I don`t think it is a good idea to deflate a tyre
bearing in mind the cold will have done it for you
but as the manufacturer gives tyre pressure details
for your car I would stick to them.
a tyre that is below recommended pressure in snow will give less grip due to full tread not being applied to the road
there are varying opinions on this but I gather the law don`t like underinflation either
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Best idea would be to head into Halfords or similar, hand over £30-40 quid and pick up some snowchains.
My boot now contains snowchains (already had \'em), folding shovel (ditto), insulated foil blanket (yup, you guessed it), large normal blanket in yellow (good for visibility), hat, gloves and all my ski-gear bar the skis and boots. I also have a few choccy bars and some soft drinks.
Toying with the idea of picking up a travel kettle at Fleet Services tomorrow morning but can\'t really see that I will need it. If I were heading cross country away from major A roads I would rethink that one.
I will be posting an ad for some snowchains for my last car later this evening, but probably too late for this cold snap!
Edit: No I won\'t. Have a nice warm fire in the lounge, have opened a bottle of Wolf Blass yellow label Cab.Sauv and can\'t be bothered to go out to the garage to get the details. Maybe tomorrow.....
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Looks like another millenium bug type drama to me....I have been monitoring the bbc weather site, and each day the forecast for next week started with -9 temps and snow and gets better and better, and now is actually pretty decent and barely below zero..
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The trick of reducing air pressure in the tyres is for only when you've got stuck in snow. Reducing the pressure *sometimes* helps you obtain greater grip to get moving again.
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Already planning my week. BM may stay at home tomorrow and the Landie used. I have a pretty easy day. A trial in the morning which could well be pleaded (6 miles away), Tuesday ain't bad, Wednesday is Breakfast meetings, Thursday is optional as is Friday Landie may acquire a few miles then. I don't know whether it has anything to do with the impending cold snap but the dawn chorus has been quite spectacular these last few mornings - unusually so. Whichever God you support, something quite magical.
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Pugugly,
'I don't know whether it has anything to do with the impending cold snap but the dawn chorus has been quite spectacular these last few mornings - unusually so. Whichever God you support, something quite magical'
Agreed!
Matt35.
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Coorect Dymanic Dave. When you hace to travel in 2 ot more inches of cnow then reducing the tyre pressure a couple og pounds make a good difference and allow the tread to clear itself on lifting off the road. If you are really stuck and must just get there then even 10 pounds can be used to get you out of trouble but you must carry a compressor to re-inflate when you are on tarmac ot greater than 15 MPH ot your tyres will over heat. I have stopped in the highlands many times for driver who are stuch and they are gob smackedwhen I drop the pressures a few pounds and drive the car up the hill or what ever. Yes I live in Scotland so plenty of practice at weekends going skiing. Always important to get ther but not so important to get back to the office Yeh. I have just fitted my M&S tyres for the season. Regards Peter
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It it a good idea to reduce your tyre pressures, but only if you are stuck. When you get out of the bad area reinflate the tyres. It is a good idea also to carry two strips of carpet each with a piece of rope tied to them. Jam the carpet edge under the driven wheels, (front mostly, nowadays). Attach the rope to the back springs so that when you have driven clear the carpet will be towed behind. When you are on good ground stop and retrieve.
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Doesn't look like anyone south of Watford will need to worry. Cold yes, but also quite bright and sunny. Should make quite a nice change from the constant rain and drizzle if you ask me!
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Tyres - you can reduce the pressure a little bit and keep within your cars safe limits - if you check your manual, you'll have a range of tyre pressures depending on load & speed. Since you shouldn't be doing 100mph+ on icy roads, reducing the pressure to low speed/low load can help traction.
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Peter - I like it - Dymanic Dave .. lol. What does DD think (tho' I suppose he has seen it before) ?
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I don't know what those with regular experience of snow think but it is my impression that now many cars are fitted with tyres that are far too wide for snow...but great for looks and dry roads.
My most successful snow cars have been those with good ground clearance and tall narrow tyres. A Citroen DS and GS found me still travelling when Land Rovers were about all there was left still going.
There was just one exception to this, a 1960s Mini Cooper with alloys and 165/70s. That was brilliant in modest depths of snow. Sometimes it was pointing sideways or backwards but the actual direction of travel could be kept along the road. Of course the front number plate would always be bent under the bumper when you got home.
I'll tell you why it won't snow much this week...
Because our Land Rover is sitting all dry in the workshop full of diesel, equipped with ropes/shackles, lights repaired and battery charged up, underbonner fluids checked. If that doesn't stop the bad weather I don't know what will!
M.M
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It wont snow, everyone is too well prepared. Its a well know fact snow creeps up without warning.
I am off to the midlands midweek, and the forecast looks ok. I have drained and replaced all the windscreen wash fluids in the renault stable with -10 wash fluid. The worse thing about cold weather is dried salt and muck on the windscreen with no working washers and a very low sun.....
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I don't know what those with regular experience of snow think but it is my impression that now many cars are fitted with tyres that are far too wide for snow...but great for looks and dry roads.
I used to have a Citroen AX GT and the combination of low-profile tyres and a very light car meant that in snow, even the lightest application of the brakes had to be undertaken with a great deal of care - which is no bad thing !
just 'cos I know what I'm saying doesn't mean I know what I'm talking about
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Oh, and if you are going any distance, especially where other traffic may prevent you from proceding (motorways etc.), make sure that you have a full tank so that you can keep warm.
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You may also want to consider inviting other stranded motorists into your car and having a rota - an hour at a time in each car to maximise warmth and conserve each vehicle's fuel supply.
Of course, we are all going to look really daft when the snow (if it comes) doesn't come up to the nether regions of a chihuahua.....
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I wonder if this is a publicity blitz to avoid the last debacle when the Highways Authority were caught napping.
Mods is it worth starting a Thread reporting weather and road conditions in various necks of the woods nationwide ?
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I don't know what those with regular experience of snow think but it is my impression that now many cars are fitted with tyres that are far too wide for snow...but great for looks and dry roads.
Spot on M.M, if I could class myself as one with regular experience.....
(Blazing heatwave today, only minus 10 and brass orangutangs are looking quietly confident....)
Interesting that areas which do equip themselves properly for winter the rims and tyres are narrower, higher profile, squarer shoulders plus a better self cleaning tread pattern. That's before we get onto spikes. More or less confirms your opinion.
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My car has wide low profile tyres but it is excellent in snow. A good tread pattern helps (uniroyal rain tyre) and also the four wheel drive ;-)
Snow seems to be forecast in the north midlands for sometime during Wednesday. Earlier it seemed to suggest the midlands was a bermuda triangle that would be avoiding the snow as it would cover Wales and the East, bits of the south but leave us out of it. Flood warnings instead (cue midlands today presenters wearing waders in Bewdley and shots of large 4x4s splashing through the water
:-) )
teabelly
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>>Spot on M.M, if I could class myself as one with regular experience.....
I was calling you in on this one! Thanks.
M.M
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Aww no, apparently it's coming a day late but it's still coming, down here in the Sarf.
I have already made it clear to my boys that I will *not* be venturing out of the house (memories of my humiliation at being stuck in ice last year have not yet faded), and I have been met with utter disapproval.
Just don't know whether to risk the trusty Astra out there if it gets really bad, or just to hole ourselves up with a few bottles of wine (that's me and Rob, not me and the kids) and wait for the thaw.
I am tempted to wait for the thaw. Last year was one of the most humiliating experiences in the life of someone who has had many. It *cannot* happen again.
HF ;)
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So what happened when you got stuck in the ice?
teabelly
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So what happened when you got stuck in the ice?
This did:
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=9690&m...e
:o)
No Dosh
mailto:Alan_moderator@honestjohn.co.uk
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Ah, I can see why dear HF wants to stay indoors! :-)
teabelly
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Nobody has mentioned the easiest thing to do; Slow Down.
Drive with care and there'll be no problem. I managed to get home in the snow last year. The problem wasn't the snow it was the inability of people to drive correctly. The best bit was the large numbers of Beemers in the ditches, so I'm looking forward to it!!!
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Nobody has mentioned the easiest thing to do; Slow Down. Drive with care and there'll be no problem. I managed to get home in the snow last year. The problem wasn't the snow it was the inability of people to drive correctly. The best bit was the large numbers of Beemers in the ditches, so I'm looking forward to it!!!
I agree, people tend to hurry home in bad weather conditions. My daily drive is a TVR Griffith, and boy was that fun driving home this afternoon! Had three near crashes, four heart stopping moments and a 'come back Nova, all is forgiven' moment :-)
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Good Morning Kent.
If it hasn't arrived it is on its way.
Couple of inches lowlands N Yorks, more on the Moors.
DVD
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There was a little snow up here in Stoke but nothing that is going to stop the traffic. Unless it snows later then this 'artic weather' was rather over hyped and people are going to stop taking weather warnings seriously, which could have greater consequences.
teabelly
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The gods are smiling, it's belting down with snow :-)
teabelly
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Cambridgeshire - shed loads !
At least 6 inches on top of the Corolla this morning. Wish I'd taken a picture of it now. Luckily I had deflated my tyres last night to minimum allowed, still very slippy - forgot how fun it is to 'coast' down the road for a few yards ! Took 3 hours to get to work, mind .. :-((
NO GRITTERS !!! Not on the A10 north of Cambridge, anyway, and that's the main route up here - good old Highways Agency ! Slip-sliding all the way to Cambridge ... :-((
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Well as yet no snow worth mentioning across the M8 area of Scotland. However, all the warnings have been heeded as the shop has been getting hammered with folk buying UHT milk, tins of soup, salt, de-icer etc.
Its amazing how many people will buy an extra couple of loafs to stick in the freezer just in case.....
Could get the Met Office to issue a hot weather warning now and get rid of all the sun tan lotions.......
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Morning!
Wasn't sure whether to start a new thread for this or not so I've put it here for now. The snow has arrived in Wolverhampton! It's not quite proper snow yet as I can still see the tops of the grass, but it's still coming down in dribs and drabs and the sky looks heavy.
Trouble is, I've got to go and see my nan later (she's 85 so I can't really not go.) in deepest rural staffordshire, and I've never driven in snow before! At least one of the roads I've got to go on will be untreated.
My main question is, is it best to drive in the tracks already created by other people, or to try and drive on fresh snow?
Easy tips of one sylable please!
Thanks!
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Drive in the tracks of others but watch out for them suddenly veering off the road! Take a blanket, shovel, flask of hot drink and emergency food just in case you get stuck. If one of the roads you have to go on is untreated I would seriously consider not going. Give her a phone call instead. If she has neighbours then get them to look in on her for you, if you can. If it is anywhere hilly then you could get into difficulties quite easily so I would wait. There is likely to be a thaw by tomorrow so I would head over there then. Besides you don't want to end up with polo in the bodyshop again!
teabelly
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Pologirl,
Just think smooth is everything and you will not go far wrong. Stopping can sometimes be harder than going is worth remembering too.
The smooth approach applies in all aspects, power application on AND off, braking, gear changing and of course steering.
Basically keep it slow but smooth and steady.
Grip to drive you forward a problem? High a gear as you can manage helps, less engine torque to spin the driven wheels. Difficult hill? sometimes reversing up it works, more weight on driven wheels, but you are into get home mode by then of course.
Sometimes if everything goes pear shaped and a big slide on ice starts, declutch then all the tyres have to do is grip and steer, no extra load on them from engine transmission on overrun.
The bit I would add to teabelly comment about driving in the tracks is that actually it all depends. It comes down to a bit of common sense. If its really cold then the snow at the base of the ruts from other traffic easily compacts down and gets polished to ice rink standards. At that point you could, depending upon the depth of the snow be better off driving in fresh snow. If more or less the whole width of the road is polished and compacted snow and ice then the best grip will be in the gutter.
With the right tyre equipment and technique you can go very very quickly indeed, 160 kph on packed snow & ice do you? Like a stroll in the park though wits on full alert admittedly.
But with normal Uk road tyres as you will have keep it smooth slow and sure. In case you saw the coverage of the Monte Carlo WRC at the weekend, on the final day one of the stages the concensus was that ice tyres were not recommended. However there was a section at the top of the mountains where the road was sheet ice. The leading competitors were down to 20 mph and still right on the limit.
Take care, and when you've kept it safe as you surely will one more to add into life's experience. Thus will be better armed to deal with the day when the weather is at its worst and the journey cannot be put off till later.
FiF
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The beeb have an article here on surviving in your car, in the snow
news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/3433959.stm
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PG
Your Nan will have seen LOTS of this stuff in much greater quantities too.
She probably knows better how to look after herself than you do. Just give her a call.
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Pologirl and Polo back safely in Wolverhampton. Don't know what all the fuss is about about this being the biggest freeze since 1982 - the snow we did have has melted and it wouldn't have covered the toes of my little red wellies, never mind the tops! It's pouring with rain now and I've just heard thunder so I'm off to hide for a bit!
Thanks everyone for the advice, thankfully I didn't need it. I know I'm soft but my nan is a bit "stiff upper lip" and will tell you she's ok to stop you going, when really she could do with someone going over and checking all the heating is on and there's plenty of wood and coal in. Given the choice of taking the risk of hurting Polo or knowing that she was ok, I'd do everything I could to get there.
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And in the time it took me to type that post, the thunder storm turned into a blizzard and it's all white again. Talk about unpredictable!!
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