1994-2002 [Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
Hi,
I'm one of those people who actually enjoys driving in winter roads, having done it out of necessity for all my driving years (Boston, NH, and Ithaca). I am somewhat notorious for intentionally breaking traction on snowy and dirt roads when conditions allow, to practice my skid-recovery and throttle steering techniques, but it's never fun if it's unexpected. I've never had an accident.
Tires do make a huge difference, though the Saab is my first car I've equipped with dedicated snow tires. Might not be worth the expense for you if you're looking at 1 snowfall a year (though a new car costs a bit too); but get them if you have the means for the confidence they will give you. At the least, make sure your all-seasons have good tread as you approach winter.
In general, to keep yourself facing the right way, do everything as smoothly and slowly as possible. See how little you need to move the steering wheel to turn. Anticipate braking and accelerating, and use the pedals as if your feet are balancing on egg shells. Not only does this do less to upset the car's chassis when it begins to lose traction, but it heightens your awareness of the road conditions. SLOW DOWN in winter conditions: ice will never be as grippy as asphalt. As an aside, I never have even the radio on as distraction when I'm driving in the slippery stuff: your ears can tell you a lot about road surfaces and your wheels, and winter driving demands a lot more skill and attention than normal commuting. This is part of the fun!
Practice! Hit the parking lots, mall roads, business parks, or other sparsely populated snowy areas: do donuts, understeer, e-brake turn, left-foot brake: see how your car acts when it starts to break loose in an environment where you're not going to hurt yourself. See how you can recover: induce skids, and correct them. And make sure you have fun doing it! You'll gain confidence, and learn a lot about yourself and your car in the process.
As for your specific question, it depends on what initiated the skid, but I for one rarely touch the brakes in the snow without thought and anticipation: many times that is what gets your back wheels chasing you around down the road (less weight over back, plus weight transfer forward while braking= rear wheels break loose). Whatever you decide to do, execute it calmly, smoothly, and with minimal steering input. Think about what your car is doing: braking with 4 wheels, or accelerating/steering with 2, and how you gently want to distribute these forces so they are within the traction envelope (or circle, however you want to visualize it). Again, these decisions are best made in a parking lot the first few dozen times, not in the face of an oncoming snowplow.
The Saab is a great car in the snow, for the reason that it is well-balanced, and reacts predictably to the driver's inputs. I have driven many other cars of all drive configurations in snowy conditons (and 1 motorcycle, but lets not go into that), and feel very safe and controlled in my 9-3.
Take it easy, and best of luck,
Lutfisk
posted by 24.59.101...
, Fri, 21 Feb 2003 16:04:13, Wed, 19 Feb 2003 11:04:34
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