Shriek! Snow! Shriek! Need advice (Denver, Center: rental car, rental, school)

[marcydarby]

Hello all. I am a person who's never lived where it snows regularly. I have a 3 PM flight leaving Denver on Monday. My only experience in driving in winter conditions was in 1988 and I slid into the back of another car on the way to get brownie mix.

That said, I am from Florida and have been through many EXTREME STORM WARNINGS and had to pick up one broken branch in my yard as clean up. So should I be concerned about:

1. Ability to get to an 8:30AM in the Denver Tech Center (coming from Greenwood) on Monday, and then

2. Leaving for airport at 12:30 PM

And yes, I am that person you don't want on the roads because I have no idea how to drive in snow/ice.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

[cornsnicker3]

In my experience with driving in snow/ice, there are two real key strategies to it:

1. Keep a TON of distance between you and the person in front of you.
2. Drive slowly. It will take you longer to get where you need to go, but much better to arrive safely than to get into an accident.

There are obviously many other things you can do, but I think most of the accidents with snow and ice are related to failure to adhere to either or both of the above strategies.

[beezle1]

You may even get lucky as it may not stick to the roads this time. Its pretty warm today (supposed to get into mid 70's) and will take a while for the roads and ground to get cold.

[SkyDog77]

I would expect that the roads will be significantly more slippery in the morning. Leave extra time for that commute. By 1 it should be smooth sailing for your drive to the airport.

[abcdefg567]

Do you have snow tires? Or at least AS tires with decent tread left? Make sure your wiper blades are ready too!

When I was in driving class they'd throw you into a skid and tell you, feet off the gas and brakes and then steer in the direction that you want to go, not in the direction of the skid.

I always err on the side of caution and go slow and steady on the right. If people want to pass me and go faster, that's great for them. I've been on the highway several times where the ones blazing past have ended up in a ditch though not 5 miles down the road.

[pikabike]

The storm might amount to very little, but here's something you should know:

The white snow isn't the most dangerous stuff. Ice--sometimes invisibly thin and slick--is what is treacherous. You think the road is clear but ARRRRGGGHHHHH I'm sliiiiiiiiiiding!

Do not EVER get complacent about road conditions.

[SkyDog77]

Originally Posted by abcdefg567

Do you have snow tires? Or at least AS tires with decent tread left? Make sure your wiper blades are ready too!

When I was in driving class they'd throw you into a skid and tell you, feet off the gas and brakes and then steer in the direction that you want to go, not in the direction of the skid.

I always err on the side of caution and go slow and steady on the right. If people want to pass me and go faster, that's great for them. I've been on the highway several times where the ones blazing past have ended up in a ditch though not 5 miles down the road.

I’m assuming she’s in a rental car so decent tread all season tires.

[mic111]

Originally Posted by abcdefg567

When I was in driving class they'd throw you into a skid and tell you, feet off the gas and brakes and then steer in the direction that you want to go, not in the direction of the skid.

I think you are misremembering. You want to steer into the skid.

https://www.defensivedriving.com/saf...out-of-a-skid/

How to control a skidding car - Skid control tutorial

[SkyDog77]

Originally Posted by mic111

I think you are misremembering. You want to steer into the skid.

https://www.defensivedriving.com/saf...out-of-a-skid/

How to control a skidding car - Skid control tutorial

I’ve taken several ice clinics and raced on Georgetown a few times. I think “steer where you want to go” is the right advice.

Forest Duplessis is the head instructor at DirtFish Rally School in Snoqualmie, Wash. We've all heard that you should "steer into the skid," which Duplessis says sounds simple, but the problem is that people turn the wrong way.

Say you're going around a turn to the right, and your back end starts to come around too far. This is called oversteer,by the way. The nose of your car is now pointed too far to the right, right? What you need to do is countersteer to bring the car back to the direction you were trying to go in the first place. In this case, you need to point the car a bit to the left to keep it in the street and not on the sidewalk.

Duplessis says the first step is to look where you want to go, and then make sure your hands agree with your eyes. If you need to make a little adjustment to the left, as in our example, then look a little to the left, where you would like your car to be. "The movement is quick and smooth," Duplessis notes. "It's smaller than most people would think."

Skidding -- and Not Skidding -- Rally Car Style - How to Steer Out of a Skid | HowStuffWorks

[bluescreen73]

Regaining control in a skid also depends on the architecture of your drivetrain. Front-wheel drive cars do not behave the same as rear-wheel or all-wheel drive cars.