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If anyone have some good tips to share due to experience,basically something you learn in real life than from looking it up on a winter driving guide?!
By the way,if you should run your air conditioner in the car,do you turn the air conditioner on only or use it in a combination with the defroster on at the same time?
Just get out there and drive. Don't take turns fast and don't use the brakes too heavily. You will master it after 10s of thousands of miles. Of course this all depends on your vehicle.
I've learned to go slow. Be cautious and alert. Don't try to keep up with other drivers who are going way too fast. Stop for the night if things are getting crazy!
have your car updated on all the winterization needs-check hoses, fluids, filters, tires, batteries, brakes, etc. (I guess that's in a manual, isn't it?)
give your car time to warm up before driving off.
stay hydrated and keep warm clothes with you.
I'm about to take another winter road trip, not through mountains this time, thank goodness! and I am still preparing and getting ideas from the lovely folks on here!!
Location: Just East of the Southern Portion of the Western Part of PA
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Most of it is common sense;
Slow down
Increase following distance
Be smooth and gradual with all steering, acceleration, and braking.
Don't stomp and hold the brake pedal if you start to slide or get nervous. Lightly break and let off, repeat.
Slow down
Increase following distance
Be smooth and gradual with all steering, acceleration, and braking.
Don't stomp and hold the brake pedal if you start to slide or get nervous. Lightly break and let off, repeat.
Concur with the above except the braking part: that's the correct way if your car does not have anti-lock brakes. If you have ABS keep your foot on the brake and allow the ABS system to work.
If anyone have some good tips to share due to experience,basically something you learn in real life than from looking it up on a winter driving guide?!
By the way,if you should run your air conditioner in the car,do you turn the air conditioner on only or use it in a combination with the defroster on at the same time?
On most cars, the a/c automatically runs when in defrost mode. The light (if there is one) doesn't light up, but it is running.
Best thing you can do for winter driving is find an unplowed parking lot and practicing sliding and turning until you understand how the car handles in the snow. The speeds are lower than on the road, but it will still help you to figure out how it handles on the road.
My suggestion is... Drive like you have no brakes! Anticipate never touching the pedal and keep speeds and distances appropriate to such a scenerio. Also, figure on the worst place for you to break down, and how long you'd be stranded. Then, prepare for that with warm clothing. Could you be walking for an hour? Dress for it! One more observation: nobody ever wrecked while following a semi-truck. Let the professionals show you the way to do it (most of them, anyway).
Last edited by ESFP; 01-16-2009 at 11:57 AM..
Reason: typo
AMEN, ESFP! Staying off the brake pedal as much as possible is the the best way to handle inclement weather driving. Planning ahead will help a lot in doing that. Anticipate stop lights and stop signs. And, yes, being properly prepared with winter clothing and other survival equipment in your vehicle can literally mean the difference between life and death.
For me, learning to relax behind the wheel has been a real boon to driving safely in bad weather. Taking your time and allowing for that extra cushion of space will do wonders for making your drive less stressful.
Assuming FWD or 4WD, locking up the brakes in a corner will send you into the ditch. If you find yourself sliding toward the side of the road, hit the gas instead.
If you have a RWD, go out in an empty parking lot and have fun spinning around in circles.
If the cops catch you having too much fun, tell them you heard on the news that you were supposed to to this so you wouldn't wreck on the road. I've never known anybody to get a ticket that way.
Another important thing is to try to get an equal amount of weight over both front and rear tires to give your vehicle balanced handling. Too little weight on the back tires can cause the back end of your car to try to pass the front end.
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