If I choose three random letters from alphabet to form an abbreviation, there is a high chance of a modern car computerized assist with the same name.

 

What were the drivers doing in harsh winter conditions with their classic cars even without ABS?

What are your preparations for your car before winter?

How do you know when to install tire chains before it's too late.

How does traveling on snow affects fuel consumption? With or without chains? (Could you provide a percentage based on your experience?)

How do you take care of your car during winter? Especially how do you deal with road salt?

 

Modern day cities are crowded spaces with their own micro-climate. Temperatures are usually a few degrees higher and road conditions are closely monitored. A set of Laufenn I Fit LW31 s helped me pass two winters in city without an issue but would you go on a journey on a road like this with your car?

 

The bus that I recorded this had no chains and its tires wasn't studded yet it moves almost unaffected. We arrived to our destination city that day but we heard from tv that the road was closed same night.

 

There is a possibility of taking this route with my car this winter. So what do you think? Avoid at all costs?

8 hours ago, R_Blue said:

There is a possibility of taking this route with my car this winter. So what do you think? Avoid at all costs?

Given that the traffic in the other direction to the cammer is stopped at one point, I'd advise "avoid" because you can't just rely on your car and abilities to keep going.

10 hours ago, R_Blue said:

There is a possibility of taking this route with my car this winter. So what do you think?

 

In the year 2001 a sudden snowfall hit our territory while returning to Athens, unfortunately i had no wheel winter chains, i was following 2 cars that they had and they were ''opening the path'' but soon they made distance and i was left alone in the middle of a mountain root. It was  a matter of time for the wheels to start spinning and after few minutes the car stopped. Couldn't move even half of meter, i tried again but failed.

Around me everything was quiet, no cell phone signal, no move from cars from other direction (neither behind me) and the darkness was about 1 hour away, one of the most scariest moments.

My wife was start praying and complaining that we will be left alone for all night there-what are we going to do now-it's my fault-there is no one to help us-we will freeze to death etc.

 

I get down and make few steps away, i was "in the middle of nowhere" at the worst spot of the mountain, took some breaths and in a moment of desperation i ask for God to help me and i turned to my car (full stock at that time) and i said for first time something to her: ''If you manage to get us out from this situation i make a promise to take care of you more that it should be and i will update you".

I was full rely on my Felicia that time, i had no choices at all so i touched the dashboard, made my finger Cross, start the car and while my wife was crying engage the 1st gear, suddenly the car start rolling! NO spinning!

With first gear and extremely low speed i was capable to step in the snow and after many minutes (seemed like a century to me) i was capable to pass the top of the mountain and take the downhill.

On my right side i could see abandoned cars covered with light snow and on my left drivers which were preparing their cars for the uphill installing winter chains, i was the only car that was rolling the downhill, the night was approaching fast and after some time manage to arrive at a spot with clear asphalt with no snow.

The nightmare was over and since that afternoon i call my Felicia as ''Trusty" and of course i will NEVER-EVER make a journey at Winter without have seen the weather forecast and the proper winter equipment with me.

 

With some bad experiences from the Army (cold-snow-mud-freeze air) plus the above story the Winter ''adventures'' are not from me and especially alone.

@D.FYLAKTOS Wow! I didn't know that this topic would unveil Trusty's origin story. It was a good read. Thanks for sharing.

It was like a scene from horror movies, i was desperate in the mountain, no cell phone signal, light snow, getting dark and i knew that my only hope was to wait for another car with winter chains to pass, to signal the driver and when he arrived many kilometres away to the town to notify the Authorities that a driver had stucked and needed help.

This could take many hours or they will not come till the f6 o'clock in the morning and i was in great danger.

 

I remember the first car was a Suzuki Jimny and the second a Skoda Fabia, both with wheel chains but the left me even when i signal them with high-beam lights and the horn.

I was alone, the Felicia was spinning in the snow and finally stopped.

 

Things have changed since then, not only i am prepared (winter chains-winter gloves-extra lights and vests) but a Station was established in the begginning of that mountain with snow removal machines so now no one is in danger and they don't let the road to close no matter if it's day or night.

 

God and my Trusty saved me that day, as long as i live i will not forget this.

Some may found this name funny (like the ''Other Guy'' here) but if they be found in a same situation the smile will freeze in their face.

On 13/12/2022 at 01:13, R_Blue said:

How do you take care of your car during winter? Especially how do you deal with road salt?

Where I live the most snow ive seen is for a couple of hours maybe 1-2cm

 

On 13/12/2022 at 01:13, R_Blue said:

but would you go on a journey on a road like this with your car

NO period. My life is much more valuable except if it was absolutely mandatory

 

On 13/12/2022 at 01:13, R_Blue said:

What were the drivers doing in harsh winter conditions with their classic cars even without ABS?

Threshold braking as I have karting expirience thats second nature generally in snow you should drive as smooth as possible in every input

 

On 13/12/2022 at 01:13, R_Blue said:

How do you know when to install tire chains before it's too late.

When me and a couple of buddys went off roading in the snow we just monitored traction, when there was a noticable decrease we intalled them

 

On 13/12/2022 at 01:13, R_Blue said:

The bus that I recorded this had no chains and its tires wasn't studded yet it moves almost unaffected. We arrived to our destination city that day but we heard from tv that the road was closed same night.

Since there is no ice the weight will crash the snow so yeah the bus will go

 

On 13/12/2022 at 01:13, R_Blue said:

There is a possibility of taking this route with my car this winter. So what do you think? Avoid at all costs?

It depends on what is at stake, if its your job or the life of a loved one I would go, if its a leisure drive I would avoid

 

On 13/12/2022 at 12:03, D.FYLAKTOS said:

was full rely on my Felicia that time, i had no choices at all so i touched the dashboard, made my finger Cross, start the car and while my wife was crying engage the 1st gear, suddenly the car start rolling! NO spinning!

Most likely the road got covered with fluffy snow thus giving you the ability to dig in and not spin on the underneath ice layer

12 hours ago, Thefeliciahacker said:

Most likely the road got covered with fluffy snow thus giving you the ability to dig in and not spin on the underneath ice layer

 

That root is the worst in the whole territory, is in the top of the mountain and in the past people have died there due to frostbites or went to hospital when the find them many hour latter.

As long i was behind the Jimny and the Fabia everything was OK but when they moved away things get worst.

Their tracks covered with fresh snow but i was far away and i could step on those tracks in time so soon they became crust.

Soon everything became a scene worst that this:

 

 

From the same spot that the car was spinning and stopped after some minutes start rolling ''normally''.

After a while i saw cars which where about an hour ahead of us to be abandoned in the side of the road, i was moving slowly with no one in front of behind me, i was completely alone.

I don't want to to the same again, i was lucky once so i won't ''push it'' for second time.

 

Here in Poland we can get pretty nasty snow. This year there was a sudden fall of about 20cm with temperatures later down to -10 and lower. 

 

-How do you take care of your car during winter? Especially how do you deal with road salt?

If it gets this nasty wet I try to wash the car every week mostly under the car and wheelarches, pointing the jet washer nozzle under the car to suspension points, etc. Jetwash is very popular here and ever bigger village has one, so it's not an issue and costs only about 1 USD for a few minutes worth of spray

 

-but would you go on a journey on a road like this with your car

If i had to... the Skoda has the winter tires now (and they do make a hell of a difference, though nothing beats ABS and ESP when it gets compressed-slippery-snow-ice, but my other cars do not. Sadly I had another car with me when the snow had hit... Drive slowly, keep enourmous following distance and aim for well tord places where you have a bigger chance that more cars had churned up the sludge. Also bigger roads get plowed sooner. 

One more thing about abs/ esp: I used to live at the end a twisty uphill street. When it snowed in, we saw the first plow maybe after a week. My neighbor managed to get up the hill in his ESP'd Opel family van. (not 4x4) I often stayed on the bottom and walked home as even reversing did not work due to it being so twisty and uphill. Car really hated reversing up. 

 

-What were the drivers doing in harsh winter conditions with their classic cars even without ABS?

Well, they all drove slower. today it's difficult, as the big man behind you in a 4x4 ABS, ESP,  SRS and whatnot 200hp Audi will not understand why you want to do 34.5km/h  I was taken over in the middle of a snowdrift by a man like that a few weeks ago. 

Distance distance, and let them front wheels rolling when you want to steer. that's what i do. Ah, good tires do mean a difference.

 

-How do you know when to install tire chains before it's too late.

I think when the snow is not yet compacted you can have some chance, but they will not help much if you want to go up on icy road. I tried once and they did the square root of jack, so... I guess it calms your nerves, having them in the trunk, but putting them on in -10 is a turnoff hassle anyway.

I could be entirely wrong here and missing vital education about using them, but i had very little luck  generally with chains.

On 13/12/2022 at 01:13, R_Blue said:

The bus that I recorded this had no chains and its tires wasn't studded yet it moves almost unaffected.

 

That is the trick here in city when a sudden snowfall starts and you don't have winter-chains.

The bus goes slowly and you are just behind it following its tracks, the weight of the bus crashes the snow so you don't have problem to roll in low speed till you get home.

On 13/12/2022 at 02:13, R_Blue said:

There is a possibility of taking this route with my car this winter.

And it happened. I passed from this route two weeks ago. Compared to other winters, the weather is like a calm spring nowadays. So the road was dry and the weather was fair. It was a smooth 500Km journey.

@hzoltaan Thanks for your valuable input. It means a lot when this kind of info is coming from Poland, where you master these conditions regularly in your lives.