Hi, has anyone got any tips about driving in these current weather conditions. I have a B6 and 1.9 tdi avant 2 wheel drive and need to get to work but am scared about damaging it. Can I do anything to the car have more chance of arriving at work? Some of the roads here haven't been gritted.
Driving in the snow!!!
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Has anyone got any tips about driving in these current weather conditions. I have a B5 and 1.9 tdi avant 2 wheel drive and need to get to work but am scared about damaging it. Can I do anything to the car have more chance of arriving at work? like letting the tyres down a bit or getting studs, etc.
Keep a look out for Quattro drivers who think they are driving gods because they have 4wd!!
Apart from that keep a greater distance than normal,use engine braking instead of having to brake hard.
Apart from that keep a greater distance than normal,use engine braking instead of having to brake hard.
Winter tyres are very worthwhile, but it might be a bit late for that now! Chains or socks are a substitute, if a bit of a faff.
StateOfPlay
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Drive slowly. Don't accelerate sharply. Pull away in a low gear, so gear 2 rather than gear 1. Remember, your braking distance is virtually non existent if you stamp on the brakes.
If you are going up a hill, don't stop unless you really have to. What I mean is, if your car starts sliding, just drive slowly but do not brake and stop as you will find it hard to get going again. Of course if you are going to hit another vehicle then you will have to stop.
Follow the traffic in front of you and don't create your own lane on the motorway.
Your journey will take longer. Plan for that.
Take some water, your phone, a jumper or blanket.
Stick to main routes if possible. I did that one year and went around the M25 and on to the A40 to get to work. Roads were in fair condition, but no other traffic on the roads! It was excellent.
The last big bad snow that came down in the afternoon closed the M11 and the A1M. Took me 4 hours to do a 1 hour journey. But my mate got stuck as he left after me. He left work at 4pm, and got home at 8am. He was sat on the A1m all night long!
If you are going up a hill, don't stop unless you really have to. What I mean is, if your car starts sliding, just drive slowly but do not brake and stop as you will find it hard to get going again. Of course if you are going to hit another vehicle then you will have to stop.
Follow the traffic in front of you and don't create your own lane on the motorway.
Your journey will take longer. Plan for that.
Take some water, your phone, a jumper or blanket.
Stick to main routes if possible. I did that one year and went around the M25 and on to the A40 to get to work. Roads were in fair condition, but no other traffic on the roads! It was excellent.
The last big bad snow that came down in the afternoon closed the M11 and the A1M. Took me 4 hours to do a 1 hour journey. But my mate got stuck as he left after me. He left work at 4pm, and got home at 8am. He was sat on the A1m all night long!
Which winter tyres do you recommend? I'd like a good brand but don't want to spend a fortune....Can they be used in the summer too? Thanks
Those are great tips! Thanks. Have you used winter tyres and know which is best? Thanks
They're designed for use at 7c and under. I can't recommend any myself, I always find quattro alone to be sufficient, but there are a couple of threads about on it.
JudderMan
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Cannot recommend winter tyres highly enough... I run a set of mud/snow tyres as I got them for a good price... not exactly a winter tyre as they aren't much good when there is no snow but in the actual snow they are epic...
Once these are worn (they literally only go on the car when there is snow forecast and they are on a spare set of wheels) I shall not hesitate to replace them with a suitable alternative... snow gets quite deep where I live (big estate on a hill) and they are night and day different to my normal road tyres...
<tuffty/>
Once these are worn (they literally only go on the car when there is snow forecast and they are on a spare set of wheels) I shall not hesitate to replace them with a suitable alternative... snow gets quite deep where I live (big estate on a hill) and they are night and day different to my normal road tyres...
<tuffty/>
StateofPlay pretty much covered it, but I will add support for the winter tyres. To be honest I wouldn't worry too much on the make as even budget winter tyres will be better than most of the summer tyres we run in the UK. My missus runs Kumho's and they seem to work fine.
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Tyre review is a pretty good resource...
2012 Auto Bild Performance Winter Tyre Test | the online tyre guide
I would not use them in the summer though... they are designed to be used at temps of 7deg or below...
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The trick is throttle control, non of this 'I'm late for work' malarkey, everyone needs to just drive @5mph!
Agree on both counts. We've already had the usual outbreak of posts from Quattro owners who just can't wait to get out there in the snow, as if it's a plaything.
As for engine braking, that's a real must. If you have an automatic, put it into tiptronic mode, makes it so much easier to use downchanges to control speed.
- Avoid abrupt steering, acceleration and braking
- Brake normally with ESP/ASR
- Change to higher gear as soon as possible
- Be careful of shaded areas, bridges and over-passes as the road is more likely to freeze sooner in these areas
- If your car starts spinning, gently steer in the opposite direction
- If the car does not react to you at all when spinning then you have no choice but to slam on the brakes
- Carry a set of spare bulbs, emergency blanket and first aid kit
- Respect the road
- Laugh at ***** drivers but keep your eyes on the road i.e. my neigbour with his M3 who thought he could handle the snow but skid all the way up the road then again he is an a-hole
- Follow any existing tyre tracks where traffic has gone through, sometimes when its bright and white its hard to distinguish hidden kerbs and pavements.
- Remove as much snow fromy your car before you set off, nothing worse than a driver with 3-5 inches of snow on their roof and as they drive it just flys off onto everyones windscreen (sometimes in chunks) behind and obsecuring their vision.
- Brake normally with ESP/ASR
- Change to higher gear as soon as possible
- Be careful of shaded areas, bridges and over-passes as the road is more likely to freeze sooner in these areas
- If your car starts spinning, gently steer in the opposite direction
- If the car does not react to you at all when spinning then you have no choice but to slam on the brakes
- Carry a set of spare bulbs, emergency blanket and first aid kit
- Respect the road
- Laugh at ***** drivers but keep your eyes on the road i.e. my neigbour with his M3 who thought he could handle the snow but skid all the way up the road then again he is an a-hole
- Follow any existing tyre tracks where traffic has gone through, sometimes when its bright and white its hard to distinguish hidden kerbs and pavements.
- Remove as much snow fromy your car before you set off, nothing worse than a driver with 3-5 inches of snow on their roof and as they drive it just flys off onto everyones windscreen (sometimes in chunks) behind and obsecuring their vision.
These are all great tips! Thanks very much for all the input everyone! On all your advice, I went this afternoon and got some hankook winter tyres fitted on the front. It is amazing how it drives now...even in the slush it's got loads of grip and that combined with the ABS and ESP makes it a world away from old bangers I had in the snow in the past. Thanks again.
Dazmo
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[SUP]Winter tyres really are amazing in this weather.
Its about time they made it a legal requirement in this country and lowered the prices!
My misis has winter tyres on her fiesta, and it performs much better than my quattro in the snow!
Unfortuantely 18" winter tyres are far to expensive, otherwise i would get them for the audi, then it would be brilliant.
[/SUP]
Its about time they made it a legal requirement in this country and lowered the prices!
My misis has winter tyres on her fiesta, and it performs much better than my quattro in the snow!
Unfortuantely 18" winter tyres are far to expensive, otherwise i would get them for the audi, then it would be brilliant.
[/SUP]
It's amazing the difference they make and like you say 4 x 4s can be left standing! I'm going to try and get a spare set of alloys so i can swap each year without balancing , etc. Anyone got any cheap 16" alloys for sale?
Something else to watch out for is the depth of the snow between your wheel tracks. If your car is lowered, or even if it isn't for that matter, the mound of snow between the wheels can easily start to scoop up between the sump and the engine under-tray, resulting in a broken under-tray.
Keep revs low, change up a gear when you can and try to keep everything smooth. If you start to slide/skid, don't just plant your foot on the brake, try to regain control first or you'll just lock the wheels and make things worse.
Also, general winter tip, clear your WHOLE car of snow and ice, not just the windscreen. It won't get you to work any faster, but it's dangerous waiting for big chunks of snow and ice to either blow onto the windscreen or slip off the roof into the road or into you view.
Also, general winter tip, clear your WHOLE car of snow and ice, not just the windscreen. It won't get you to work any faster, but it's dangerous waiting for big chunks of snow and ice to either blow onto the windscreen or slip off the roof into the road or into you view.
Do any of you guys know what ESP actually does??? It seems to stop lots of sliding somehow but I'd like to know the technical side...
wesmaster
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I got a set of 4 pirelli winter tyres 205/55/16 for £60 (Part worn) with 6mm of tread.
Well worth it! big difference, just a bit noisy!
Well worth it! big difference, just a bit noisy!
I had a look around after I was amazed at how good my (same) car handled a snowy roundabout. Under steer, oversteer, it dealt with both.
Electronic Stability Control (ESC) Revealed - YouTube
Didnt know I had it but felt it and saw traction light flashing. I also have 4x winter tyres, both work well together but are not foolproof I'm sure.
Never knew this. Saw someone get pulled over by the Police. He had a ridiculous snow afro on his honda... £60 fine and 6 points I heard the officer say. They followed him after he went through a gatso and his number plates were obsecured in frosted snow... so that will an extra 3 points and fine.
Old article but the rules are the same, Rule 229 of the High Way Code: Drivers face £60 fine for snow on roof | Mail Online
Old article but the rules are the same, Rule 229 of the High Way Code: Drivers face £60 fine for snow on roof | Mail Online
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I have one tip, make sure you clear the whole of your car before making your journey.
I couldnt believe how many cars I have seen in the past couple of days where they have literally done the wipers and driven off, all the side windows snowed under, boot, roof, bonnet and headlights all covered in snow too, is it worth the risk of an accident for yourselves, or even more so all these kids playing in the snow, it doesnt bare thinking about.
Even worse, when the sheet of snow on the roof of the car in front sheds its load all over your windscreen when you are sat behind it.
Anyway rant over
Keep safe people.
Nilz
I couldnt believe how many cars I have seen in the past couple of days where they have literally done the wipers and driven off, all the side windows snowed under, boot, roof, bonnet and headlights all covered in snow too, is it worth the risk of an accident for yourselves, or even more so all these kids playing in the snow, it doesnt bare thinking about.
Even worse, when the sheet of snow on the roof of the car in front sheds its load all over your windscreen when you are sat behind it.
Anyway rant over
Keep safe people.
Nilz
