Cars are rubbish!

[neslon]

Remember this from last year?

Well, deja vu time. The snurr is well deep round here, as you've probably seen from the news, and has been for days

(incidentally, if anyone is wondering why every BBC reporter in the country is reporting from a Northumberland village called Longhorsely, this might help: http://www.macdonaldhotels.co.uk/lindenHall/)

So, what have the drivers learnt from their experience of severe winter driving? Well, sorry to disappoint you, but its bugger all! It seems there are three classes of car:

1. Posh German stuff with rear wheel drive which can't make it up the camber
2. Big 4 wheel drive things which seem to move really well but are completely unable to stop
3. Little things that have front wheel drive and are able to get moving, but apparently have to have their tits revved off so the wheels spin like crazy and the snow catches fire.

My Subaru Impreza doesnt fit into any of these, goes and stops fine, but is so low slung that it scrapes over all the ridges of ice and snow and sounds like its being put down.

My Giant Anthem with Continental Spike Claws is another matter.....

 

[Trumpettom001]

Last year, I had more success with my 23c wheels, fully treadless roadbike than most cars did. smug much?

 

[downfader]

In Feb when it snowed here and caked everything I went out a few times with a shovel and cleared pavements and sections of road. People were trying to walk and drive on ridges of ice that had formed when the snow and turned to sludge, been pressed and formed by feet or tyres and refrozen.

Its forcast to snow tomorrow, if its heavy I have spiked shoe covers now. In feb they shut down all the buses, so if it happens again I'll be walking the 6 miles to work now. I dont fancy riding slicks in those conditions. I had to leave the bike at home today because of ice this morning. I miss the bike on days like this.

 

[BentMikey]

*still proud* I got my company Mazda 323 to the top of a mountain paragliding takeoff site, when my farmer mate got stuck in his Isuzu 4x4.

 

[Sheffield_Tiger]

A lot of it's about having a clue how to drive in the snow and ice...

I recall as a 17yo young driver I suffered the ignomy of a 903cc beige Yugo 45A being my transport. I went out in the snow arouind Brantingham Dale, and a load of other lads were out in their XR2s and the like having a good go at getting up the hill

I reached the bottom of the hill and turned around, to the laughter of my "peers" who figured "s**t car, not even going to attempt it

Then I reversed up the hill to the top and travelled mainly fresh snow over the top road back home, leaving the backwards-cap-wearing numpties spinning away

Similar a couple of years ago, 2 young 'uns were quite embarrassed when my rear wheel drive old-school Czech Skoda Rapid pulled alongside them to ask if they needed any help, as they were struggling in their max-power lookie-likey hatch with filler where all the door handles should be (because the concept of having rather useful handles on a door to facilitate hassle-free opening, is apparently a sign of homosexuality)

I also LOVE this time of year sitting in my local which is on the junction of 2 fairly steep slopes - it is top entertainment watching the idiots revving and spinning out all over, then you get an old geezer in an old sierra who comes up the hill with a feather touch on the right hand pedal and makes it up with ease. Although I was told off for finding it entertaining, and told that instead of laughing I should go out and offer help and advice.

I tried to explain to the lady telling me off this way, that to offer help or advice to a male driver is casting aspersions on his driving ability, which is akin to telling him he has no penis. She didn't understand.

 

[Bollo]

My Subaru Impreza doesnt fit into any of these, goes and stops fine, but is so low slung that it scrapes over all the ridges of ice and snow and sounds like its being put down.

I know what you mean, although I think most of the stuff rubbing the ground was 'non essential'. Having said that, I managed to lose the front diff cover of my Scoob on an autobahn. Bizarrely, the worst car I've ever owned for rubbing the tarmac is an A class Merc. It's got the clearance (and handling) of a hovercraft.


Current nonsense car is 265bhp, rear wheel drive and mid-engined, so it's staying firmly in the garage until spring.

 

[As Easy As Riding A Bike]

In Germany, Switzerland and all of Scandinavia, snow/winter tyres are a legal requirement.

Perhaps it's about time we caught up.

 

[Asprilla]

1. Posh German stuff with rear wheel drive which can't make it up the camber

Every year my BMW ends up in a ditch and kills me.

 

[Jezston]

Every year my BMW ends up in a ditch and kills me.

That must be getting really tedious.

My sister lives in Paris at the moment and is moving back to London in the new year, so the family is cordially expected to spend Christmas in Paris.

Apparently snow is due. Watching Parisian drivers deal with snow should be hilarious.

 

[skudupnorth]

In Germany, Switzerland and all of Scandinavia, snow/winter tyres are a legal requirement.

Perhaps it's about time we caught up.

At our dealership we have sold rafts of wheels/snow tyre sets to our customers due to the fact no one could move last year.Sad fact is they will be able to only go as far as the next stuck car without such tyres !!!

 

[trickletreat]

The use of snow tyres is not a cure all. I caught up with a landrover 110 on an estate road today. I was on my snow studded trike with daughter in tow, the 110 was fitted with a decent set of tyres, but failed to negotiate two 90degree corners, and just slid into the kerbs.

 

[400bhp]

The use of snow tyres is not a cure all. I caught up with a landrover 110 on an estate road today.

..... the 110 was fitted with a decent set of tyres, but failed to negotiate two 90degree corners, and just slid into the kerbs.

Were they snow tyres?

 

[trickletreat]

Were they snow tyres?

All I can say is that they were not the big fat low profiles seen on BMW X5 and the like, they were skinny with a big visible chunky tread pattern. The estates I ride through were untreated, with a compact thin layer of snow/ice...very slippy and no depth to dig into. My skinny schwalbe winter was great.

 

[As Easy As Riding A Bike]

The use of snow tyres is not a cure all. I caught up with a landrover 110 on an estate road today. I was on my snow studded trike with daughter in tow, the 110 was fitted with a decent set of tyres, but failed to negotiate two 90degree corners, and just slid into the kerbs.

That doesn't sound like the Landrover was fitted with snow tyres.

I have driven - and been driven - in Switzerland and Sweden, on snow, in cars fitted with snow tyres. One was a standard Golf.

It had no problem driving up steep residential drives covered in snow.

 

[trickletreat]

That doesn't sound like the Landrover was fitted with snow tyres.

I have driven - and been driven - in Switzerland and Sweden, on snow, in cars fitted with snow tyres. One was a standard Golf.

It had no problem driving up steep residential drives covered in snow.

I would imagine that they were the "as fitted " by the dealer. The tread pattern was much more distinct than the snow and mud standard tyre we have fitted to our Freelander [my wife had no problem negotiating the same corners this morning].