughed at for wearing a helmet and bright orange jacket can be tiresome, but being over taken up a hill while your car is slipping around buy that same guy wearing a helmet and a bright orange jacket must be just embarrasing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted November 30, 2010 Report Share Posted November 30, 2010 Win Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted December 1, 2010 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2010 A bike in this weather, are you mad! What if you skid on ice and end up going under a car or bus! I haven't seen anyone on a bike this week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted December 1, 2010 Report Share Posted December 1, 2010 I used to ride my motorbike in this weather Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted December 1, 2010 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2010 I used to ride my motorbike in this weather Yeah and look how many accidents you were involved in! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyelcomb Posted December 1, 2010 Report Share Posted December 1, 2010 You really need adaptive 4WD to be effective in the snow.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scorps Posted December 1, 2010 Report Share Posted December 1, 2010 Plenty of people on pushbikes around my way.....much quicker when everyone is stationary in traffic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phipck Posted December 1, 2010 Report Share Posted December 1, 2010 ive not come off my bike in the last 6 or 7 years and even then it was an almost stationary drop to the floor. I am very vigilent on the road, i wear safety gear and have lights, i prepair to slow, manouvre or stop at all junctions and ensure other road users know exactly what im doing by being consistant and clearly signaling. I find those who drive on my route are more to blame for issues involving cyclists as even though i cycle at driving pace, drivers still feel the need to overtake, even at 30mph in a 30 zone. Even if there is nowhere for them to go ahead of me in traffic and seem to like it even more if their turning is just ahead of me.....while we both travel at 20-25mph. cycling in the snow with the right kit is fine. being conservative on speed and braking, much like in a car is essential. Other than that its just an absolute blast.........especially in this weather in my denim shorts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyelcomb Posted December 1, 2010 Report Share Posted December 1, 2010 cycling in the snow ... its just an absolute blast.........especially in this weather in my denim shorts Bloody weirdo! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scorps Posted December 1, 2010 Report Share Posted December 1, 2010 cycling in the snow ... its just an absolute blast.........especially in this weather in my denim shorts Bloody weirdo! You sure there denim and not just the colour of your legs in the cold Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted December 1, 2010 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2010 cycling in the snow ... its just an absolute blast.........especially in this weather in my denim shorts Bloody weirdo! You sure there denim and not just the colour of your legs in the cold Why demin though and not lycra? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scorps Posted December 1, 2010 Report Share Posted December 1, 2010 Why demin though and not lycra? I knew you would ask that maybe phipck should tell by PM coz i dont want to know why. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sagitar Posted December 1, 2010 Report Share Posted December 1, 2010 an absolute blast.........especially in this weather in my denim shorts . . . . . and I'll bet I can guess where the blast goes . . . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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