[Doc HM]

Left Cheltenham at 1.30 this afternoon. 20 miles to Cirencester (home). Four hours later we made it.

Madness. Pretty scary up the giant hill out of Cheltenham. If the car had ground to a halt at any point it would have been sleep in the car time. Abandoned cars all over the place.

I hate ABS in the snow, luckily mine gave up the ghost half way home!

Both girls schools closed tomorrow so no work for me. Sledging here we come!

[seanc]

I want my snow. Apparently I live too far east in the only section that isn't orange or red on the Met Office map.

[downinflames68]

Sledging what? hammers?

[Phileas]

I have to say, I always get a smile on my face when I listen to UK-istnians complain about snow. It only takes 1/2 an inch to bring the country to a standstill.

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by Doc HM 

I hate ABS in the snow, luckily mine gave up the ghost half way home!

ABS - Antilock Braking System ?

Why would you hate that ? It's great in snow, improves your braking.

-t

[Doc HM]

Originally Posted by turtle777 

ABS - Antilock Braking System ?

Why would you hate that ? It's great in snow, improves your braking.

-t

not really. Without it the wheels lock up and push up little mounds of snow in front of them, helping you stop. With ABS you just slide ever onwards.

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by Doc HM 

not really. Without it the wheels lock up and push up little mounds of snow in front of them, helping you stop. With ABS you just slide ever onwards.

Right

-t

[imitchellg5]

Originally Posted by Doc HM 

not really. Without it the wheels lock up and push up little mounds of snow in front of them, helping you stop. With ABS you just slide ever onwards.

But if you lock up then you have no steering control at all and end up wrapped around a tree.

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by imitchellg5 

But if you lock up then you have no steering control at all and end up wrapped around a tree.

I wonder if his "insight" is based on the massive amounts of snow that Britons have to deal with.

-t

[Laminar]

Originally Posted by turtle777 

ABS - Antilock Braking System ?

Why would you hate that ? It's great in snow, improves your braking.

-t

It helps novice drivers maintain control when braking in low-traction situations. It doesn't necessarily reduce braking distance.

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by Laminar 

It helps novice drivers maintain control when braking in low-traction situations. It doesn't necessarily reduce braking distance.

I think, in his situation, whith his limited snow driving experience, it will even make his braking more efficient.

-t

[imitchellg5]

ABS doesn't really do anything about distance in snow. It's for steering control.

[Laminar]

Originally Posted by Laminar 

It helps novice drivers maintain control when braking in low-traction situations. It doesn't necessarily reduce braking distance.

Originally Posted by imitchellg5 

ABS doesn't really do anything about distance in snow. It's for steering control.

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[dedalus]

Course, one of the biggest problems in the UK is that nobody has any winter tyres. At least they never used to when grew up in London, snow was a frigging rarity, nobody ever expected it or made provisions. Stuff it, if I wanted snow, I’d have moved to Sweden or something. Just ain’t natural, Gromit, is it, me lad? Perfectly inhuman, that’s what I reckon, boy.

[Doofy]

Originally Posted by turtle777 

Right

It's true. ABS is best switched off in snow.

[Oisín]

Originally Posted by downinflames68 

Sledging what? hammers?

No, children.

[Doofy]

Originally Posted by Doc HM 

Left Cheltenham at 1.30 this afternoon. 20 miles to Cirencester (home). Four hours later we made it.

Madness. Pretty scary up the giant hill out of Cheltenham. If the car had ground to a halt at any point it would have been sleep in the car time. Abandoned cars all over the place.

You should prolly ignore all the global warming fanatics and go buy a Grand Cherokee. Preferably an imported one from Ireland which has a stonking big V8.

[imitchellg5]

No no no. Get a diesel Freelander.

[Doofy]

Originally Posted by imitchellg5 

No no no. Get a diesel Freelander.

What, is he training to be my mum or something?

[imitchellg5]

Here in America, a Grand Cherokee is a mum car.

[olePigeon]

My pickup is useless in snow, even with chains. It has traction control, but no limited slip differential, and I can't turn it off. God forbid I end up on a 3 point position where at least one of my two front tires can't get traction; one tire does nothing while the other tire just spins.

"JUST TURN OTHER TIRE YOU STUPID PICKUP!"

I think I'm watching too much Top Gear.

[downinflames68]

You have a FWD pickup?

[sek929]

AFAIK he has a Toyota Tacoma, which is RWD, and without limited slip useless in the snow.

[imitchellg5]

Quite a small one at that.

[olePigeon]

Originally Posted by downinflames68 

You have a FWD pickup?

Not anymore. Maybe I'm confusing the terms, but it's front 2WD. Whatever it's doing, it'll spin endlessly the wheel that doesn't have any grip, but the wheel actually on the ground doesn't do anything.\

[imitchellg5]

FWD= Front wheel drive. Tacomas are RWD.

[residentEvil]

the "south" gets shutdown too over a dusting. shops and schools closed, people in wrecks all over. i laff at their failures. it is fun.

[downinflames68]

Originally Posted by olePigeon 

Not anymore. Maybe I'm confusing the terms, but it's front 2WD. Whatever it's doing, it'll spin endlessly the wheel that doesn't have any grip, but the wheel actually on the ground doesn't do anything.\

How do the front wheels slip if it's a RWD pickup???!

[Phileas]

Originally Posted by Doofy 

It's true. ABS is best switched off in snow.

Decent snow and ice tires will do more to help you keep control than ABS ever can. Unfortunately up here there are still way too many idiots who think that 4WD makes them somehow invulnerable and that they don't need winter tires.

[olePigeon]

Originally Posted by downinflames68 

How do the front wheels slip if it's a RWD pickup???!

You see how much I know about pickups? Huh. I wonder why the front wheels spin, then. I know it's not 4WD.

In any event, it's useless. Next time I'll put a rubber mat and 10 cinder blocks back there.

[Doc HM]

I used to have a roughty toughty landrover way back. A proper off road one with proper off road tyres and everything (a series 3 lightweight for the landy buffs), so I'm not a total novice with regard to driving in slippery conditions (although the LR was mostly in mud) and it is true that the real difference is snow tyres or chains. Sadly the three days a year we get of this type of snow doesn't really justify a spare set of tyres. It's easier not to go out, which is what I would have done had I not been caught out by the suddenness of the snow fall.

Several cars behind us failed to make it up the hill while we did, which I put more down to experience driving the landy off road and being prepared to wait until the whole hill was clear ahead of me and mix care with enough momentum. Most people were going too slow and loosing traction half way up. Even some 4x4's were failing, due to bad tyres mostly, but I did learn in mine in the snow that 2x4, 4x4 or whatever once the grip runs out the grip runs out!

Really in the grand scheme of snow it's not a lot, but the lack of correct equipment makes it much worse than it would have been. While the Peugeots ABS was working stopping was a complete nightmare. It was much better when it failed (snow clogging the sensors I guess, becasue its working again now).

[Doc HM]

Originally Posted by downinflames68 

How do the front wheels slip if it's a RWD pickup???!

er that the differential at work. If you loose grip on one wheel the power all goes through the spinning wheel. This is why proper 4x4's have locking front, rear and centre diffs, so you don't spin the power away.

[OreoCookie]

Originally Posted by Doc HM 

not really. Without it the wheels lock up and push up little mounds of snow in front of them, helping you stop. With ABS you just slide ever onwards.

You should break using the right pedal, not the one in the middle. If the wheels lock, you have already lost control of the car. You should never allow the wheels to lock.

[Doofy]

Originally Posted by OreoCookie 

If the wheels lock, you have already lost control of the car.

This is incorrect. If the wheels lock because you intended them to lock, then you haven't lost control of the car.

[ghporter]

Originally Posted by downinflames68 

Sledging what? hammers?

UK "sledging" = US "sledding."

[OreoCookie]

Originally Posted by Doofy 

This is incorrect. If the wheels lock because you intended them to lock, then you haven't lost control of the car.

… until you want to do something else.
It takes experience to drive on snowy roads. That's why Dutch (and others) are driving so slowly when they are going skiing in Bavaria and Austria, angering the locals. You have to know what you're doing. When you're going up a snowy hill, you don't want your wheels to lock, unless you really want to park. Because once you have stopped, you may have a very hard time to get going again.

[andi*pandi]

I've got allseason tires which do pretty well in snow combined with 4WD. I remember the Octobers when we'd switch to snow tires on the old RWD ford, and throw a couple cinder blocks in the trunk. Got to be ready for the Nov 1 dustings.

Enjoy the sledding!

[amazing]

UK is getting prolly the worst winter in 30 years. Who needs winter tires when it's consistently raining in the winter? What city needs snow plows when it's raining?

Mostly you have to worry about the other idiots on the road, because if you know how to drive in snow, they surely don't...best just to stay home...if you can!

Did get a kick out the story about being snowed in for 3 days at the highest pub in the UK, a whopping 1700 feet elevation! Playing the video gives a good idea of how 7 foot drifts might prove impassable, not a snow fence in sight!

BBC News - Guests snowed in for New Year at UK's highest pub

Still, they didn't run out of beer! Truly tragic way to celebrate New Year's!

[sek929]

Originally Posted by andi*pandi 

I've got allseason tires which do pretty well in snow combined with 4WD. I remember the Octobers when we'd switch to snow tires on the old RWD ford, and throw a couple cinder blocks in the trunk. Got to be ready for the Nov 1 dustings.

Enjoy the sledding!

Eh, cinder blocks in a 1/2 ton pickup won't do much for traction, unless you put dozens of them in. Really if you get a RWD truck, it has to have limited slip. Our work van (2006 GMC Savana 2500) has RWD and limited slip and is amazing in the snow.

Course it doesn't compare to my Sonoma in 4WD low-range, which is pretty unstoppable.

[The Final Dakar]

Frosted tips are good for weighing the truck down.

Personally, I find I get great snow performance with my emergency brake on at all times.

[imitchellg5]

Originally Posted by OreoCookie 

You should break using the right pedal, not the one in the middle. If the wheels lock, you have already lost control of the car. You should never allow the wheels to lock.

Don't break!

[olePigeon]

Originally Posted by sek929 

Eh, cinder blocks in a 1/2 ton pickup won't do much for traction, unless you put dozens of them in. Really if you get a RWD truck, it has to have limited slip. Our work van (2006 GMC Savana 2500) has RWD and limited slip and is amazing in the snow.

That costs more money. I'll just visit my cabin when it isn't snowing and save some dough.

[andi*pandi]

Originally Posted by sek929 

Eh, cinder blocks in a 1/2 ton pickup won't do much for traction, unless you put dozens of them in. Really if you get a RWD truck, it has to have limited slip. Our work van (2006 GMC Savana 2500) has RWD and limited slip and is amazing in the snow.

Course it doesn't compare to my Sonoma in 4WD low-range, which is pretty unstoppable.

My ford was not a truck, I should have said. It was a 76 Elite.

[olePigeon]

Originally Posted by andi*pandi 

My ford was not a truck, I should have said. It was a 76 Elite.

It's a bottle of whisky?

[Laminar]

My dad has one of these tucked away in the garage, he bought it in '77. It looks nearly identical to the one pictured above, but with different wheel covers.

One time a truck in front of my dad dropped a twin-size box spring onto the road. The car was wide and tall enough that it managed to straddle the box spring without touching it at all.

[andi*pandi]

Mine was red.

One time when it snowed early in the season, I took a corner too fast, slid off the road, into the bushes, and into a tree. The tree promptly fell down. (It was only about 4" diameter though.) The bumper was fine and I backed out of there and went to school.

I miss that car sometimes.

[olePigeon]

Meanwhile, small furry animals and 2 birds rejoiced.

[Laminar]

Originally Posted by olePigeon 

Meanwhile, small furry animals and 2 birds rejoiced.

Let me know where that's happening, and I'll be sure and ride by on my 3 cylinder 2-stroke 36 year-old motorcycle.

[olePigeon]

Originally Posted by Laminar 

Let me know where that's happening, and I'll be sure and ride by on my 3 cylinder 2-stroke 36 year-old motorcycle.

I was commenting on the maneuverability of the Titanic on Wheels, not its gas mileage.

[downinflames68]

Originally Posted by Laminar 

My dad has one of these tucked away in the garage, he bought it in '77. It looks nearly identical to the one pictured above, but with different wheel covers.

One time a truck in front of my dad dropped a twin-size box spring onto the road. The car was wide and tall enough that it managed to straddle the box spring without touching it at all.

That is one ugly car. Why the hell did your dad buy that?!