On Mon, 09 Feb 2009 19:06:29 +0200, Eero Ahonen wrote:

> Jim Henderson wrote:
>> 
>> Well, brakes tend to be "on or off", if you don't have ABS, pumping the
> 
> New car's brakes usually feel like that, but after a while one can found
> a analog curve of braking power in even them.

True.

>> What I do on ice if accelerating is take my foot off the gas and drop
>> the car to 3rd gear (I drive an automatic, but this works in a manual
>> transmission car as well).  Don't touch the brakes, because in general
>> it won't do anything but cause you to lose control.
> 
> You don't have to slam the brakes, you know? The curve for braking power
> is analog one (ie. non-digital), so you can amount any power between
> minimum and maximum to the brakes (like you do at summer, just be more
> careful). Naturally the feeling is different in different cars, but it's
> still there, it just need a bit of practice.

Well, I've only got something like 20 years of experience driving during 
winters in Minnesota and Utah to call on.  It's been my experience that 
it is generally more effective to downshift and let the engine do the 
work.  Unless you know with relative precision how slippery it is, 
tapping the breaks can be a bad prospect.

I've managed to put two cars in the ditch in 20 years.  One from 
overcorrecting a spin, and one for not slowing down enough because some 
jackass was tailgating me.  I've never managed to put my car in the ditch 
by stepping on the brakes, because I was taught not to do that and I 
don't. <shrug>  I can't argue with what works for me.

>> I also will occasionally tap the brakes to see if the car will slow
>> down.  It's important to do this while the wheels are pointing forward,
>> though; if you do this and have the wheels turned, you could spin out
>> of control if the circumstances are right.
> 
> Another way is to give some gas and check if the wheels start spinning.
> On FWD car this won't make any kind of spinning of the car itself.
> Naturally you'll need to know your tires to know how well you can brake
> by this test.

Yes, that will also work, but yes, it is dependent on knowing the 
condition of your tires.  I think we both can agree that there is a high 
degree of situational awareness called for.

>> The best option is to find a different route if you encounter an icy
>> hill - up or down.
> 
> If you'll need to get up an icy hill outside of public roads and have an
> FWD car, go reverse - you'll gain more traction on the front wheels that
> way.

Yes, absolutely.  In fact, I did get to do this a couple years ago - 
started down a hill that was covered in ice, and after watching a car 
come over and slam into a parked car and then the stop sign on the 
opposite corner, I opted to back up and find another way down.  Reverse 
worked very well for that.

>> The important thing when driving on ice is to not make any sudden
>> changes - sudden turns, slamming on the brakes, fast acceleration - all
>> of these can cause a loss of control.
> 
> True. It's also a good habit to find a large field oslt to test out
> these things. The better you'll feel the road and know the car, the
> better your instincts will perform before you can think what's even
> happening - therefore the better are your chances to survive ;).

Yes, agreed - the more you can practice in a safe environment, the better 
prepared you'll be.  :-)

Jim

Post a reply to this message