Another tip for winter driving ...

peasant

...when you're done with your trip through the snow and slush and before you park up the car for a long while, make sure to clean out the big clumps of slush from your wheel arches and from the body of the car behind the tyres (or around the mudguars, if you have them). Don't just dump them on the ground either, push them out of the way.

Otherwise, as the next few nights are going to be very cold (even daytime temps are forecast below zero) these clumps will freeze rock solid and build up bigger and bigger to the point where they will affect your steering and scrape on the wheels. (and those that you just dumped under the car will act as wheel chucks )

homer90

Chucks away old chap..

Good tip !

unkel

Great tip. In fact the only time I got stuck in the recent freeze with my rear wheel drive car was on my own driveway and exactly because of above reason.

x in the city

peasant wrote: »

...when you're done with your trip through the snow and slush and before you park up the car for a long while, make sure to clean out the big clumps of slush from your wheel arches and from the body of the car behind the tyres (or around the mudguars, if you have them). Don't just dump them on the ground either, push them out of the way.

Otherwise, as the next few nights are going to be very cold (even daytime temps are forecast below zero) these clumps will freeze rock solid and build up bigger and bigger to the point where they will affect your steering and scrape on the wheels. (and those that you just dumped under the car will act as wheel chucks )

another tip

these are called LIGHTS, usually they work with a switch/stalk on either side of the drivers wheel.

especially useful in hazardous conditions and during night time

Alun

... and another tip. When you clear the snow off your car, also clear the roof and bonnet. Snow can either blow or slide up off the bonnet as the engine warms up thus obscuring your view unexpectedly, or snow can slide off the roof under braking doing the same thing, or blow off and splat into the windscreen of the car behind you. In Germany the police will stop you if they see you driving around with piles of snow on the roof.

This advice is, of course, on top of the normal advice to clear the rest of your car properly too, including all the windows. The number of cars I saw during the last lot of snow with just an arc cleared by the front wipers was staggering.

charlie1966

And as a pedestrian have you ever been hit by a lump of snow fallen off a car? That's a lump traveling at the same speed as the car. Hurts like hell.

ardmacha

In Germany the police will stop you if they see you driving around with piles of snow on the roof.

Do you mean like this?

Silvera

Other tips -

- Clear the snow from your front and rear lights too!
So other people can see your lights AND indicators!:rolleyes:

- Carry two strips of carpet to put under your driven wheels if you get stuck
(Alternatively do as I did - before I got the two strips of carpet - use your car floor mats to get you out of trouble and moving again!)

- Carry a small shovel and or/cat litter for same reason.

R.O.R

Alun wrote: »

... and another tip. When you clear the snow off your car, also clear the roof and bonnet. Snow can either blow or slide up off the bonnet as the engine warms up thus obscuring your view unexpectedly, or snow can slide off the roof under braking doing the same thing, or blow off and splat into the windscreen of the car behind you. In Germany the police will stop you if they see you driving around with piles of snow on the roof.

This advice is, of course, on top of the normal advice to clear the rest of your car properly too, including all the windows. The number of cars I saw during the last lot of snow with just an arc cleared by the front wipers was staggering.

+1 - and, when doing this on your driveway, clear the snow off the bonnet / roof either to the side or back, NOT where you are going to have to drive over 3 feet deep of cleared snow

inforfun

x in the city wrote: »

another tip

these are called LIGHTS, usually they work with a switch/stalk on either side of the drivers wheel.

especially useful in hazardous conditions and during night time

And make sure they all work.
The amount of cars driving around with 1 or more broken lights is unreal.

fryup

how about deflating your tyres a tad before driving on icy roads, is that to be recommended?

unkel

inforfun wrote: »

The amount of cars driving around with 1 or more broken lights is unreal.

And it has always been like that, summer or winter. I've never seen anywhere near as many faulty lights on cars in any other country. Only in Ireland, what?

07Lapierre

fryup wrote: »

how about deflating your tyres a tad before driving on icy roads, is that to be recommended?

I would say No. Chances are your tyre pressures are already lower due to the current cold air temps. that assumes you have the correct pressure in your tyres to begin with.

drunkmonkey

Another Tip, don't do what this poster done.:)
If it looks like your heading for a ditch try and avoid it. Don't steer in the direction of it or you will hit it.

langdang

drunkmonkey wrote: »

Another Tip, don't do what this poster done.:)
If it looks like your heading for a ditch try and avoid it. Don't steer in the direction of it or you will hit it.

His mistake was too much speed/momentum.
Counter steering is the correct response if you don't want yer arse to pass you out? Depends on sufficient traction to get things back in line before you hit something tho...

inforfun

unkel wrote: »

And it has always been like that, summer or winter. I've never seen anywhere near as many faulty lights on cars in any other country. Only in Ireland, what?

I am in Holland these days and despite many more cars on the road, the amount of cars with broken lights is not even close to what you ll see in Ireland.
And indeed, you ll see it all year around.
It is just more obvious now that the hours of daylight are limited.

galwaytt

...and another tip: this one time, at Bandcamp........sorry, wrong forum ..........no, but seriously.

Garage.
End of problem.

What snow ?

Wertz

Good tip Peasant...my next door neighbour fell into that trap the other week (frozen black slush clogging the whole front wheel arches) and he couldn't figure out why the steering was acting funny.

As for the whole lights not on/bulbs blown issue, why oh why don't we see more action on this from the RSA? All the hyperbole about speed and death but not a mention of what is arguably just as dangerous a phenomenon on Irish roads...poorly (or non) lit vehicles driving about in bad conditions. A bulb costs what, a fiver? Turnng on your working headlights costs pennies (at most)
I'd like to see AGS/GTC acting on this as well (although it's probably like the mobile phone users issue: too many to effectively get the problem under control) but the RSA are resposible for informing the public about dangerous behaviour through ads and such so it's mainly up to them....

Matt Simis

langdang wrote: »

His mistake was too much speed/momentum.
Counter steering is the correct response if you don't want yer arse to pass you out? Depends on sufficient traction to get things back in line before you hit something tho...

If you are sliding on a round about you do want the ass to pass you out (or at least come round). The only time I slid in the quattro with winter tyres was when I was trying to find the limits of traction (note empty road, under 15mph) by pulling sharper turns than required. It slid via understeer on a small roundabout, I steered away from the slide but it made no difference as it was already skating.

Had I turned that understeer into oversteer of the same magnitude then I wouldnt have skimmed the snow covered kerb (no damage as noted I was going quite slow) at all, the car would rotate with the roundabout till it grabbed traction again.

guil

Matt Simis wrote: »

If you are sliding on a round about you do want the ass to pass you out (or at least come round). The only time I slid in the quattro with winter tyres was when I was trying to find the limits of traction (note empty road, under 15mph) by pulling sharper turns than required. It slid via understeer on a small roundabout, I steered away from the slide but it made no difference as it was already skating.

Had I turned that understeer into oversteer of the same magnitude then I wouldnt have skimmed the snow covered kerb (no damage as noted I was going quite slow) at all, the car would rotate with the roundabout till it grabbed traction again.

its much different in something with 4wd

Slidey

I did this today, even with a stock of coal in the back I was loosing traction. This is helping but I probably need thicker rope

langdang

Matt Simis wrote: »

If you are sliding on a round about you do want the ass to pass you out (or at least come round).

Well you rarely want it to pass you out, unless you've your tracksuit pants tucked into your socks and it's not your Civic you're driving ;-)? I know what you mean tho - on ice in an understeery car you may have to use a bit of handbreak at lowish speeds. Doesn't matter if you're going way too fast of course.

Stheno

ardmacha wrote: »

Do you mean like this?

http://www.oasisdriving.co.uk/Images/snow-car.jpg

I was in a garage in Monasterevin today and a car looking pretty much exactly like the one above drove in, one tiny space on the drivers side of the windscreen to see through!

peasant

another tip for the next few days:

In some areas, the next few nights are going to be extremely cold and even the days will be sub zero ...so no chance of a thaw for days on end.

In those conditions don't go near your car with water. No kettles for the windscreen anymore ...manual removal of snow and ice (scraping/brushing) is your only friend.

Any water that you pour over the car will freeze to it immediately ...it'll creep into all sorts of seals, nooks and crannies and cause problems there. Frozen locks, frozen door seals and if you're really unlucky frozen accelerator or handbrake cables as well ...and it won't thaw for days.

So take an extra few minutes and some extra elbow grease the next few mornings and save yourself unneccessary hassle.

fonecrusher1

Heres a tip; don't drive 2 feet away from the car in front of you.

Seriously anyone notice the amount of idiots driving practically bumper to bumper with other cars? Several times since friday ive had morons driving inches off my back bumper. Its incredibly slippery on the estate roads where i live so i have no choice but keep the speed low on corners, otherwise im heading for the kerb. I can see from tyre marks on certain corners near my house a few drivers have done exactly that! Folks don't seem to be able to grasp the fact that on icey ungritted roads you can't drive at normal speeds.

Biglad

Put some Vaseline or similar product that doesn't contain water on your door rubbers to prevent them from freezing shut. If they do stick pull with very gentle pressure until they pop open, don't get impatient, that will only cost money...

Carry a few spare fuses. I thought I had sufficient antifreeze in my washer fluid but when I attempted to clean the windscreen nothing. I had blown the fuse for the pump as it had frozen solid. A spare fuse fixed that. I then used some lock de-icer to defrost the little nozzles (no pin handy) which worked a treat.

I find baby wipes very useful as well from cleaning hands to head lights (if no water at hand). I always carry a pack in the boot.

Fluffybums

fonecrusher1 wrote: »

Heres a tip; don't drive 2 feet away from the car in front of you.

Seriously anyone notice the amount of idiots driving practically bumper to bumper with other cars? Several times since friday ive had morons driving inches off my back bumper. Its incredibly slippery on the estate roads where i live so i have no choice but keep the speed low on corners, otherwise im heading for the kerb. I can see from tyre marks on certain corners near my house a few drivers have done exactly that! Folks don't seem to be able to grasp the fact that on icey ungritted roads you can't drive at normal speeds.

And your stopping distances on ice are very much longer than normal.

fonecrusher1

Fluffybums wrote: »

And your stopping distances on ice are very much longer than normal.

Exactly, so if i tap the brakes to warn the clown behind me he's too close, he's pretty much definitely going into the back of me.

pebbles21

Also if you start your car up in the morning to warm it up,and leave it running,make sure you lock it with the spare key, not like my friend whos car got nicked and was found 2 days later burned out, and the insurance people told him it was his fault and he got diddly squat back

Biglad

inforfun wrote: »

I am in Holland these days and despite many more cars on the road, the amount of cars with broken lights is not even close to what you ll see in Ireland.
And indeed, you ll see it all year around.
It is just more obvious now that the hours of daylight are limited.

That's because in Holland you will be stopped by the police if they spot you, here the Garda don't seem to bothered which is rediculous.

ardmacha

Heres a tip; don't drive 2 feet away from the car in front of you.

+1 In the previous snowy spell I was out walking and there were only 2 cars on a seriously icy road. These had stopped at a traffic light and when the first guy moved off the *hole behind him basically drove after him with the same gap he had at the lights! If I was the first guy, who was driving responsibly, I would have been p*ssed with the plonker on my back bumper.

Mint Sauce

Give way to drivers coming up snowy accents on narrow residential roads. If we have to stop. We may not be able to get going again.

ardmacha

this isn't a good idea
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNin7QJEOZE

x in the city

she was a bit dumb in fairness, but wtf is with the guy recording her... all she had to do was turn the wheel the one direction it wasnt facing....

I would have assisted her. she seemed in total disarray.... surprised the engine and or gear box didnt blow up

feelites

ardmacha wrote: »

this isn't a good idea
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNin7QJEOZE

haha this movie is GAS!


winter has its own rights!

- make sure u got antifreeze coolant or u will have to replace the engine
- make sure the wipers are not frozen before using them or u will have to replace them
- warm up the car before rolling the windows down or u will have to fix the window regulator motor system
- do never ever spill hot water on the glass or u will have to replace the glass as it will crack in the cold conditions
- do not try to scratch the ice down from the glass with whatever is available as u may permanently leave the scratches on the glass

many more there...

Cartman78

Hi all,

Just wondering if anyone has any tips for dealing with frozen locks?

We've got a 01 Polo (which we getting rid of next month, so don't want to spend anything on it) - the locks are seizing up lately in the cold. It's ok if we're at home near a kettle but Mrs.Cartman got caught out in town today. We've bought an anti-freeze spray but it's not really having any effect

CJhaughey

Cartman78 wrote: »

Hi all,

Just wondering if anyone has any tips for dealing with frozen locks?

We've got a 01 Polo (which we getting rid of next month, so don't want to spend anything on it) - the locks are seizing up lately in the cold. It's ok if we're at home near a kettle but Mrs.Cartman got caught out in town today. We've bought an anti-freeze spray but it's not really having any effect

Take your key and a cigarette lighter, heat the key insert into lock and wait for the heat to melt the ice.
If it doesn't work repeat. What is actually better than a lighter is one of those little portable blowtorches.

Cartman78

Thanks a million CJ Haughey (I never thought I'd be writing that sentence:))

Will give that a go later

Cuddlesworth

ardmacha wrote: »

this isn't a good idea
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNin7QJEOZE

That video deserves its own thread. I like the bit where she gets out to clear the snow around the front wheels to get traction.

Ghost Train

Cartman78 wrote: »

Hi all,

Just wondering if anyone has any tips for dealing with frozen locks?

We've got a 01 Polo (which we getting rid of next month, so don't want to spend anything on it) - the locks are seizing up lately in the cold. It's ok if we're at home near a kettle but Mrs.Cartman got caught out in town today. We've bought an anti-freeze spray but it's not really having any effect

a bit of oil in the lock made a huge difference to my car, it was a little stiff and the ice made it worse but a bit of wd40 and it's been much better since

Overature

Silvera wrote: »

Other tips -

- Clear the snow from your front and rear lights too!
So other people can see your lights AND indicators!:rolleyes:

- Carry two strips of carpet to put under your driven wheels if you get stuck
(Alternatively do as I did - before I got the two strips of carpet - use your car floor mats to get you out of trouble and moving again!)

- Carry a small shovel and or/cat litter for same reason.

small shovel? i have a massive shovel

Sofiztikated

And just because its icy, don't park in retarded places, like on a sharp corner, or on the bottom of a hill. Yeah, you might not have to walk too far on the icy path, but you're making things an awful lot more arkward for everyone else. Oh, and yeah, its icy. Someone might slide into you.

Biglad

CJhaughey wrote: »

Take your key and a cigarette lighter, heat the key insert into lock and wait for the heat to melt the ice.
If it doesn't work repeat. What is actually better than a lighter is one of those little portable blowtorches.

Spray the locks with WD40.

CJhaughey

The problem with putting WD40 and oil in locks is that locks are exposed to dust and grit from the road, and while it might work now what you end up with is a gritty grinding paste in your lock.
If you want to use Lube on your locks powdered graphite is a better bet, it is a dry lube and won't attract dirt to the lock tumblers.

Biglad

CJhaughey wrote: »

The problem with putting WD40 and oil in locks is that locks are exposed to dust and grit from the road, and while it might work now what you end up with is a gritty grinding paste in your lock.
If you want to use Lube on your locks powdered graphite is a better bet, it is a dry lube and won't attract dirt to the lock tumblers.

Not completely disagreeing here but in a must open the frozen door situation most people would probably have wd40 available as they use it around the house. Most locks nowadays are protected with the little flappy things to stop dust and road grit getting in. I found putting the little straw in the lock and giving it a little squirt worked great.:)