You mean vehicle registration decals? Didn’t know folks pit them on paint...
Stickers, like you might see on the rear window of vehicles.
Most subarus have some kind of stickers on the rear window.
Humorous, serious, etc....
You mean vehicle registration decals? Didn’t know folks pit them on paint...
I saw more winter weather accidents in a week in Indiana than I have my entire life in Texas. I always supposed because they lived in those conditions so many months of the year, they simply got tired of taking their time going somewhere. Of course, most of them were driving old beaters. Hang some old tires off the side and go for it...If you are driving in sub freezing temps, especially on a rural road or a road that has a fair amount of shaded spots, and there has been any moisture like rain, fog, melting snow, dew, etc., you should assume you'll hit black ice, especially during overcast or low light conditions.
And yes, like any ice, you can probably drive on it as long as you are capable of maintaining some level of momentum and traction. Obviously, hills, curves, and excessive speed (excessive to conditions, not excessive to the posted limit) are conditions that can cause serious issues.
As I said in my original post, I've driven on icy and snow packed roads most of my life. We used to go to work every day, regardless of the roads. Yes, we had snow plows and sand/salt trucks, but they are only trying to keep roads passable, not necessarily completely free of snow or ice. And for the most part, they concentrate on the main roads and only hit rural routes when the main roads are in good shape.
The problem with driving on snow and ice in Texas for me isn't necessarily the road conditions as much is it is about the knuckleheads on the road who have no clue how to drive on them with me. They have no clue to slow down or increase following and stopping distances.
As far as vehicles, in my experience and generally speaking, on snow and ice, all wheel drive > four wheel drive > front wheel drive > rear wheel drive. And the difference between AWD and 4WD is sensors that properly apply power to the tires that have the most traction. The Subaru, Audi, and Volvo AWD systems are examples of what I'm talking about, versus my Chevy Silverado 4X4.
But drivers skill and experience will definitely play a role. I've been stuck a few times, mostly when I was a new driver and thought I was bullet proof. I knew a few guys in both Alaska and Montana who owned regular two wheel drive trucks and went all winter long and rarely had problems. But they ran quality snow tires on their pickup trucks (they put them on in the fall and took them coffin the spring, added a lot of weight to the beds, and carried a set of time chains, a tow chain, some boards, and a shovel in case they got stuck. But these guys pulled way more folks out from the ditch than they ever had to be "rescued" themselves.
All that said, I agree that true ice storm, where there is a sheet of pure ice, frozen on top of all the roads, is nearly impossible for anything but a zamboni!
YMMV
On ice, lockers can actually hurt overall traction. In a straight line you're better off, but in a turn, if forces a wheel to break traction and that can induce a slide or a stall if one tire doesn't have the traction to keep you moving.I have a full electric locker on my 2WD ford trucks. Never had a problem getting thru anything. Ice snow mud etc. Infact a locker will get you thru most crap that AWD or 4WD without locking diffs cant get thru.
Without a locker, even with the ABS based limited slip and traction control, all the power just goes to one wheel on the axle which sucks when it has no traction.
My daughter has limited snow n ice experience and her front wheel drive fusion drove circles around bubbas. They eat tires but Front Wheel Drive vehicles have advantages.
You must not have any liberals down there.You mean vehicle registration decals? Didn’t know folks pit them on paint...
Must be a first huh? Subaru owner not knowing what stickers/decals are. I thought they came from the factory with at least 5!You must not have any liberals down there.
Failing to state one incredibly important fact, though.
You are NOT in control of your vehicle. IF you are on level ground, IF you want to go straight, you will continue on your desired path.
I am no physicist but my common sense is telling me that the crown of the road will keep your tires canted a slight bit toward the center (depending on the crown of the road) so for your theory to be effective, the roads would have to be flat with no crown.
Please stay home in icy conditions.It is one thing to hit black ice unknowingly.
It is another to claim one can drive on it. And knowingly attempt to do so.
No, continue at the same speed with your eyes targeted on the point where you know there to be more traction. People in warm climates are quite ignorant to a VERY important aspect of driving in poor conditions, and that is safety is directly impacted by traffic working as a unified system, rather than as a set of individual drivers. Don't slow down, just cruise over the slippery part in a straight line.So DON'T slow down when you come to a point where you expect there to be ice?
Likely true.Fun fact: If you get a Roman full of people and ask for a show of hands of who thinks they are a better than average driver, nearly everyone will raise their hands.
I’m willing to bet most of the cars I saw wrecked or in a ditch over the last week were driven by people who felt they knew how to drive in those conditions and would be just fine.
Not attacking anyone, just something to think about.
Directly? Perhaps not. Indirectly? ABSOFUCKINGLUTELY yes. Again, in poor conditions safety is directly and massively negatively impacted by anyone not working as a system with other drivers. In good weather, one person braking will cause a wave of braking events behind them until enough time and distance can absorb it. Each braking event progressively increases in intensity near the head, then reaches equilibrium at some point and eventually tapers off. This is why traffic will sometimes come to a standstill on a freeway and then free up for an "unknown" reason. What happens when eventually the available friction is less than the requirement, AND there is no option to avoid a collision because there's walls on both sides? You know what has more friction than black ice? Vehicles smashing into the walls and each other because someone slowed down too much for the chain of vehicles behind them to counter. So while the first person at the head slowing down didn't directly cause the pileup, that action caused a chain reaction that did.That’s not what caused that pile up. And if people had known that overpass was iced over and had slowed down before hitting it expecting the ice to be there we probably wouldn’t have had cars being launched in to the air and not nearly as many serious injuries or deaths.
Bingo. Sounds like experience talking.As slow as possible, as fast as necessary.
A little momentum is your friend, too much is your enemy. Driving on ice it as limited a traction surface as there is, but the same rules apply on it as for other limited traction surfaces like dirt, mud or sand.
If you’re on two wheels and you see a bunch of sand completely covering the road, are you going to grab a hand and foot full of brake? Are you going to drag a knee?So, don't slow down, but go as slow as possible...
If you’re on two wheels and you see a bunch of sand completely covering the road, are you going to grab a hand and foot full of brake? Are you going to drag a knee?
Generally, yes.So, don't slow down, but go as slow as possible...
Exactly. And if you have a car 40 feet off your back tire? You’ll make the mental choice about whether they can slow with you rather than plowing over you, right?If I see it, I'd try to slow before hitting it, but would release the brakes before I got onto it.
Just like slowing down "before" you get to a bridge, during icy conditions.
So while you were on the black ice, you could have executed a right turn? Made an emergency lane change? Made an emergency stop?Please stay home in icy conditions.
oldag: One is always in control of their vehicle. If they are not, they should not be behind the wheel of it. I drove up to DFW in ice the day of, and home to the Houston area from DFW after the big pileup, also in snow and icy conditions. There was a fair amount of black ice that I drove on. I guess I must have died and my ghost is posting?
cvgunman: My driving is not based on theory, it's based on training and experience. The crown of a road is not a constant either, and a driver should be expected to read that (and use to their advantage) accordingly.
Yep parked my 4wd Silverado and drove the Subaru Forrester without a slip nor slide!I'm all for it! Hell get two of them Forresters!!! Best way to assure we'll never encounter these conditions again is to be fully prepared for them!!!!
That is the point that needs to be understood. Knowing what you can or cannot do under the conditions, and driving the car within those boundaries, is what keeps you in control. There are always things you cannot do with your vehicle because it would exceed the available limits.So while you were on the black ice, you could have executed a right turn? Made an emergency lane change? Made an emergency stop?
You may have been at the controls, but you could not control the car. Big difference.
Who said anything about being dead?
As many as it takes?Day,um!!!! Zackly how many words does it take to describe/mansplain the correct way to drive on ice - an event where, basically, you do nothing???????