Anybody had any snow/ice near misses?

Lex Luthor

Decided to take out the car yesterday for a look around and see how bad it was and got to the end of my street and swinging left and just couldn't control the car. Luckily enough there was no car coming round the corner and no trees but it was a close shave..

Cookie_Monster

Nothing major, couldn't get off from the lights once, icy corner just floored it and got through eventually. Car has been a bit sideways once or twice too

Matt Simis

Lex Luthor wrote: »

Decided to take out the car yesterday for a look around and see how bad it was and got to the end of my street and swinging left and just couldn't control the car. Luckily enough there was no car coming round the corner and no trees but it was a close shave..

I decided to test if my 17 year old Stability Control (ASC) was really any use with um, a way worse outcome than I could have imagined. It was twitching the rear and blipping the ASC light on in 4th (high gears low revs and all that) with a tiny bit of pedal push at 25mph. The ASC is very aggressive and "notchy", which in its own way could have been unsettling the balance on ice. In theory..

So clear (back)road, slowed down...
Turned it off barely touched the pedal and the thing tried to do three 180s but swung into the banks of the grass (soft high grass either side) each time, bouncing like a bowling ball against gutter guards back across the otherside of the road then back again.

Probably only lasted 8seconds or so, but shocked how violently it reacted when trying to drive straight with minimal speed. I cannot fathom how effective ASC had been without me appreciating it for the 100km previous to that today. I had briefly messed about in a carpark prior and was doing 360s with ASC on in powder snow, but the ice with no ASC was a completely different animal.

bigdogbarking

yep, was turning onto dumcondra road coming home from work yesterday morning and lost it at the ice, i'm not a reckless driver, in fact i've specialist driver training,but i was going slow just after taking off in 2nd gear and musthave just hit a patch of ice and slid around the corner, i was going slow enough that i could try everything,mostly out of curiosity , turning into the spin, turning out, braking and powering out. nothing really worked,i was just able to keep direction of the nose of the car. i just stopped a couple of inches from the kerb where the snow/sleet was thickest.there were a few cars around but luckily no-one was close. all the way home cars were sliding/skidding. very scary indeed.

AugustusMaximus

Got sideways after having to brake due to the idiot in front of me slamming on the brakes when he saw the ice on the road.

maidhc

I ended up backwards on a quite a steep hill near home. I felt the car begin to slide down the hill as I was descending, so I steered towards the gravel margin, I managed to get the front of the car onto the gravel and i braked. The rear of the car swung around with the momentum, but thankfully the front wheels kept the car from sliding down the hill.

Mercifully I avoided a lot of unforgiving concrete walls, and was able to reverse down the margin, turn around and continue my journey unscathed. Scary though.

It was some christmas for the panel beaters I reckon. Every second car has some gouge or other.

leeroybrown

Nothing much myself. I had a few moments where other drivers used their brakes at bends or junctions and started sliding towards me but thankfully it was all at low speed and none of them made it quite as far as me. The potentially dodgiest moment was probably having to overtake on a less than perfect surface. I'd probably still be making that journey if I hadn't.

245

Lex Luthor wrote: »

Decided to take out the car yesterday for a look around and see how bad it was and got to the end of my street and swinging left and just couldn't control the car. Luckily enough there was no car coming round the corner and no trees but it was a close shave..

You've got a Legacy haven't you? You probably had a little too much faith in the AWD and stability control which kicks in late in the Leggy. The main problem is that you're running Potenza RE050As which are a summer tyre and by Bridgestone's own definition are unsuitable on surface temperatures of less than 7C. Winter tyres and AWD is a different animal altogether.

I had some good fun in mine yesterday on the back roads of Kildare but then I had just returned from exploring the limits of a '74 Beetle on ice I reckon that the Legacy is quite tail heavy when it gets going but its limits are a lot higher then the VW....

macroman

A few instances where I got out of the car taking the seat cover with me

Hit some really bad black ice at the foot bridge on N11 there at Enniskerry - ended up in nearside lane (luckily nobody coming and I was taking it easy enough)

weepee

I was coming up the M1 just south of Dundalk on Friday and an accident in the outside had been left there.
A white Transit and a car, just lying in the fast lane, no drivers, no Guards, no warning signs, nothing.
Unbelieveable.

tossy

If we were guaranteed this weather every year i'd love to invest of a set of 17" wheels and wrap them with winter tyres to get the best out of the 4mo.

What's the deal winter tyres on wet and cold (i.e normal Irish winter ) roads? useless or good,would the wear quicker?

TestTransmission

tossy wrote: »

What's the deal winter tyres on wet and cold (i.e normal Irish winter ) roads? useless or good,would the wear quicker?

They wear quicker during dry/warm weather,perfect for our climate Id think

unkel

Just a few local trips today. No problems, but I was being extremely careful. Traction was a bit dodgy a few times moving away from traffic lights and up slight ascends. To be honest, I would not have driven at all had I not been very confident there was not going to be a problem. I do have experience of driving in snowy / icy conditions though. My first time was 2 days after passing my test in a rented van driving on a lot more snow and ice than there have been here the past day or two. That was the guts of 25 years ago - and yes, I was sh1tting myself back then

_Kaiser_

Was in Dublin last night and was very bad around Whitehall/M1 area. Despite taking it easy and being ok for the most part myself, after watching people losing it turning corners at lights etc I decided in the end to stay over and come home today.

By the way, I've heard a few times now that Meath Co Co have run out of money to buy more salt/grit for the roads and a Garda in Navan confirmed this last night (I rang to get an idea of the conditions) so be careful - I couldn't get over how bad Dublin was though last night??

TestTransmission

Kaiser2000 wrote: »

By the way, I've heard a few times now that Meath Co Co have run out of money to buy more salt/grit for the roads and a Garda in Navan confirmed this last night so be careful - I couldn't get over how bad Dublin was though last night??

They didnt run out of money,they just never bought it in the first place,lol
Wasnt it in the news that all County Councils were provided with extra funds in December to buy more grit.

cian1500ww

Nothing really, found my abs working for the first time, pretty cool. Was only driving down a driveway in 1st but it was like glass. Seems to be very effective.

Roscommons bad, especially the N4 from Carrick to Boyle, they've run out of grit.

itarumaa

I have decided not to drive until Monday when I have to go to work,

summer tires and snow/ice combination does not interest me one bit,

Lets hope the the weather will be better on Monday, if not I have to take it easy. With summer tires when you lose grip, it is really hard to correct the situation, winter tires gives away much more mistakes when you have enough grip.

HashSlinging

I have winter tires on and they are absolutely the best thing I've ever purchased.. I was the only person able to get into my estate recently (up a major incline) inc a AWD Subaru Imp Turbo.. Today while everyone walked to the local shops I drove to tescos the roads here are completely white for the most part, while driving I could actually see ice been thrown up behind me as I drove...

FYI they are great in the rain also, make a huge difference to me on a day to day basis and am now totally sold on them.

Zonda999

Nothing major here either although I've not been doing a lot of driving of late, just once there last week when i struggled to stop at a t junction between a gritted main road and an untreated back road, fairly close call but stopped once i hit the grit alright, luckily there was no car coming on the main road anyway

Senna

Driving down a steep back road a few days ago, it was just sheet ice, but i was just barely moving. A car about a hundred yards down the road started skidding and the driver paniced, but got it stopped on a small part of clear road slightly covered by an overhanging tree. Unfortunately of me i was on sheet ice with a car stopped ahead, i had about 20 seconds to try everything i could, in the end i got the car over to some soft snow and the car eventually stopped when the wheel dropped down onto rough ground beside an entrance to a field, was scary but no damage done.

tossy

HashSlinging wrote: »

I have winter tires on and they are absolutely the best thing I've ever purchased.. I was the only person able to get into my estate recently (up a major incline) inc a AWD Subaru Imp Turbo.. Today while everyone walked to the local shops I drove to tescos the roads here are completely white for the most part, while driving I could actually see ice been thrown up behind me as I drove...

FYI they are great in the rain also, make a huge difference to me on a day to day basis and am now totally sold on them.

What make/model tyres have you fitted? what size are the?

Also if you don't mind me asking what kind of car 2wd/4wd/rwd etc/

Dartz

There was grip. All was well.

There was a car with 6 drunks and meself as the designated driver. All was well.

I just wanted to get home and warm. All well and good.

There was a downhil gradient, towards a sharp right turn.

There was no grip. None at all.

The car was still accelerating. With my foot jammed hard on the brake and all 4 wheels locked up, it was still going faster.

It was going sideways. It was slowly starting to go backwards. Then it went frontwards again. Then it went all three.

Then came the smell of ****e. Then came the corner. Then came the wall.

Next comes the bill >,<


Well, it was nearly a miss. Another foot to the right and I'dve gone up someones cleared drive....

Volvoboy

Was out working on newyears eve, was pretty bad alright was dropping off when the 1st snow shower started.

But worked untill very late or early as i got home at 10am, as a family member put her car into a ditch in Donabate and had to drop her home to Rathcoole, was where i only seen a grit truck was on the M1, the M50 was very bad, but lived to see another day.

Only real time i was scared was when i was taking a left hand turn and the car that was turning right bounced off a kerb and was heading straight for me, luckly i managed to get out of that situation with the help of Mr Low Range.


BTW it sooo sucks driving a Auto in this weather, i can only imageine what its like driving a RWD Auto with these conditions.

Lex Luthor

245 wrote: »

You've got a Legacy haven't you? You probably had a little too much faith in the AWD and stability control which kicks in late in the Leggy.

got it in one....it was literally a split second to react...I wasn't even expecting to slip and then it was too late..

ART6

I wrote my car off last Sunday. Sharp bend leading into a steep hill with thick stone walls on both sides. Sheer black ice on the bend although the road before it was dry and clear. My car would have put a ballet dancer in Swan Lake to shame before heading straight across the road, down into a ditch, and trying unsuccessfully to demolish the wall.:p

HashSlinging

tossy wrote: »

What make/model tyres have you fitted? what size are the?

Also if you don't mind me asking what kind of car 2wd/4wd/rwd etc/

Continental WinterContact TS 790 205/55 R16 91H with raised rim rib. Roughly 90 euros a corner.

Driving a SEAT Altea 2.0TDi FWD.

Matt Simis

Volvoboy wrote: »

BTW it sooo sucks driving a Auto in this weather, i can only imageine what its like driving a RWD Auto with these conditions.

Our other car is a 530i (ie RWD) Auto and its a lot more civiliased than a big fat manual RWD. The Auto box + newer gen DSC is quite good, it all works in tandem. If anything the Auto doesnt ever drop gears and put down much power unless you floor it (which you wont in this weather).

I dont like the auto box generally, but its safer and easier in this weather, not harder.

Silenceisbliss

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

couldn't get off from the lights once, icy corner just floored it and got through eventually.

AugustusMaximus wrote: »

Got sideways after having to brake due to the idiot in front of me slamming on the brakes when he saw the ice on the road.

Dartz wrote: »

There was no grip. None at all.

The car was still accelerating. With my foot jammed hard on the brake and all 4 wheels locked up, it was still going faster.

wow..... okay.....

itarumaa wrote: »

I have decided not to drive until Monday when I have to go to work,

summer tires and snow/ice combination does not interest me one bit,

There is hope yet...



I've seen some monumental stupidity on these roads though, the road up to Mt. Leinster, pure snow and ice. 4x4's are having enough trouble getting up, then you have your specialtons like boy racers in their yellow toyota celica's who think their car is just far superior to every one elses, gets stuck, and his solution is to rev the **** out of the engine with the hope that more power = more grip. eventually after admitting defeat, he was trying to do a 3 point turn on the road then to turn back down the mountain, reversed into a ditch got very very stuck. we all had a good laugh anyway!

milltown

Volvoboy wrote: »

...I can only imagine what its like driving a RWD Auto with these conditions.

Not too bad at all tbh. Drove from Lucan to Belfast and back on New Years Day for a family funeral without any drama. N4 and M50 were by far the worst of the trip but I was pleasantly surprised at how sensible most people were being. Apart from the odd 4wd pilots who don't seem to realise that when it comes time to brake, they only have the same number of tyres on the road as everyone else.

Unfortunately I managed to tag one of my alloys off a kerb a few days before xmas though. Coming out of a car wash on a cobblelock forecourt at about 2mph, the way out of the wash was about a car and a half wide with little kerbs each side, and frozen solid. Just easing out through the 90 degree turn and the back stepped out. I got a bit of opposite lock on but it was too narrow to catch it

One more excuse to get the wheels refurbed this year.

Dartz

Silenceisbliss wrote: »

wow..... okay.....

I was hoping the tyres would dig through the ice and reach concrete underneath. Obviously didn't work. But the car was literally uncontrollable, even before I braked....

Voodoomelon

Bit of a scare last week coming out of my estate onto a secondary road. I slowed down as I approached the junction and was doing about 5-6mph when I started pressing the brakes and the ABS kicked in. Car skid right out onto the road over to the opposite side with zero chance of stopping. Thank the lord nothing was coming into either direction.