WINTER motoring

[skoda.fr]

guess its the wrong place to post ??? sorry

teaching to suck eggs to some, but here in france its nasty, and they dont clear the roads that often........... like at all this last week, and i'm on the 6am school run too :(.

snow chains i've used, you tend to spend hours fitting them and find one flies off some place or other, unless you live up a serious hill dont bother, I used to live in a village where it was compulsary, yet down the hill no snow and them you trashed the chains .... bla bla etc!

anyway

GEAR UP...... as fast as you can, the engine will chug, let it, get up the gears as fast as you can.

BRAKING...... gentle and use those gears to slow you .... remember you are are in 4th when 2nd would be better? so the wheels are turning slower, and you have that to help you when changing down.

SKID....... turn into it, but in ice you cant use that as a rule.

DE-ICER...... will ice on the screen, so use cold COLD water, and start your babe up to warm up 20mins before.

WIPERS....... lift them off the glass the night b4, they'll only stick then you trash the rubber or worse. clear the windows and then lower them.

COVERED IN SNOW......... get a broom and brush the car down, all over, remember if you leave a stack on the bonnet it'll soon lift off right in your face!

KEEP TANK FULL...... as much as you can do.

LOCKS and WINDOWS........ if safe dont lock the car the lock could freeze up. Dont do elelctric windows until well warmed up you could trash them.

DRIVING INTO FALLING SNOW...... we all see it, its can fixate you, just look down try to watch the white line, and dont high beam it, you'll only make the effect worse.

otherwise people please stay safe and allow 20-30mins extra time on the roads, I know it sucks but its life. There my advice, hope it helps?

[Guest Fabia 12v]

Good post Safe driving to yourself as well

[DGW]

Moved to The Motorway as the advice goes for any car - except that for using a broom (unless you drive a Citroen 2CV)!

[skoda.fr]

LOL thanx

trust me you need to broom a 6" layer off

not least to get the fan intake clear

[skoda.fr]

another tip, for seriously frosted windows

"OMG no ice scraper"

you got a credit card or tesco points card........... works actually better than most scrapers

[metalangel]

Seconded that on the credit card - I'll never shop in GAME again, so their Reward Points card has become my official ice scraper! Don't forget to scrape the ice off all your lights too.

My only advice for winter driving is to drive like you've got a brimming cup of hot coffee in your lap with no lid... be as gentle as possible. Slow down to a crawl before a bend, and then coast around it with a minimal bit of the accelerator to maintain a steady speed. Try to avoid stopping while going up hills, start in second if you have to.

[digital.diablo]

I agree with MetalAngel, only try and do one thing at once, i.e. brake WELL before you reach the corner, don't try and brake/accellerate and steer round the corner. Also, if it gets REALLY icy and you have your car on level ground, don't park with the handbrake on, it can freeze on. Put some bricks under the wheels instead (This should of course be used with extra caution).

I always try to keep a sleepingbag, torch, mobile charger in the car during the winter months, just in case. N.B, Matalan are doing a winter driving giftset for about a tenner at the moment, with jumpcables, a silver blanket, gloves and some other bits and pieces. *Other shops may be available. ;-)

[ScoobyChris]

DE-ICER...... will ice on the screen, so use cold COLD water, and start your babe up to warm up 20mins before.

This doesn't work so well on a diesel as the car won't get warm until the engine is under some load (unless you have some kind of preheater ) :(

Chris

[KentStu]

Good useful advice ... unfortunately the majority of Brits don't seem to have a clue how to drive when the remotest amount of snow / ice turns up - becomes painful watching people wheelspinning their cars into ditches etc

[lozgti]

Good post.I always do stupid things like wipers and electric windows.Hope this will prompt me not to press the darn buttons!

[SteVRs]

Smooth and gentle is the key to ALL driving - it just shows up more in snow and ice.

And leave a BIG gap from the car in front too

[Johnnyc]

start your babe up to warm up 20mins before.

Good post for winter advice but can't agree with starting the engine 20 minutes before driving away. Idleing an engine when cold causes the most wear on the engine components. You should always just start up and drive away if possible. Doing this also has the added bonus of your car not being stolen whilst you are inside the house getting some cold water. Personally I use warm water. Cold water often freezes within seconds of hitting the screen.

[Ali C]

What is theocty like in the snow?

I have a VX but changing to a octy vrs next year and the vx is crap in the snow as soon as u touch the brakes the abs is on

[matchmaker]

A pair of rather chunky looking Vredestein Wintrac Extremes arrived today as an early Chrimbo present for Darth. Will report...............

[Ali C]

Do octy`s ( vrs) behave in the snow as I`m on the verge of buying 1 and my car at the present VX vectra locks up in the snow well the ABS kicks in very early

[skoda.fr]

the panic of media has gone? well yes we had a nasty snap of real crud

now its gone all englandy---- windy and cold, no ice! watched the birds clear the holly tree of berries however....... thats a worry they dont do that yet. they know something we dont?

if the weather gets really crap, take 10PSi out of the tyres, you'll never be going that fast if it gets that bad and doing this you get more tread on the road/ice

agree fully with "cup of coffee" imagine it !

oh and after winter should they have salted the roads ........... clean the underside of your car like never b4, everything every place, brake pipes the lot! they'll corrode :(

i once used snow chains and trust me little effect unless you live up a steep hill (i did then they where needed) but useless otherwise, and took ages to get them on, total crud, lost one ............ where?? it flew off some place!

you air con bods are blessed? Rest of us, please keep the blower on the screen not the feet or face. wear gloves and drive safe

[skoda.fr]

This doesn't work so well on a diesel as the car won't get warm until the engine is under some load (unless you have some kind of preheater ) :(

Chris

i'd like to dipute that sorry, my old gazole heats up well inside 1 mins!!!! serious its blowing warm air.

[skoda.fr]

and to continue to hog the thread

battery? bit shat lose it.......... this is not the time you prat around with "its been ok until now"

screen wash GET LOADS! lorries (love 'em) hoof loadsa crud all over you if in front or passing. They throw up all the shat off the road and you gotta get it off your screen.

[skoda.fr]

Good post for winter advice but can't agree with starting the engine 20 minutes before driving away. Idleing an engine when cold causes the most wear on the engine components. You should always just start up and drive away if possible. Doing this also has the added bonus of your car not being stolen whilst you are inside the house getting some cold water. Personally I use warm water. Cold water often freezes within seconds of hitting the screen.

20 mins my bad, but does depend on temps, and snow and the like. gets real cold like in france -12-20 use your warm water and watch the screen crack. plus stolen car LOL dont like in a pikey area mate LOLOL

here we get 40° in summer and even 48 in the sun to -20° so adapt and learn

not from me, I am only trying to pass on what i have learnt!

[Johnnyc]

20 mins my bad' date=' but does depend on temps, and snow and the like. gets real cold like in france -12-20 use your warm water and watch the screen crack. plus stolen car LOL dont like in a pikey area mate LOLOL

here we get 40° in summer and even 48 in the sun to -20° so adapt and learn

not from me, I am only trying to pass on what i have learnt![/quote']

Could someone translate. Something about France, Fish and windscreens.

[skoda.fr]

yes we smack the car with a large wet fish

the run naked down the steet

dont you all???

[nokianneule]

I was curious to see how the winter motoring should be done because at the moment it's about -5 degrees celsius and 15cm's of snow...

Here in Finland it's obligatory to use winter tyres during the winter months. I prefer studded tyres but ones without studs are ok also unless the road is icy and wet. These tyres are a real pain in the **** when driving on tarmac, these are really soft and the tread pattern is almost 10mm high so it's flexible as hell. It's like driving summer tyres (means propably just regular tyres to you folks) with just under 1.5 bar pressure. Check this site for an idea what the hell I'm talking about (note also the max speed ratings): http://www.nokiantyres.com/wintertyres_en

The point is, you cant possibly imagine how much grip these kind of tyres has on snowy and icy road surfaces. The braking distance from about 60 miles/hour must be like five times shorter compared to summer tyres (on snow) and you can actually sense the deceleration. That's not the case with a combination summer tyres + snow as you propably have noticed...

The driving in snow is actually really good fun with some decent tyres. The Octy is good to drive at the winter but I don't like the idea of cutting the fuel when you press the brake pedal. It would be usefull to correct the understeer with pressing simultaneously the brake and gas pedals. :thumbdwn:

By the way, remember to take off the ESP when starting to do a hand-brake turn.

[Manguish]

Anyone HATE the ASR in the snow and ice?

It it bloody dangerous. Cuts power to the point of almost not allowing you to bloomin move.....

Not good. Oh and the ABS sucks too.

[Skimad 4x4]

If we are talking about substantial snowfalls (not the typical dusting which causes most South east Britain to grind to a halt) there is no substitute for choosing the Octy 4x4. After two long trips to the Alps this winter it was farcical watching 2 wheel drive cars struggling for grip even with snowchains. Meanwhile the Octy made totally unfussed progress on standard tyres.

As for tips its worth mentioning that the handbrake can freeze on fairly easily so when its gets really cold - don't use them - just leave the car in gear and if necessary stick a cloth over the gear stick to remind you to take it out of gear before starting.

As for diesel vehicles which have a much longer range on a full tank it is important to remember to clear out summer grade fuel before the weather turns nasty. Unlike the UK where there is a national law requiring garages to stock winter grade diesel throughout the winter months this does not apply across the rest of Europe. For instance even in mid winter you can still find garages in areas of France away from "mountain areas" which are still carrying summer grade diesel. Hence it is worth planning ahead so that if appropriate you have space in you tank to fill up with winter fuel once you reach any mountainous areas.

[jacklockwood]

Good post for winter advice but can't agree with starting the engine 20 minutes before driving away. Idleing an engine when cold causes the most wear on the engine components. You should always just start up and drive away if possible. Doing this also has the added bonus of your car not being stolen whilst you are inside the house getting some cold water. Personally I use warm water. Cold water often freezes within seconds of hitting the screen.

dont use warm water because not only can it crack your windcreen but warm and hot water freezes faster than cold water

sameway a hot towel on your forhead will cool you down

everybody drive safe us skoda drivers have a good reputation to maintain lol