SNOW! - How you getting on?

Post by **Welly** » Thu Feb 08, 2007 10:33 am

I had to give up trying with the missus beamer this morning, could not even get it out of the street. RWD, wide tyres and no weight over them = NO TRACTION!!! all it did was swing around hopelessly so I just put it back where it was

The Puggy, what a dream! just hauled itself up the hill in my street on tickover

There's about 2 inches of snow here, and rising!!

STALLED · Post by **STALLED** » Thu Feb 08, 2007 10:46 am

Snow....what snow????

30 degrees here today - sucked in!!!

Joel

Post by **Welly** » Thu Feb 08, 2007 11:01 am

-1 deg C here

The puggy loves it though, just ploughs straight through it. Good to have a nice heavy Diesel unit sitting over the front wheels

Post by **DaiRees** » Thu Feb 08, 2007 11:16 am

Lovely

We've got about 4", I've been dying for an excuse to get me 4X4 out so I'm well happy

even if I did drive all the way to work without engaging 4WD once! Just hope it sticks around 'till the weekend so I can go out to play properly, but the forecast doesn't look too good for that

GeordieBoy · Post by **GeordieBoy** » Thu Feb 08, 2007 11:22 am

Who needs a handbrake in this weather, the old scandinavian flick is our friend for some sideways action.

[s]remember dont buy a used 406 off me[/s]

Davva2004 · Post by **Davva2004** » Thu Feb 08, 2007 1:10 pm

Traction is great, but the ABS is a PITA... brakes on full, chudchudchudchudchudchud still doing the speed I was before I braked!!!

Post by **Welly** » Thu Feb 08, 2007 1:49 pm

I hate ABS in the snow, and that grinding noise

sounds/feels like cogs grinding.

I think a locked wheel in the snow is better for stopping.

The good thing about the Peugeot ABS is that is never goes wrong.

(Can't believe I just said that)

Post by **DaiRees** » Thu Feb 08, 2007 1:50 pm

Just had a 'phone call to say that the father in law has managed to get stuck at the bottom of our street, and that he's now got my shovel and is out there trying to dig out and push his car. Told the wife to get him in the house and give him a cup of tea, and I'd knock off early and come home and tow him out with the jeep but he seems insistant on giving himself a heart attack. He's nearly 70FFS

. I wish people would listen!

PJ · Post by PJ » Thu Feb 08, 2007 1:51 pm

Sorry to hear you guys are having all this adverse weather.

Brought the pug to Spain for a little 3 month holiday, over 2.5k miles so far and going strong.
This motor built for effortless driving, could sit in it all day.

Weather a bit wet today but on the whole quite warm & sunny.

Post by **Welly** » Thu Feb 08, 2007 1:59 pm

Dai, the amount of old people I've seen today struggling down to the paper shop, or to buy something the don't really need.

Stubburn people, them oldies, won't be happy until they have a 'fall'

And as for you PJ....

Davva2004 · Post by **Davva2004** » Thu Feb 08, 2007 2:25 pm

Welton wrote:I think a locked wheel in the snow is better for stopping.

You're right, a locked wheel builds up a wedge in front of the tyre which helps stopping force, that's why the old Audis had ABS you could switch off for driving in snow and gravel

mjb · Post by **mjb** » Thu Feb 08, 2007 4:45 pm

YARRRRRR!

Loads of snow up here, and I know a nice big empty carpark! Sooo much fun - nice to see my handbrake can actually hold the wheels locked, albeit with a little help from the elements!

I also got the opportunity to piss myself laughing at a BMW driver - I love watching them in the snow

Had an interesting experience going down a large steep hill I wrongly thought would have been gritted. By the time I'd realised there was no grit I just couldn't stop... So I had the handbrake locked for the whole 150 yards, and managed to get her to the middle of the road and kept her in a nice straight line between the rows of parked cars. Phew! Great adrenaline rush though!

As for braking, yeah as Davva said a locked wheel works in the snow, unlike ABS - so if you need to stop, reach for the handbrake and be VERY gentle with the pedal - mild braking is better than nothing happening at all

Also with our FWD cars, if you lose control at the front when you don't actually want to, just dip the clutch, steer into the skid, then gently steer out. Very important to dip the clutch so the wheels are moving at the same speed as the ground beneath as opposed to whatever speed the engine wants them to go at...

neildavies · Post by **neildavies** » Thu Feb 08, 2007 5:12 pm

I was going to fetch up the snow subject, so I'm gald it's already been done.

I remember my saloon not being the best in the snow, and the coupe isn't either. I started my morning starting to go sideways down a steep hill (Dickie's Hill for Dai). That was frightening. Then I wanted to reverse into a side street to walk to the top of the hill and drive my wife's 206cc down the hill. Anyway, I tried my best to get the car to wheel spin into the street, then I realised the traction control was stopping me, so I quickly knocked that off.

Then I get into work, empty car park, yanked up the hand brake only to be beeped at and get a "handbrake on" message. I KNOW!!

So ABS, Traction control and Electronic messages make cars no fun any more (and also no use in the snow in my case)

mjb · Post by **mjb** » Thu Feb 08, 2007 6:02 pm

haha wanna swap for my d8? ;)

Post by **DaiRees** » Thu Feb 08, 2007 6:03 pm

neildavies wrote:I started my morning by finding one of the steepest hills in Merthyr and having a brown trouser moment. I quite fancied being unable to stop on Dickie's Hill and shooting straight accross the crossroads, then gathering a good turn of speed slithering down Alma street before bouncing over the roundabout, taking out the the railway bridge, the church, the school and the flats, and coming to rest upside down in the river . Not content with the adrenaline rush provided by risking my pride and joy in this manner, I decided to try again in the wife's pride and joy, which is not only smaller and lighter, but, thanks to it's fat low profiles, provides even less grip in the white stuff than my own car....

Dude, surely you could have found a less risky route between your house and the A470