Any one else learn from playing in the snow?
Discussion
When I first got my licence (4 years ago) the first time it snowed I very carefully went out early in the morning and found a empty car park and had a play.
Not only did it give me some amusement, but I learned allot about what happens when you do certain things in the snow and also just how unpredictable it can be making me very aware you shouldn't take anything for granted whilst driving in the snow.
When I was talking to some of my less car minded colleagues at work about the impending cold weather and the possibility of snow I mentioned it and they couldn't understand why I'd done it and what I could possibly of learned from doing it. All of my friends who are car minded have done the same as me so I was wondering if it's just something that most people who have an interested in cars and driving do?
PS
I'm not suggesting that it would be a good thing if on the first snowy morning of the year everyone went out and tried to do the same as (a) this would lead to allot of accidents in car parks which wouldn't help anyone and (b) there's no shame in making a tit of yourself by getting it wrong in an empty car park (as long as you don't damage anyone else's property). But I do feel it helped to keep me safe when driving in the snow.
Not only did it give me some amusement, but I learned allot about what happens when you do certain things in the snow and also just how unpredictable it can be making me very aware you shouldn't take anything for granted whilst driving in the snow.
When I was talking to some of my less car minded colleagues at work about the impending cold weather and the possibility of snow I mentioned it and they couldn't understand why I'd done it and what I could possibly of learned from doing it. All of my friends who are car minded have done the same as me so I was wondering if it's just something that most people who have an interested in cars and driving do?
PS
I'm not suggesting that it would be a good thing if on the first snowy morning of the year everyone went out and tried to do the same as (a) this would lead to allot of accidents in car parks which wouldn't help anyone and (b) there's no shame in making a tit of yourself by getting it wrong in an empty car park (as long as you don't damage anyone else's property). But I do feel it helped to keep me safe when driving in the snow.
I have done this before, good fun and helpful too. I think the most important thing I learned obvious but A) the brake pedal will do nothing if you press it too hard, and B) quick steering inputs will unsettle the car and pretty soon it will be sliding in it's direction of travel and the steering wheel will not do much of anything for a few seconds until the car straightens out.
Both are common sense (I'd hope) but deliberately inducing them showed me how easy it is to go wrong. Driving a car in this conditions is a fine balance, and your limited control of the vehicle can very quickly slip away from you without correct and measured inputs.
Just this morning when turning my car over to keep it healthy (saw a few cars having difficulty starting when I was walking the dog) I drove it around the car park where it was parked just to get a quick practise in. I did lol at a friend of mine who tried to get his stuck car off his drive by "flooring it in 1st gear", he didn't get far!
Both are common sense (I'd hope) but deliberately inducing them showed me how easy it is to go wrong. Driving a car in this conditions is a fine balance, and your limited control of the vehicle can very quickly slip away from you without correct and measured inputs.
Just this morning when turning my car over to keep it healthy (saw a few cars having difficulty starting when I was walking the dog) I drove it around the car park where it was parked just to get a quick practise in. I did lol at a friend of mine who tried to get his stuck car off his drive by "flooring it in 1st gear", he didn't get far!
Ask anyone who has crashed accidently in the snow, if they go out playing in it Answer = NO
Ask anyone who has'nt crashed accidently in the snow, if they go out playing in it Answer = YES
Generally speaking of course
Small Print: Mishaps caused by humorous & exuberent behaviour in motor vehicles in such treachereous conditions are exempt from this survey
Ask anyone who has'nt crashed accidently in the snow, if they go out playing in it Answer = YES
Generally speaking of course
Small Print: Mishaps caused by humorous & exuberent behaviour in motor vehicles in such treachereous conditions are exempt from this survey
I did that about 10 years ago. It was actually quite helpful (get car moving, put it in a slide, then try to get control back).
Being cocky and getting into a 400m downhill skid starting at 70mph (on 2" of virgin snow!) on the way home taught me something else: don't be so cocky.
Car and driver were both physically unharmed, driver drove the rest of the way at under 30mph.
C
Being cocky and getting into a 400m downhill skid starting at 70mph (on 2" of virgin snow!) on the way home taught me something else: don't be so cocky.
Car and driver were both physically unharmed, driver drove the rest of the way at under 30mph.
C
Some people don't learn though.
I'm sat in the spare room looking down our hill. Some come up the hill quite well, low revs, high gear, keeping going at a steady rate and maintaining traction, and can even get going again if they have to stop for the idiots getting nowhere in 1st gear with a gazillion revs. It is funny when those who have a clue have to stop for gazillion revs, then wait for gazillion revs to stop, then they pull off and drive around gazillion revs, uphill, then gazillion revs tries again and gets nowhere. You'd think they might learn when vehicles coming up behind have stopped and waited, then pulled off cleanly and driven around them several times. And they resume once again with a gazillion revs.
I ought to put a sign up "2nd gear, no more than tickover or 1000 rpm max, be gentle, don't stall, and you'll be alright, you'll actually move!".
It's not all bad though, as looking down our hill and watching folks, it only looks like 1 in 4 who haven't a clue.
The worst is having to stop on the way up, because some bloody pedestrian is walking in the road, and they don't make much effort to get back on the pavement, and you can feel the pain and anguish of those trying to stay steady and not have to lift or stop as they come up the hill. I think I'd be on the horn and screaming out of the window at them.
I'm sat in the spare room looking down our hill. Some come up the hill quite well, low revs, high gear, keeping going at a steady rate and maintaining traction, and can even get going again if they have to stop for the idiots getting nowhere in 1st gear with a gazillion revs. It is funny when those who have a clue have to stop for gazillion revs, then wait for gazillion revs to stop, then they pull off and drive around gazillion revs, uphill, then gazillion revs tries again and gets nowhere. You'd think they might learn when vehicles coming up behind have stopped and waited, then pulled off cleanly and driven around them several times. And they resume once again with a gazillion revs.
I ought to put a sign up "2nd gear, no more than tickover or 1000 rpm max, be gentle, don't stall, and you'll be alright, you'll actually move!".
It's not all bad though, as looking down our hill and watching folks, it only looks like 1 in 4 who haven't a clue.
The worst is having to stop on the way up, because some bloody pedestrian is walking in the road, and they don't make much effort to get back on the pavement, and you can feel the pain and anguish of those trying to stay steady and not have to lift or stop as they come up the hill. I think I'd be on the horn and screaming out of the window at them.
CraigyMc said:
I did that about 10 years ago. It was actually quite helpful (get car moving, put it in a slide, then try to get control back).
Being cocky and getting into a 400m downhill skid starting at 70mph (on 2" of virgin snow!) on the way home taught me something else: don't be so cocky.
Car and driver were both physically unharmed, driver drove the rest of the way at under 30mph.
C
Yeah been there although not at 70. I decided that I could cope with driving anywhere so to test this out I went for a drive down some country roads and discovered that steep downward drops and zero grip is a bad thing.Being cocky and getting into a 400m downhill skid starting at 70mph (on 2" of virgin snow!) on the way home taught me something else: don't be so cocky.
Car and driver were both physically unharmed, driver drove the rest of the way at under 30mph.
C
Apart from being able to figure out what works and what doesn't it also made me allot less on edge (but not complacent) therefore my actions where much smoother and better thought out when the car did something I wasn't expecting. Last year I ended up ferrying 3 other people into work all through the snow because they couldn't get there cars out of the places they lived in, funnily enough I could with my trusty old cavalier LOL.
The best thing I learned by far was to try and be smooth, as sudden changes of any sort will land you in a whole world of trouble.
Balmoral Green said:
Some people don't learn though...gazillion revs....
Last year I was coming home from Guildford to Romsey on the A31, and was caught in the ice-rain problem that had many people stuck in their cars overnight. During my (very delayed, tortuitous) route home on country roads, I was stuck for a few minutes behind a lady driving a honda civic type-R exactly in the mannerr you suggest, up a hill.It got boring enough for me to stop, get out of my car, walk up to her (frantically wheelspinning) car, tap on the window (she stopped wheelspinning at that point and put her foot on the brakes).
Me: "Try as few revs as possible without stalling, luv"
Her: "eh... okay"
She did as I asked, and drove straight up the hill.
If it's really that simple, shouldn't it be something that's common knowledge?
C
CraigyMc said:
Balmoral Green said:
Some people don't learn though...gazillion revs....
If it's really that simple, shouldn't it be something that's common knowledge?C
I discovered , in a moment of panic on an icey main road a few years ago, that if you have 4 wheel steering and the front wheels locked up that the rear wheels are still turning and can be used to steer the car around the queue of traffic you are heading for.
Remembering to turn the opposite direction to where you want to go is the hard bit.
Remembering to turn the opposite direction to where you want to go is the hard bit.
Yes, I do this on occasion in the winter, and it helped me keep my car on the black stuff about 8 years ago when I hit a random patch of black ice. Next morning there was a queue of Porsches, BMW's etc being craned out of the ditch.
Edit:
Edit:
ooo000ooo said:
I discovered , in a moment of panic on an icey main road a few years ago, that if you have 4 wheel steering and the front wheels locked up that the rear wheels are still turning and can be used to steer the car around the queue of traffic you are heading for.
Remembering to turn the opposite direction to where you want to go is the hard bit.
ROFL Remembering to turn the opposite direction to where you want to go is the hard bit.
Edited by masermartin on Saturday 27th November 17:23
I went into a car park last year ( feb this year? ) and decided id try and learn a bit of control with a few self inflicted turn ins, did help "feel" how everything goes.
That said i do drive very carefully in bad road conditions and wouldnt put others at risk trying to have a bit of "fun".
It does help
That said i do drive very carefully in bad road conditions and wouldnt put others at risk trying to have a bit of "fun".
It does help
cptsideways said:
Ask anyone who has crashed accidently in the snow, if they go out playing in it Answer = NO
Ask anyone who has'nt crashed accidently in the snow, if they go out playing in it Answer = YES
Generally speaking of course
Small Print: Mishaps caused by humorous & exuberent behaviour in motor vehicles in such treachereous conditions are exempt from this survey
I must be the exception then.Ask anyone who has'nt crashed accidently in the snow, if they go out playing in it Answer = YES
Generally speaking of course
Small Print: Mishaps caused by humorous & exuberent behaviour in motor vehicles in such treachereous conditions are exempt from this survey
I fell off the road while driving along the snow covered tracks up to Hamsterley, back in the 90s, when it snowed heavily during the RAC. Took a bit of shoving to get out of the ditch
(1)Doesn't stop me playing in the snow.
(1) Slow speed, no damage. Avoiding someone who decided to open their door as I was approaching - If you've driven the tracks around the Hamsterley stage, you'll know how tight it is.
k all when the car in front doesn't have any of them.Gassing Station | General Gassing [Archive] | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff