Foul Weather Driving
Monday April 9, 2007
I can remember driving on the New Jersey Turnpike in my pickup truck during a horrible, horrible blizzard. Right before I started out, I managed to break the electric window on the driver's side so that the window would slowly creep down and let in the snow. On top of that, freezing rain/snow was gathering on my wipers so that the clear spot on the windshield was about the size of a quarter. I had to pull over to bang the wipers free of ice (a trooper appeared out of nowhere to see if I needed help). My one-hour trip turned into a three-hour tour of the Turnpike at 20 miles an hour. What we do for love!I mention this because Aaron managed to snag a sweet hardtop to test. Unfortunately for Aaron, he's in the Northeast rather than sunny California. What's that mean? It means he's testing a convertible in the snow. He did call to say the hardtop is nice and quiet, but he doesn't recommend driving a small, rear-wheel drive car in the snow.
Aaron also requested to hear the worst conditions you've driven in. What's your tale? --Brooklyn Bob
Comments
I used to be a trucker. I’ve driven through a hurricane, blizzards, and even got caught in a tornado once (while I was parked–thank god).
Aaron here, and now that I’m attempting to tour the Northeast in a Miata, I’ve got some tales to tell… yesterday my wife and I were driving through southwest Vermont, and we saw a sign pointing to the “Covered Bridge Inn”. Hey, covered bridges — cool, right? So we wandered down this road, and as the surface got whiter and whiter, the car started to lose its grip. I finally found a place wide enough to turn around safely — but it was at the bottom of a shallow incline, and the car just wouldn’t make it up the hill. I backed up all the way to the base, got a good running start, and couldn’t get any farther than 2/3rds of the way up. Finally, I got out of the car to check out the road — and just about fell on my rear. It wasn’t slush, it was ice! Not solid, but enough that the car couldn’t get a grip. Every time I’d try to climb, the rear wheels would spin and the traction control would cut the power ’till the car almost stalled. I was resigned to calling a tow truck, but figured I’d give it one more try — I turned the traction control off. The tires spun, which isn’t good, but the car was making very slow forward progress and going more-or-less straight. I figured as long as the car kept moving, I’d keep trying… and finally we made it. Needless to say, I have a whole new appreciation for front-wheel-drive cars.
Foul weather? Personally, I try never to drive through a flock of birds (or under them either if I can avoid it).
Many of us have driven in all types of weather and never hit anyone or anything. Many of us, without any “modern conveniences” found on cars today. We actually know how to drive!! Which makes me wonder why I should be forced to pay for all these gadgets if I don’t want or need them? Maybe you could do a list of all the modern enhancements to cars since 1950 and see how many of us would rather not pay for certain items and make the cars less expensive?
One day I was running late to catch a flight down to Orlando Florida. I ended up in a heavy rain/freezing rain/sleet down-pour in Connecticut. I was trying to drive quickly but still do it safely enough not to wreck my car or kill myself in the miserable weather. I was within 15 miles of the airport when the driver’s side windshield wiper decided to let go. I pulled over and tried to swap the driver’s side with the passenger’s side wiper in this horrific downpour in a hurry. I managed to do the swap but apparently because I had done it in a hurry it had not snapped properly into place and it went flying after a couple of miles down the road. I was so desperate to get out of this mess and into Florida sunshine that I even tried to drive by sticking my head out the side window to see where I was going but that was useless. I ended up missing my flight and got drenched. I re-booked the flight for the next day. I ended up enjoying that winter vacation so much more after that.
Winter driving - how to -
Rule One - some days you can’t drive safely, investigate weather before leaving and stay put when you should.
Rule 2 - don’t ever jam on the brakes unless you like doing donuts for the entertainment of others.
Rule 3. Watch out for almost invisible black ice sections (good prairie stuff), often indicated by morning shaded areas on cold days in sunny conditions - or bridges any time.
2. front wheel drive is better than RWD but you must have the right tires, attitude and cannot power around sharp turns as the car will simply go straight ahead. For deep snow - I like little applications of throttle at slow speed followed by moments of coasting around the turn.
3. rear wheel drive isn’t really that bad but power only makes skids worse. On the other hand little bursts of power can be real fun to slide the rear end of the car around to where you wish it - watch the attitude factor.
4. all wheel drive SUV’s. great - but most the vehicles in the ditch seem to be SUV’s (usually upside down, who passed me 5 minutes ago going way too fast for the STOPPING conditions. Refer to rule one and comments on attitude.
5. I have lived all over snow country and coped, but never have experienced worse conditions than several times in upstate NY on the downwind receiving end of lake effect snow. Rule one would have saved me from a few days delays except this Canadian was trekking down to see Mom in NY on each occasion. Mom visits always seems to overrule rule one - see attitude comments.
Rear-wheel-drive can be a nightmare in the snow (99 Corvette - *ugh*). Good tires make a HUGE difference, but still, it does not compare to the drivability and ‘pull-you-through’ power of all-wheel-drive (90 Eagle Talon TSI AWD)
Some years back, while living and working in the San Juan Valley of Colorado, it was necessary for me once a week to drive over Wolf Creek Pass.
Wolf Creek is a great drive in fair weather, in foul weather and winter storm it can be horrendous.
On one winter occasion I found myself starting up the Pass from the West side at night. Anxious to get home after an already eighteen hour day I started up the through the snow. About a mile up I realized that they had closed the pass behind me and that unless I caught up with a snowplow I was going to be on my own.
Nearing the summit and a hard sixty minutes into what turned out to be a three hour trip (shades of Gilligan)to reach South Park on the eastern side, white out conditions roaring everywhere, trying to follow the faint trail left by the last snowplow somewhere far ahead of me, using first headlights and then parking lights to fight the glare; I remembered someone saying that, “There are no Atheists in a foxhole.” Trust me when I say, there were none on Wolf Creek Pass that night!
I’m more dismayed with more rear wheel drive vehicles “coming back” into favor with manufacturers. They may be fine for summer driving or for year-round driving in southern states, but this is a dangerous trend for drivers who face months of snow and ice. Can anyone shed some light on this topic - what’s in it for car manufacturers to promote and sell rear wheel drive (with the space hogging hump nonsense down the middle) and dangerous/ spotty slipping and traction which is guaranteed in winter (despite even good “ice-grip Blizzak Revo tires”)???
Living in Michigan I’ve seen some bad driving conditions, but the terrain is flat for the most part and drivers are more accustomed to driving in less than ideal conditions. Pennsylvanians (outside Philly) by comparison will abandon cars at the side of the road at the first sign of snow, and schools are closed on the threat of snow at times. The roads are rarely straight, often hilly, and might not see a plow or salt in days. Driving in foul conditions there is much riskier.
The worst I’ve ever experienced was driving down Little Cottonwood Canyon outside Salt Lake City in a snowstorm so heavy I had to open the driver and passenger side windows to see the snowbanks on each side of the road to know I was still on it. I’d driven it many times, but it was almost like driving in dense fog where you get completely disoriented. I was driving a front wheel drive Fiat 128 Sports Coupe that was very good in the snow on those occasions it wasn’t in for service.
Aaron…you are supposed to be a professional driver! You need to take some performance driving lessons and fast. One of the FIRST things you do in a situation such as you describe is to turn off the TC(put in the appropriate acronym for your manufacturer). Front or rear wheel drive doesn’t matter, you need, as you found out, the continuous forward momentum in order to extricate yourself from some situations.
I agree completely with the writer that states the need to be able to drive is paramount and the ridiculous ease of getting a drivers liscence in this country and the US has got to be changed. If it was you wouldn’t get ignorant comments like the questions posed by the person ridiculing rwd.
EVERYONE needs to learn how to drive better and continuously upgrade their skills and often.
btw, in case you are wondering I am an “A” class driver (tractor trailer), Motorcycle safety course instructor, Motorcycle performance riding instructor, Formula Mazda(and others) multiple race winner and I am signed up for another driving course in May!
Even Micheal Schumacher had a drivers coach.
Get some additional training or attend a skid school soon. EVERYONE!!
I would add another rule to Dave’s: If the visibility and traction gets poor and you can only drive 20 on the Turnpike, stop at a rest area for two hours. Have some coffee and lunch and let the weather blow over the the plow guys do their job. Nobody cares if you are late getting home as opposed to the late.
Around here, the cars you mostly see losing control and crashing in bad winter weather are BMWs and Mercedes. This is because those companies run ads show how you can speed through icy road conditions. I think they run these ads because they lose money on the sale of each car but make it up from body work.
Worst conditions I have driven in.
Five years ago, we had a blizzard. Just as it became trecherous, I got home. I settled by the TV in my warm house and vowed not to go out again the entire weekend.
Then the phone rang. My wife arrived at the airport, but the taxis and buses had quit. So I drove, through the blizzard, past SUVs and BMWs in the ditch and two jack-knifed big rigs. It took an hour and a half to go 8 miles to the airport. When I picked her up, my wife asked me what had taken so long.