The Weather Thread

COYBL25 said:
Let a bit of air out of the tyres before she sets off, bit more traction and grip ?
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It's a bit of fallacy - it can help in some more extreme conditions when the ground underneath isn't great. In the city, it isn't going to do much if anything.

It's better to make sure there's suitable tread and to drive slower, smoothly, raise your gears (start in 2nd, don't have high revs) and extend braking distances.

The biggest issue people have is they try to drive as they typically do and push the brakes firmly as with normal conditions - this causes the car to slide.

Stopping distance in this weather could easily be 30m+ at 20mph, rather than 6-12m: drop the speed, use your gears and slowly apply the brakes until you stop.

The insurance companies are already seeing a huge spike in suspected collisions from their black box data!
 
PhilM said:
My daughter is driving her car for the first time today in wintery conditions like this. I've said to start in second gear, keep revs low, and squeeze the brakes.

'Yeah, yeah! I'll be fine. I know how to drive,' was her reply. My nerves are shot due to her overconfidence , as her braking is often quite blunt (short and sharp).

You should be looking at increasing the distance of braking by about ten times.
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Its not even her you have to worry about, it's the other nutters. One person's safe braking distance is another person's gap to sneak into.
 
PhilM said:
It's a bit of fallacy - it can help in some more extreme conditions when the ground underneath isn't great. In the city, it isn't going to do much if anything.

It's better to make sure there's suitable tread and to drive slower, smoothly, raise your gears (start in 2nd, don't have high revs) and extend braking distances.

The biggest issue people have is they try to drive as they typically do and push the brakes firmly as with normal conditions - this causes the car to slide.

Stopping distance in this weather could easily be 30m+ at 20mph, rather than 6-12m: drop the speed, use your gears and slowly apply the brakes until you stop.

The insurance companies are already seeing a huge spike in suspected collisions from their black box data!
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Good solid advice this. I didn't know about the letting air out the tyres no good in the city either.
 

Shevin Keedy said:
Good solid advice this. I didn't know about the letting air out the tyres no good in the city either.
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From what I know, the advice came about from the past and in conditions out of the city like dense mud or sand, where it can be a big benefit.

These days, where roads are now pretty much always tarmacked and tyres are much more efficient, the advice is maintaining the recommend tyre pressure.

It aids the ABS, and more so 4WD traction. Tyres fully inflated but in good condition (more than enough tread) is the official line and what we do.

Can't say for certain, but based on all the above you'd think it's probably riskier to do as the ABS et al. may not cope as well as they can.
 
PhilM said:
From what I know, the advice came about from the past and in conditions out of the city like dense mud or sand, where it can be a big benefit.

These days, where roads are now pretty much always tarmacked and tyres are much more efficient, the advice is maintaining the recommend tyre pressure.

It aids the ABS, and more so 4WD traction. Tyres fully inflated but in good condition (more than enough tread) is the official line and what we do.

Can't say for certain, but based on all the above you'd think it's probably riskier to do as the ABS et al. may not cope as well as they can.
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My old driving instructor used to recommend cadence or stutter braking in icy conditions.
 
April1970 said:
My old driving instructor used to recommend cadence or stutter braking in icy conditions.
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Like with the tyre pressure guidance, it's mainly been superseded, because ABS will do the very same job now if the system recognises lack of traction.

If it's all going wrong, you may want to do it, although in regular (most) circumstances you'd want to naturally slow down over a larger distance.

Drop the gears, carefully apply some pressure on the brakes, so the car begins to slow but there's still traction; continue to add and release more as required.

I remember about eight years ago travelling alongside Calderstones Road towards the gates (Harthill) in the dead of night, doing about 15-20mph max.

Not like all the above, I tried to slow down too quickly to take the corner as needed to get to a house quick, and even at that speed the backend came out.

Good job it was a job's car and in the middle of the night because the ABS struggled, and I ended up sliding. Sudden braking was my downfall.

Make sure you turn into the slide too - the direction your back wheels are going - as it meant I was able to get the car back under control before the wall.
 

Had to drive this morning from Welshpool to Telford and then on to Walsall and back to Welshpool.. just got back… some hairy moments on the roads earlier but it was fairly clear on the journey back this evening
 
COYBL25 said:
Five hour power cut around ours yesterday was no fun.

Out with the candles, on with the battery radio and battery powered dvd player for the little fella.

Makes you really wonder how we all coped when the likes of @Joey66 was a nipper.
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We were tough mate - toilet outside bottom of the backyard - newspapers for toilet paper - tin bath hanging on your wall on a six inch nail - British coal was so big my job was to split it with an axe so it would fit on the fire ......
The winter of 1963 sash windows upstairs were frozen glass all day ......three of us in one bedroom as kids my father threw old coats on the beds as blankets were at a premium ......

As a miner on the coal face his wages were a pittance ......no TV just a radio that my older brother used to get from a chandler's it was massive as we only had a few plug sockets in the house .....

The good old days - equals NOT
When I was small I had to stand in a Dublin sink to get bathed with that free carbolic soap ......head full of dandruff..... :eek:
The days when you could leave your doors unlocked as their was sod all to steal lol
 

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