Here is a basic list of things you should know about winter driving. Most of it has been covered here along with a few things I wouldn't recommend.
Idling your engine to warm your vehicle is a waste of time and fuel. Unless you own an old vehicle with a carburated engine that will stall out if it isn't warm, you are not gaining anything by idling (other than a warm cab). If you want some peace of mind, install a block heater. They are cheap and allow your car to start easily even when it is -40.
I see someone else has beaten me to the punch. Don't pump your brakes. If you can't threshold brake and don't have abs, learn. Unless your foot is too short, your heel should remain planted on the floor of the car when using the pedals. It helps to prevent accidentally putting too much pressure on the brake should you panic.
Definitely drive slower if you have to. I wouldn't worry about starting your car early/using a block heater unless its like... -20 C (around 0 F). My car for example won't start below -18 C or so unless I have the block heater plugged in. (As an aside: Fuck Edmonton winters I will never stay there for a winter again).
Tap the brakes. Even anti-lock brakes will perform better if you brake in bursts instead of stomping them down.
Yea, its been said, but don't do this. With ABS, in an emergency braking situation just push HARD on the brakes. Some people get startled by the 'pulsing' feedback and let go: Do not do that either. Just brake hard.
Speaking as a northern-midwesterner, there are two simple rules for driving on icy roads. Both relate to basic physics.
First:
Accelerating
Braking
Turning
PICK ONE.
Basically, there's a maximum force that the road can apply to your car. This is related to the friction between your tires and the road. When the road is slippery, this maximum force decreases.
All of the above three are properly called "accelerating" from a physics standpoint. You have a given maximum frictional force. You want to avoid trying to apply acceleration beyond this maximum force. So if you need to brake - don't try to turn at the same time. Same with increasing speed.
Second:
static friction is greater than dynamic friction
meaning: Let's say you are cruising along and your tires aren't slipping. This gives you static friction between the car and the road.
However! If your tires start to slip - as in you start skidding - the maximum frictional force between tires and road drops instantly.
A common mistake for people unfamiliar with driving on icy roads is to, once they begin slipping, to jam on the brakes.
Mistake (unless a collision would be otherwise imminent)!
The reason - once you start slipping, the maximum frictional force is instantly reduced. Jamming on the brakes imparts another force load. So you're worse off than before - not only has your maximum frictional force decreased due to slippage, but you're trying to apply MORE frictional force by hitting the brakes. This makes the skid more severe. If you start to slip on a road and you are not in danger of hitting something, what you should do is let off both the gas and the brakes, steering to keep your course correct, until you feel the tires begin to grip again.
Other than that - don't fight ABS. If you need to break hard, just hit the brakes and let ABS pump them.
Go much slower than normal. If you want to test whether you are traveling too fast, give it a bit more gas (on a safe, straight section of road). If you slip as soon as you try to increase speed, you are going too fast.
Take it slow and keep in mind that, since you're in a state where snow/ice is very rare, there are going be a lot of clueless people on the road panicking and doing everything wrong. Practice super-defensive driving and stay the hell away from other cars whenever possible.
Winter driving around here raises the capacity for RAEs- Random Asshole Encounters. These are the people who drive the same way in July as in December. The majority of them drive big trucks, vans, or SUVs. Such as the one I ran into.
I was out shopping again today- video games don't get under the tree by walking there...- and I was coming up to my off-ramp. Cue RAE.
Some stupid-ass comes roaring past me in an SUV covered with those magnetic ribbons. He swerves to miss a cardboard box, and in doing so, cuts me off, sending me into a fishtail as I brake and end up skidding sideways up the off-ramp.
I still can't believe I never saw him on the local news about speed on icy roads. I just hope karma caught up to him in the form of a rabid penguin flock in his sock drawer.
Drive like a sane person- take it slow, and if the roads get too slick, there's no shame in spending the night in a hotel/ choosing to leave at a better time instead of thinking you absolutely, positively have to go no matter what.
Still, a few tips:
(1) Deflate your tires a few psi. It'll hurt your gas mileage, but you'll have more rubber touching the road, leading to increased friction, leading to slightly better handling.
(2) You will need to accelerate and brake much more cautiously than you're probably used to. If you slam your foot down on either pedal, you will start to lose control. Allow yourself 2-3 times as much braking distance as normal, and accelerate at least half as slowly as normal.
(3) Keep away from other cars as best as you can. Odds are most of the other people on the road don't know how to drive on ice either, and at least some of them will go off the road.
#1 only works on dry roads, buddy. It has the opposite effect on wet roads, snow and ice.
Tap the brakes. Even anti-lock brakes will perform better if you brake in bursts instead of stomping them down.
Yea, its been said, but don't do this. With ABS, in an emergency braking situation just push HARD on the brakes. Some people get startled by the 'pulsing' feedback and let go: Do not do that either. Just brake hard.
Another voice in the choir of "pumping ABS prevents ABS from working correctly". Also ABS won't necessarily make you stop faster anyway, nor will pumping the brakes really, the point of both is to maintain control of the vehicle as if you lock the brakes you no longer have any control at all, accelerating, braking or steering.
Speaking as a northern-midwesterner, there are two simple rules for driving on icy roads. Both relate to basic physics.
First:
Accelerating
Braking
Turning
PICK ONE.
This is really important. If you're heading into an icy corner, brake before you get there then as you go to make the turn, let off the brake and coast through. Absolutely do not brake and steer at the same time or you will become intimate with somebody's lawn.
I remember one time my friend was driving me back to my apartment in her giant boat of a car. We stopped on this slight incline that you never even notice when the roads are clear. However, that day, it meant that every move she made brought her closer and closer to sliding into a bunch of parked cars. Eventually we had to flag down a passing salt truck to put salt down in front of her and we put some rock salt we found under the tires and she got moving again. There was a good 20 minutes though we were just standing around scratching our heads since we couldn't move in this skating rink the parking lot had become.
Last time I had a flat, it took me damn near an hour to find where the tire tools were. They looked (and were positioned) as if they were pieces of metal intended to prop the little "spare tire compartment" door up (like how hoods have a similar "propping" piece of metal), so I just ignored them until I finally took a really hard look at them and realized it was exactly what I was looking for.
When it's damn cold, you don't want to do that. In short, don't be an idiot like me.
I can probably beat that. One time driving from Davenport to Ames (about a 3 hour trip), my wife and I blew a tire. We pull out the spare, jack up the car, and start using the torque wrench to turn the bolts on the wheel. But the torque wrench, no matter which end we use, just will not grip the bolts! We had changed a tire before, but it was so dark that we couldn't see the tire very well or read the measurements on the wrench ends. She's getting panicky, and I manage to get the wrench wedged, somehow, in something that doesn't seem to be a bolt hole. It's stuck, so I pull as hard as I can, and the wrench comes free - with the hubcap still attached to the other end.
Lesson learned: the Ford Focus has a hubcap with fake plastic bolts.
Lug wrench. This is a torque-wrench. That little plate at the bottom has numbers and units on it and a needle so that you can tension bolts with more precision than "hand-tight". It's basically for engine work, and maybe suspension.
As an out-of-stater that just drove through Waco/Ft.Worth with the freezing going on, let me rant at Texans (who will never read this).
DON'T HIT YOUR BRAKES ON THE GODDAMNED BRIDGES.
I35-W has a bridge every 1000 feet and wouldn't you know it, there's a wreck at every single one. Like clockwork, you see cars braking and skidding sideways. And impatient idiots who tailgate in bad weather cause collisions every single time.
There were towtrucks waiting for wrecks at interchanges in FTW.
Posts
Idling your engine to warm your vehicle is a waste of time and fuel. Unless you own an old vehicle with a carburated engine that will stall out if it isn't warm, you are not gaining anything by idling (other than a warm cab). If you want some peace of mind, install a block heater. They are cheap and allow your car to start easily even when it is -40.
I see someone else has beaten me to the punch. Don't pump your brakes. If you can't threshold brake and don't have abs, learn. Unless your foot is too short, your heel should remain planted on the floor of the car when using the pedals. It helps to prevent accidentally putting too much pressure on the brake should you panic.
Yea, its been said, but don't do this. With ABS, in an emergency braking situation just push HARD on the brakes. Some people get startled by the 'pulsing' feedback and let go: Do not do that either. Just brake hard.
GT: Tanky the Tank
Black: 1377 6749 7425
First:
Accelerating
Braking
Turning
PICK ONE.
Basically, there's a maximum force that the road can apply to your car. This is related to the friction between your tires and the road. When the road is slippery, this maximum force decreases.
All of the above three are properly called "accelerating" from a physics standpoint. You have a given maximum frictional force. You want to avoid trying to apply acceleration beyond this maximum force. So if you need to brake - don't try to turn at the same time. Same with increasing speed.
Second:
static friction is greater than dynamic friction
meaning: Let's say you are cruising along and your tires aren't slipping. This gives you static friction between the car and the road.
However! If your tires start to slip - as in you start skidding - the maximum frictional force between tires and road drops instantly.
A common mistake for people unfamiliar with driving on icy roads is to, once they begin slipping, to jam on the brakes.
Mistake (unless a collision would be otherwise imminent)!
The reason - once you start slipping, the maximum frictional force is instantly reduced. Jamming on the brakes imparts another force load. So you're worse off than before - not only has your maximum frictional force decreased due to slippage, but you're trying to apply MORE frictional force by hitting the brakes. This makes the skid more severe. If you start to slip on a road and you are not in danger of hitting something, what you should do is let off both the gas and the brakes, steering to keep your course correct, until you feel the tires begin to grip again.
Other than that - don't fight ABS. If you need to break hard, just hit the brakes and let ABS pump them.
Go much slower than normal. If you want to test whether you are traveling too fast, give it a bit more gas (on a safe, straight section of road). If you slip as soon as you try to increase speed, you are going too fast.
Michigan + December = I-94: The Skating Rink.
Winter driving around here raises the capacity for RAEs- Random Asshole Encounters. These are the people who drive the same way in July as in December. The majority of them drive big trucks, vans, or SUVs. Such as the one I ran into.
I was out shopping again today- video games don't get under the tree by walking there...- and I was coming up to my off-ramp. Cue RAE.
Some stupid-ass comes roaring past me in an SUV covered with those magnetic ribbons. He swerves to miss a cardboard box, and in doing so, cuts me off, sending me into a fishtail as I brake and end up skidding sideways up the off-ramp.
I still can't believe I never saw him on the local news about speed on icy roads. I just hope karma caught up to him in the form of a rabid penguin flock in his sock drawer.
Drive like a sane person- take it slow, and if the roads get too slick, there's no shame in spending the night in a hotel/ choosing to leave at a better time instead of thinking you absolutely, positively have to go no matter what.
I can has cheezburger, yes?
#1 only works on dry roads, buddy. It has the opposite effect on wet roads, snow and ice.
Another voice in the choir of "pumping ABS prevents ABS from working correctly". Also ABS won't necessarily make you stop faster anyway, nor will pumping the brakes really, the point of both is to maintain control of the vehicle as if you lock the brakes you no longer have any control at all, accelerating, braking or steering.
This is really important. If you're heading into an icy corner, brake before you get there then as you go to make the turn, let off the brake and coast through. Absolutely do not brake and steer at the same time or you will become intimate with somebody's lawn.
I remember one time my friend was driving me back to my apartment in her giant boat of a car. We stopped on this slight incline that you never even notice when the roads are clear. However, that day, it meant that every move she made brought her closer and closer to sliding into a bunch of parked cars. Eventually we had to flag down a passing salt truck to put salt down in front of her and we put some rock salt we found under the tires and she got moving again. There was a good 20 minutes though we were just standing around scratching our heads since we couldn't move in this skating rink the parking lot had become.
I can probably beat that. One time driving from Davenport to Ames (about a 3 hour trip), my wife and I blew a tire. We pull out the spare, jack up the car, and start using the torque wrench to turn the bolts on the wheel. But the torque wrench, no matter which end we use, just will not grip the bolts! We had changed a tire before, but it was so dark that we couldn't see the tire very well or read the measurements on the wrench ends. She's getting panicky, and I manage to get the wrench wedged, somehow, in something that doesn't seem to be a bolt hole. It's stuck, so I pull as hard as I can, and the wrench comes free - with the hubcap still attached to the other end.
Lesson learned: the Ford Focus has a hubcap with fake plastic bolts.
DON'T HIT YOUR BRAKES ON THE GODDAMNED BRIDGES.
I35-W has a bridge every 1000 feet and wouldn't you know it, there's a wreck at every single one. Like clockwork, you see cars braking and skidding sideways. And impatient idiots who tailgate in bad weather cause collisions every single time.
There were towtrucks waiting for wrecks at interchanges in FTW.