Driving your cars in snow.
Discussion
Hi, I stayed in B&B in Bodmin last night and left the car where it was. I was wondering what is the best way to drive the car on snow (3200GT)?
Neighbour in a 4x4 tried to come up for me but he had to turn back because of the abandoned cars everywhere blocking the roads.
I drove it home today at lunchtime when the roads had started to clear and it was so funny to see everyones faces at a Maser in the snow. Do any of you drive your cars in ice and snow or am I being stupid?
>> Edited by spicy on Saturday 26th November 20:44
Neighbour in a 4x4 tried to come up for me but he had to turn back because of the abandoned cars everywhere blocking the roads.
I drove it home today at lunchtime when the roads had started to clear and it was so funny to see everyones faces at a Maser in the snow. Do any of you drive your cars in ice and snow or am I being stupid?
>> Edited by spicy on Saturday 26th November 20:44
Last Christmas I drove from Manchester to London in my TVR Tuscan in similar conditions.
Was ok on the motorway, but when it became blocked I used the ungritted dide roads for about 40 miles. It was a bad idea as a light car with wide tyres on a surface of ice was a bad mix. Even pulling away from standing start and feathering in the throttle as lightly as possible meant that the back whels spun and the back end snaked around. I also got court out at a t junction on a one in eight hill when I started to slip sideways...
However, I expect the Maser has some more sophistication than the Tuscan and has some kind of traction control and DSP.
I wouldnt look forward to a similar journey again, but if I had to, it is certainly do-able.
Was ok on the motorway, but when it became blocked I used the ungritted dide roads for about 40 miles. It was a bad idea as a light car with wide tyres on a surface of ice was a bad mix. Even pulling away from standing start and feathering in the throttle as lightly as possible meant that the back whels spun and the back end snaked around. I also got court out at a t junction on a one in eight hill when I started to slip sideways...
However, I expect the Maser has some more sophistication than the Tuscan and has some kind of traction control and DSP.
I wouldnt look forward to a similar journey again, but if I had to, it is certainly do-able.
justinp1 said:
However, I expect the Maser has some more sophistication than the Tuscan and has some kind of traction control and DSP.
Sort of but in the 3200 the throttle is soooooo sensitive and hair trigger stylee, you have to be really careful. Last year (or it might have been the year before) I drove the ole 3200 in snow and ice, just was very very careful.
The 4200 does have one of those crap weather buttons that limits the revs and such like, not sure if I want to be in a position to use it though!!
Dave
p.s. to be fair the ASR must do something as the 3200s are shit scarey in the wet with it off!
Husband was up country with the 4x4. I drove it really gently and smoothly home and ASR didn't come on at all. I was wondering if I'm in snow and ASR comes on and takes the power off am I more likely to get stuck in the snow than if ASR was off? I haven't touched that button or the sport one in over 8000 miles of driving!
spicy said:
Husband was up country with the 4x4. I drove it really gently and smoothly home and ASR didn't come on at all. I was wondering if I'm in snow and ASR comes on and takes the power off am I more likely to get stuck in the snow than if ASR was off? I haven't touched that button or the sport one in over 8000 miles of driving!
Hmmmm, perhaps you need some snow tyres on a spare set of wheels
Took my Cerbera skiing in Feb and got caught in major snow in France - even on the Autoroute it was a nightmare. Impossible to go in a straight line - I ended up spending the night in services.
To be honest I would never deliberately drive such a car in the snow, as the possibility of disaster is ever present ... won't be quite so funny then,.....
To be honest I would never deliberately drive such a car in the snow, as the possibility of disaster is ever present ... won't be quite so funny then,.....
i used to drive my tvr chimaera (no PS, or anything else for that matter) to the station and back every day of the year. it was small country lanes the whole way, some steep, snaking hills and very little gritting to be seen. i never managed to get stuck although i did end up on the wrong side of the road a few times and often found myself facing a hedge whilst still going down the road. i used to use 3rd gear most of the way, from start to driving speed.
it's doable, but frankly if i didnt have to (and i dont now) i wouldnt 0 even in the 3200 asr and all.
it's doable, but frankly if i didnt have to (and i dont now) i wouldnt 0 even in the 3200 asr and all.
One of the first 3200GT's I ever saw was in Val d'isere in Feburary. Had chains on 
- one very brave driver as it's a terrible snaking mountain road to get up to 1900m in the village, and it would have been throttle software V1.0 as it was 1998. Still no scratches on it! Wonder if it just stayed there all season waiting for the roads to clear!!!
- one very brave driver as it's a terrible snaking mountain road to get up to 1900m in the village, and it would have been throttle software V1.0 as it was 1998. Still no scratches on it! Wonder if it just stayed there all season waiting for the roads to clear!!!Hi guys
I lived in Switzerland a couple of years ago, had my first 3200 there. In the winter I used winter tyres and drove in the Snow/Ice without too much difficulty, well until it was more than 12 inches deep!!
At times it was great fun, other times can be a little scary, especially on the mountains... but hey I got used to it and driving a 3200 all year round in the UK should be very easy.
However, as I now own a Pajero 4x4.....
Cheers
Gavin
I lived in Switzerland a couple of years ago, had my first 3200 there. In the winter I used winter tyres and drove in the Snow/Ice without too much difficulty, well until it was more than 12 inches deep!!
At times it was great fun, other times can be a little scary, especially on the mountains... but hey I got used to it and driving a 3200 all year round in the UK should be very easy.
However, as I now own a Pajero 4x4.....
Cheers
Gavin
If we are all honest here, very few of us would ever condider driving our Latin luvlies in the crap British, salt covered roads.
However, a few years back, we suddenly were hit by an unexpectedly heavy snow fall at about 5pm, just as everyone was coming home from work.
As I edged my BMW M635csi gingerly home, trying to remember where the kerbs were under the snow, I was aware of a chap frantically waving his arms around in front of me. To my utter amazement, there was a Ferrari Testarossa, at an angle of about 45 degrees in the ditch, with it's lights on and engine burbling. The guy was resembling a headless chicken and was on the verge of bursting into tears.
He was totally unprepared. He was dressed in a short sleeved shirt with no jacket in the car and he did not have a mobile phone.
I did my good samaritan bit and called my friend's local garage to recover the Testarossa.
A few weeks later, I saw my friend at the garage. As well as a hefty recovery bill, the guy had to fork out for a new n/s/f alloy wheel, repairs to the front spoiler and some straightening of the exhaust system.
I never saw the Ferrari or the driver again.
However, a few years back, we suddenly were hit by an unexpectedly heavy snow fall at about 5pm, just as everyone was coming home from work.
As I edged my BMW M635csi gingerly home, trying to remember where the kerbs were under the snow, I was aware of a chap frantically waving his arms around in front of me. To my utter amazement, there was a Ferrari Testarossa, at an angle of about 45 degrees in the ditch, with it's lights on and engine burbling. The guy was resembling a headless chicken and was on the verge of bursting into tears.
He was totally unprepared. He was dressed in a short sleeved shirt with no jacket in the car and he did not have a mobile phone.
I did my good samaritan bit and called my friend's local garage to recover the Testarossa.
A few weeks later, I saw my friend at the garage. As well as a hefty recovery bill, the guy had to fork out for a new n/s/f alloy wheel, repairs to the front spoiler and some straightening of the exhaust system.
I never saw the Ferrari or the driver again.
David A said:
Eh? thinky linkys missing!
Oops.
www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=84023
Page 2 has some pics.
[quote=360boy] there was a Ferrari Testarossa, at an angle of about 45 degrees in the ditch, with it's lights on and engine burbling.[quote]
First thing you want to do in that situation is turn it off! At 45 degrees the oil pump isn't going to be pumping enough unless the old flat twelve is dry sumped in which case matter would improve. Slightly.
>> Edited by MJK 24 on Wednesday 30th November 11:57
First thing you want to do in that situation is turn it off! At 45 degrees the oil pump isn't going to be pumping enough unless the old flat twelve is dry sumped in which case matter would improve. Slightly.
>> Edited by MJK 24 on Wednesday 30th November 11:57
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