Driving in snow (vehicle, auto, traction, brakes)

[kodaka]

So we've had a major snowstorm here in the mid-Atlantic region, you may have heard.

All day I've been subjected to the whining of spinning tires as idiots got stuck where they had no business being. The one common behavior of all of these stuck vehicles seems to be 'flooring it', spinning the tires as fast as possible, to get out of the snow drifts.

I haven't owned a car in more than a decade, so my memory is a little fuzzy. But I seem to remember from my driving lessons that 'flooring it' isn't the right move, that this will just turn the tires into shovels, digging the car in deeper into its rut. I thought I learned that the proper maneuver was to accelerate slowly in order to give the tires a chance to develop traction. Am I right or wrong?

Also, does it do any damage to the engine to 'floor it' like that? I thought it could damage the transmission, or something equally important.

[harald]

your right. slow. not harming the tranny when flooring.you harm it more when your trying to get loose by wigeling it out of the ditch.

[Bydand]

Slow and easy. It isn't so much that they act like shovels, but that they act like polishers. Turns that snow (that HAS a small amount of traction) into polished ice under the tires.

[TheViking85]

Only times spinning the tires do anything (which has a name like friction driving ro something) is with studded tires or on the right kind of snow, with Scandinavian winter tires, BUT you need to have some speed already if you want studless to work.

Rocking back and forth can often times get you out of a tight spot.

[Steve-o]

The NE gets snow storms every single winter, whether its 2" or 20". How on bloody Earth have people there not learned how to drive in the stuff yet???? Krikey.

[veuvegirl]

It amazes me how many idiots get on the road driving like maniacs. People who have 4 wheel drives thinking they can speed down the highway thinking nothing will happen. Oye. I stay off the road when I can.

[Mac_Muz]

kodaka, There is nothing wrong with your memory. Today I went to the Berry pond ice races! It was awesum, big block V-8 full moddified, 4 banger rr wh drive, 4 banger ft wh drive, super mod flat trackers, stock V-8, more..

My car was better than 300 years away from the track and looked as if it was hit by a blizzard LOL, it was parked down wind.

back to the topic:
Spinnin' up the drive wheels won't hurt a trannie, unless it grabs all at once, in which case the longest axel may break.

Spinnin' tires to go no where will heat the snow and make it ice pretty quick, and that won't help to get moving.

I have a rear wheel drive car a older volvo, and in fresh snow to move forward i try to back up a bit first, pretty slow. This is stick shift though, and as i see things is better on snow than auto tranny, or what I call slush box. The term is older and you either had stick or slush box, so nothing derogitory today I guess, in the age where people don't want to drive anyway. it seems to me people want to do anything but drive and drive for being forced to go somewhere.

Anyway with current summer tires on the car, since I was out of time to get the winter studs on (long tail) I just back up and then have a track to go forward, and can ease the car down most any ice road or in limited snow, with little to no fuss.

Adding a couple hundred pounds over the rear wheels can help if the car is rr wh drive.

[jdavid93225]

More on this topic can be found in this thread:

Idiots and Driving on Snow

To the OP: You're not forgetting what you learned. Excessive use of the throttle is a certain way to cause the tires to spin, and is one of the primary reasons for getting stuck in the snow/ice. Excessive speed is another such reason, as is locking the brakes, which causes loss of control. Fortunately, most newer cars have ABS, which eliminates the locking of the brakes if used properly. Keeping a light throttle foot is very useful when driving in snow, as is knowing the limits of both the vehicle and the driver, and keeping within those limits.

[GregW]

Washington DC is NOT part of the North East. New York and New England are teh North East. IMHO most people in the Bo-Wash ared don't know how to drive in the rain and do not have a clue about snow.

[Bydand]

Originally Posted by Mac_Muz

My car was better than 300 years away from the track...

Wow, long walk to the track.

LOL, sometimes these typos are the funniest.