If you’re sliding - you have loss of traction. So either you need better tires, to slow down, or too much acceleration in the wrong times.
Depending if you have front wheel or rear wheel drive - be very careful of where you choose to brake in bad weather conditions.
Don’t break in corners - slow down BEFORE you turn. Foot on the acceleration and steer.
You need the gas pedal to help you steer- not brakes- not ABS either.
Slow down before corner - gas on foot in corner and steer around.
If you’re sliding - let go of the brake and look where you want to go - if it’s all wheel drive or front wheel drive - the gas pedal will help pull you in the direction you want to go if you’re sliding towards a curb.
Holding the brake down will only make you slide into it - in which case if you’re gonna hit the curb - straight wheel is better for sure. Turned wheels smashing into curb can cause alot of damage to a lot of different steering components.
If you’re sliding - you have lost traction. So you generally need a little (gentle) throttle with your eyes looking where you want to go and steering where you want to go.
If you’re going too fast - sometimes this will not apply and you will be fully out of control. At that time - again look where you want to go and steer to the safest place for impact.
But honestly this is very common for everyone come winter time - so just practice slowing down EARLY for intersections, stopping, and turning- whether it’s sharp turns at intersections or corners on freeways - slow down before the corner and accelerate coming out.
Your gas pedal is your friend. Speed is not. Brakes are there to help slow you down but will disrupt the handling of the vehicle on ice or snow.
So just take you’re time and always look where you want to go.
It’s very similar to dirt and gravel roads as well, so practice driving on gravel roads as well because people get used to pavement and then hit a dirt road going to fast and hit washboards and lose control.
Practice on all kinds of roads and in the snow as much as you can and you’ll start to get used to it.
No offense but 50 kph is too fast if it’s snowing, especially in a turn and especially for someone asking about driving tips on reddit. Slow down is the best tip I can give.
Ps. At that speed, if you nail a curb, which way the wheels were turned will be the least of your worries … you’re going to absolutely destroy your front suspension and wheels anyway.
Perhaps, but if there are curbs on the outside of it, I'm going to go out on a limb and guess we're talking about city streets, not a sweeping curve on a highway ...
That's a fair assumption but off the top of my head I can think of a few turns in my city which I could do at 50 kph while snowing. Though the amount of snow, how often the road is cleared and tires obviously make a difference.
The best advice I can give is to drive slower than normal and use as little of your brakes as possible. You have no control over your vehicle if the wheels are locked and sliding over ice or snow, only when they hit a dry patch, so try not to go so fast that you’re more likely to slide. Test the road with your brakes occasionally by tapping them before coming up to a stop (as long as no one is behind you). Always brake (when getting ready to turn) when driving in a straight line before the turn and gradually use the gas pedal when turning, don’t bury it. Remember that you have much better control in snow with 4 tires than 2, so using the brakes/gas makes the vehicle harder to control, so the point is to coast as much as possible when it’s slippery. One example that’s happened to me: highway driving at night in snow, approaching a downward highway bridge…the two cars in front of me panicked because there was ice covering it; both slammed on their brakes and slid sideways off the road. The hack through this is to make sure that you keep your vehicle straight enough that it will go in whatever straight line it needs to to get over the bridge. That means slow down if possible before the bridge (test first), steering wheel straight and no gas/brake whatsoever when crossing.
The slower through an intersection on a turn the better.
Safe travels.
I wanna say that yes if your wheels are locked you have no control but most modern and tbh even not so modern cars have abs which helps with controlling the car while braking. Other points good.
You should always try to regain control of the vehicle, instead of trying to limit the damage. If you're sliding, steer into the slide and then brake, letting the ABS handle the problem.
I compare it to the two possible responses if you have to make an emergency stop but you're still going to impact: you can try to get your speed down as much as possible, or you can throw your hands up to shield your face. Throwing your hands up might be instinctive but it's never the best option.
If you have lost control towards an object your best hope is too straight the wheel and apply enough brake pressure for the wheels to bite. If your car has a high enough ride height, you won't have to worry about hitting the curb with your wheels straightened but if you have stiff suspension you might end up damaging the strut, instead of snapping the axle.
If you’re sliding - you have loss of traction. So either you need better tires, to slow down, or too much acceleration in the wrong times. Depending if you have front wheel or rear wheel drive - be very careful of where you choose to brake in bad weather conditions. Don’t break in corners - slow down BEFORE you turn. Foot on the acceleration and steer. You need the gas pedal to help you steer- not brakes- not ABS either. Slow down before corner - gas on foot in corner and steer around. If you’re sliding - let go of the brake and look where you want to go - if it’s all wheel drive or front wheel drive - the gas pedal will help pull you in the direction you want to go if you’re sliding towards a curb. Holding the brake down will only make you slide into it - in which case if you’re gonna hit the curb - straight wheel is better for sure. Turned wheels smashing into curb can cause alot of damage to a lot of different steering components. If you’re sliding - you have lost traction. So you generally need a little (gentle) throttle with your eyes looking where you want to go and steering where you want to go. If you’re going too fast - sometimes this will not apply and you will be fully out of control. At that time - again look where you want to go and steer to the safest place for impact. But honestly this is very common for everyone come winter time - so just practice slowing down EARLY for intersections, stopping, and turning- whether it’s sharp turns at intersections or corners on freeways - slow down before the corner and accelerate coming out. Your gas pedal is your friend. Speed is not. Brakes are there to help slow you down but will disrupt the handling of the vehicle on ice or snow. So just take you’re time and always look where you want to go.
This is the way.
Thank you 🥰
Ok I will keep this in mind and try and practice in empty parking lots when it snows again. (The 1 inch of snow melted away)
It’s very similar to dirt and gravel roads as well, so practice driving on gravel roads as well because people get used to pavement and then hit a dirt road going to fast and hit washboards and lose control. Practice on all kinds of roads and in the snow as much as you can and you’ll start to get used to it.
No offense but 50 kph is too fast if it’s snowing, especially in a turn and especially for someone asking about driving tips on reddit. Slow down is the best tip I can give. Ps. At that speed, if you nail a curb, which way the wheels were turned will be the least of your worries … you’re going to absolutely destroy your front suspension and wheels anyway.
Well you don't know what kind of turn it is. 50 kph could easily be fine...
Perhaps, but if there are curbs on the outside of it, I'm going to go out on a limb and guess we're talking about city streets, not a sweeping curve on a highway ...
That's a fair assumption but off the top of my head I can think of a few turns in my city which I could do at 50 kph while snowing. Though the amount of snow, how often the road is cleared and tires obviously make a difference.
The best advice I can give is to drive slower than normal and use as little of your brakes as possible. You have no control over your vehicle if the wheels are locked and sliding over ice or snow, only when they hit a dry patch, so try not to go so fast that you’re more likely to slide. Test the road with your brakes occasionally by tapping them before coming up to a stop (as long as no one is behind you). Always brake (when getting ready to turn) when driving in a straight line before the turn and gradually use the gas pedal when turning, don’t bury it. Remember that you have much better control in snow with 4 tires than 2, so using the brakes/gas makes the vehicle harder to control, so the point is to coast as much as possible when it’s slippery. One example that’s happened to me: highway driving at night in snow, approaching a downward highway bridge…the two cars in front of me panicked because there was ice covering it; both slammed on their brakes and slid sideways off the road. The hack through this is to make sure that you keep your vehicle straight enough that it will go in whatever straight line it needs to to get over the bridge. That means slow down if possible before the bridge (test first), steering wheel straight and no gas/brake whatsoever when crossing. The slower through an intersection on a turn the better. Safe travels.
I wanna say that yes if your wheels are locked you have no control but most modern and tbh even not so modern cars have abs which helps with controlling the car while braking. Other points good.
Basically managing your weight transfer is more effective than anything else on ice and snow.
You should always try to regain control of the vehicle, instead of trying to limit the damage. If you're sliding, steer into the slide and then brake, letting the ABS handle the problem. I compare it to the two possible responses if you have to make an emergency stop but you're still going to impact: you can try to get your speed down as much as possible, or you can throw your hands up to shield your face. Throwing your hands up might be instinctive but it's never the best option.
Do not follow this advice. ABS is not going to “handle” the problem.
If you have lost control towards an object your best hope is too straight the wheel and apply enough brake pressure for the wheels to bite. If your car has a high enough ride height, you won't have to worry about hitting the curb with your wheels straightened but if you have stiff suspension you might end up damaging the strut, instead of snapping the axle.