DIGGY

Work has never been so much fun....the trading estate is just like a sweedish special stage ahem..Thanx Don for showing me how to enjoy it, sorry drive safely in low grip conditions hee hee hee!!

keeping the parcel force delivery drivers oposite (lock!!)entertained during their night shift..

Had to laugh at a puffer cap wearer trying the same in his XR2 taking out the roundabout haa haa haa, no injuries or damage done. no other members of the puplic around and so pretty safe before i get flamed for being irresponsible.......but oh so much fun.

MorayMackenzie

4 wheels spinning in fifth! (at all of 20mph ish)

Local roads all to myself...

Two other cars spotted... amused by cavalier's underestimating of braking distance for a right turn off the main road... evidently rekoned on half the distance...

Not amused by old banger type car driven by youths that had decided that the best way to stop in these conditions was to remodel the front of the car on some bollards... oh well.

Must remember to refit ABS fuse when I next take scooby out... it will be once the snow has gone as I don't trust the other drivers on the road.

Moray

MorayMackenzie

PS: isnt it funny, I have a car that will do 150mph+ and I had more fun driving it at 10mph and less this morning than I've had in quite a while. Opposite lock application in sloooow motion... mmmmm... nice!

DIGGY

Know what you mean about the speed thing, Just showed a friend in his sshhhh discovery what you can do with a four wheel drive not being used to drive across a ploughed field hee hee plus various "joy" rides for other members of staff here....I oughta start charging and give the proceeds in on the 30th.

Not so sure about the ABS I had heard that ABS increased stopping distances on snow something to do with locked wheels creating a "buffer" of snow in front of them thus helping to slow (just!!) the car down.

Just a thought, Donnington could be fun if it stays like this!! probably won't go ahead though , any one have the answer.

mark

rsquire

Nah... If you really wanna have fun in the snow then come do the Thunderbird Rally up in Canada in Feb

DIGGY

Richard,

are you going to this, i was going to go to Sweeden in feb to see Burnsy try to beat the scandinavians but the drive is too long...This looks far more suitable wont be in the scooby though!!

Mark

DIGGY

Doh!!

sorry excuse me just read the caption under the front page pickie, perhaps i ought to be with the muppets.........

Is anyone from this board going over to see richard in action, i would be up for it.

Mark

sunilp

Its snowing in London too

WALKER

Yep, got a good few inches in Brum too!

Darren Thompson

3/4 inches here and still falling fast most fun I have had with my clothes on. Need snow tyres now and Tesco's car park.

McMiata Man

Are you guys just talking inches???

We have feet in Glasgow, no joking. The woman accross the road thinks she has a snow plough cause the snow is up at her headlights. She looks detemined to get to work though

Kev

Wha hooo

About 4 inches around here, still the usual **ssers on the roads ..... but then again it may well be the first time they have driven in snow .... and learning the hard way ..

just done the obligatory huge powerslide in the empty company carpark .... just has to be done .... in the intrests of education and improved driving skills you understand

K

Gerg2

What the hell is snow???

sunilp

See my other thread in General Q's

Neil Smalley

Well after posting about driving safely on snow i've just thrown all of that out of the window and spent the last half hour being a complete kid in one of the local park's car parks.

Highlights included a local max powerish nova driving past, then reversing to look and a toyota 4X4 playing in the car park as well. I wound the window down and said "I dunno kids these days". Driver laughed and said "You aint getting anywhere with tyres that small".

Great grins :

More later

ChrisB

I was first onto our car park at work this morning.

Empty Car Park + Snow + Bloke = DONUTS!

I'm now safely parked well away from the entrance in case somebody else comes in and loses it.

Chris.

Geezer

Snow was very deep by us this morning, only just managed to get out. Not sure I like driving the Scoob in snow on standard tyres!

I need a big empty car park to learn how it's going to behave, honest, no fun at all

Geezer

darren f

You lucky so-and-sos…....!!!!

No overnight snow here, its only just started falling. All the best local car parks will too full to permit any 'research purposes' driving.

I'm looking forward to first thing tomorrow morning though

RB5SCOTT

EMPTY CARPARK + SNOW

1st GEAR
FULL LOCK (LEFT OR RIGHT IT DOESNT MATTER)
PULL AWAY WITH HALF THROTTLE
GET SCOOB SPINNING, THEN 2nd GEAR
NOW PLANT THROTTLE
HEY PRESTO , PERFECT CIRCLES

Puff The Magic Wagon!

iTrader: (2)

Snowed in Cambs

Virgin snow on country lanes - powersliding corners sideways

ABS - poo! Tyres OK, but obviously could be better...

M11 OK - amazing number of cars in central/side reservations AWD was definately an advantage in the slush.

Central London roads are completely clear!

Neil Smalley

Local football club car park special stage complete

Does'nt hurt the car too much mucking around in all this snow does it?

barge

I cant get the car out of the garage the doors are frozen shut, no about of water will free them.

Just have to wait for the weekend & a blow torch before my snow sliding fun can begin.

CharlieWhiskey

Had to dig the Scoob out this morning and been having some great fun in the snow, but taking it easy as I have already been off the road twice this week on the hills of North Yorkshire, luckily me & the scoob are still in one piece.

Take it easy out there!

(I need some decent snow tyres! )

chris

silver

First time out with the scoob in snow.
I thought like a dick that AWD and ABS would put me above others in their vectras and mondaos, wrong! i've just slid round a bend and kerbed my wheel taking (thin cover) of gold paint off the rim Doh! lucky no cars coming the other way or even more embaresment. Ive driven small compacts in Canada and US on ski holidays with more grip, they do have winter tyres though which is what makes all the difference.

JohnS

iTrader: (1)

Posted again by request

<B>Imprezas on Ice</B>

A Subaru Impreza has 4WD, therefore it will be brilliant in the snow and ice - correct ? Well in some respects yes, but in others most definitely not. Last winter, Aberdeen and the North East of Scotland experienced some of the heaviest snow falls for many years, with some 9 - 18 inches of snow falling in little more than 24 hours. What follows are my own experiences of driving an Impreza on public roads through some of the worst winter weather we can expect to encounter here in the UK:

With a superb 4WD system, the Impreza has almost unbelievable levels of traction, even with wide low profile tyres (I was running on well worn 205/45ZR17 Pirelli P Zeros). Moving forward and accelerating, even uphill, is never really a problem if you take things gently enough. As long as you have some momentum, and don't start spinning the wheels through over-keen use of the throttle, uphill sections can be approached with confidence. However, remember it is possible to have all 4 wheels spinning in 4th gear at only 20mph through exuberant use of the throttle, and if you hit a bump the car can leap sideways very quickly without warning!

I live at the bottom of quite a steep hill (about 1 in 5 in places) , and even with some 8 inches of fresh snow, getting to the top was never a problem. This was certainly not the case for some of my neighbours, with powerful FWD/RWD cars, most of who were forced to leave their cars at home for several days.

Like most cars running on wide low profile tyres and firm suspension, navigating corners in the snow and ice is the biggest problem. Terminal understeer is the usual culprit, and it is quite shocking how slowly you are forced to take some corners if you wish to get safely round without hitting the kerbs or other vehicles. If you attempt to turn into a corner at even one third of the speed that you would in the wet, then you will find that the car goes straight ahead. Very dramatic, and no amount of extra lock will do any good. You really will be surprised how little grip there is available. The only safe remedy (unless you are a highly skilled driver) is to cut the power , depress the clutch, and either wait for the car to slow enough for grip to be returned, or to straighten up the steering wheel and progressively re-apply the lock.

When driving in the snow and ice, you will soon become jealous of the cornering abilities of a 1.0 Nova, running on skinny high profile tyres! No surprise really then than when running in the Swedish (and Monte Carlo) rallies, the works Imprezas run on narrow 5.5 x 16 wheels (5.5 x 18 for some tarmac stages on the Monte), with very narrow studded tyres.

The other major problem in driving your Impreza in snow and ice, is simply stopping the car again. The main culprits here again are the wide low profile tyres. Whilst ideal for dry and wet roads, they can be a dangerous liability on winter roads. When driving your Impreza on snow and ice, you should aim to leave at least a five second gap between you and the car in front. When slowing down or coming to a stop, you should aim to be able to do so without resorting to the brake pedal unless necessary.

One of the scariest experiences you will ever encounter in your car, is not being able to stop. Braking distances can be up to 10 times greater on compacted snow and ice, than they are in the dry. Look up at the stopping distances in your copy of the Highway Code, multiply them by 10 and then think about it. Yes it really can take the length of a football pitch to stop from 30mph, and this is on level ground. If there slopes downhill, then braking distances can be even higher. It is not uncommon for cars braking on wet ice downhill to actually accelerate, even with maximum braking effort.

Although a huge benefit to 99% of drivers in 99% of road conditions, ABS brakes (as fitted to the UK Impreza and most modern cars) can actually be a hazard when driving in wintry conditions. With very low levels of grip, the ABS can kick in with only the slightest pressure on the brake pedal. My scariest experience of last winter was travelling back down the very same steep hill on the way home. Turning the corner at the top at less than 5mph, I gently pressed the brake pedal to slow my progress down the hill, which was now covered in wet compacted snow and ice. No matter how gently I pressed the brakes, the ABS system kicked in, and I was essentially free-wheeling downhill, gathering speed all the time!!! Luckily, the snow was still quite deep at the side of the road, and I managed to steer the offside wheels into the deep snow, left the car in first gear and removed my feet from all the pedals. Luckily there was enough friction from the deep snow to bring the car almost to a halt before I reached the bottom of the hill.

The best braking technique is to gently apply the brakes, and increase the braking pressure until you feel the wheels start to lock or the ABS system activate. Once this happens, gently release the brake pedal until you feel that the wheels are no longer locking, and then hold the pedal at this point. This will give you maximum braking effort, and still permit you to steer the car gently if necessary. Be prepared to increase or decrease the braking pressure as the level of grip available under the tyres varies with the road conditions.

If you live in a part of the country where you can expect more than just a light covering of snow for a few days of the year, then it is well worth investing in a set of proper winter tyres for your Impreza. These transform the cars ability in wintry conditions to such an extent, that one of my friends who fitted them to his Impreza turbo was much better in snow and ice than his previous car, and that was a Jeep Cherokee! These tyres are relatively inexpensive for 15 inch wheels (not suitable for cars fitted with the 4 pot brakes), and just over £100 each for 16 inch wheels (limited options).

Another life saver is attending a training course which teaches you how to control and correct the different types of skids when they occur, and more importantly how to avoid them in the first place. These can also teach you how a car behaves on icy roads, and how best to use the brakes in these situations. Not only is a course of this type very educational (it could save your life), but also huge amounts of fun.

All this winter driving sounds a bit boring or extremely dangerous doesn't it ? Not at all. If you are confident enough, and know how your car is going to behave. It can be very amusing to accelerate away from a standstill in snow faster than most normal road cars can in the dry! Also good fun is applying the power when coming out of open corners when you can see there is nothing coming in the other direction. You can get the back end of the car to step out, and hold it in a lovely tail slide whilst accelerating at unbelievable rate. You can almost imagine the cheering crowds and flashing cameras….

<B>Top Tips for Safe Winter Driving</B>

If the road conditions are very bad, only venture out if the journey is really necessary (ie life or death, not nipping out for more cigarattes!)

Before you set off, make sure you clear the snow and ice off of all your windows, lights, bonnet, roof and boot. It may save you a few minutes to only clear the windscreen and the side windows, but the police can and will prosecute you if you do not have clear all round visibility. Once your car is going, the heat from the engine and inside the car will melt the snow on the roof and bonnet, and under heavy braking it will slide off completely covering the windscreen, and even slide off onto the road causing your front wheels to skid!

The quickest and most effective way of clearing your windows is to use warm water. Under no circumstances should you use boiling or hot water, or throw a lot of water on the windows at once. A 2 litre (4 pint) plastic milk container should be more than enough to clear one car. Clear off the worst of any snow by hand, and then pour the warm water gently over the windscreen, starting from the top and making sure that the water pours over the roof to start with. This will clear the whole car in 30 seconds, and as the warm water has warmed up the glass, they will not mist up and freeze on the inside once you get started. De-icer can quickly clear ice from windows, but leaves the glass at a very low temperature, and can re-freeze just as quickly!

If your car is misted up on the inside, then use the air-conditioning, even with a warm air setting as it dehumidifies the air being blown onto the screen.

In wintry driving conditions, set off at least 15 - 30 minutes earlier than normal, as traffic speeds are much slower, and rushing to get somewhere on time vastly increases you chances of having an accident.

Conversely, driving too slowly for the conditions can also be a hazard, as many frustrated drivers will bunch up behind, and may even try to pass when it is not safe to do so! If the car behind is too close for comfort, simply pull over and let them pass!

Be very aware of all the other cars around you, especially ones approaching the main road from a side junction. These junctions are often the slippiest parts of the road, as the heat from stationary cars can partially melt the surface snow and ice making the surface even slippier! If you are expecting cars to skid out onto the road in front of you, then you can be ready to take avoiding actions.

Turn down your stereo!!! When the road surface is at it's slippiest, the road noise from the tyres drops very dramatically. In fresh snow, you can hear the tyres crunching their way along, and in slushy conditions it sounds like you are driving through very heavy rain.

Practise!! On of the best ways of improving your confidence and abilities in the snow is to find an unused car park or industrial estate, and have lots of fun learning how you car slides, turns and stops in wintry conditions. Most police officers are quite happy to leave you learning safe winter driving techniques, as long as you are not endangering yourself, other road users, damaging property, or causing a disturbance if you explain yourself properly.

Chris L

Cheers John - that must have taken you ages -good tips though.

It was my first experience of Scooby in snow this morning aswell. Ended up at my parents place last night, following a power cut (and seeing as my flat is all electric - it got rather cold!). Parents live at the top of steep hill - very interesting coming down - even in first with very little throttle using engine breaking, the car was just going sideways - nothing I could do about it.

In their infinite wisdom, Croydon council had deemed not to salt ANY of the roads in my area, inluding major routes such as the A23 which just turned firstly into a skating rink and then into a car park for lorries who could not get up any of the inclines!! Police eventually had to close the road - it would appear that everyone apart from the Council knew that snow was forecast....

Anyway after that, I got the hang of things a little better and I wish I had a camera for the Merc driver's face as his car slid gracefully into the curb and I just went up the step right hand turn with no problems

Worst incident was the d*ckhead in an Audi who deemed it unnecessary to clear any slow from his back window and then proceeded to back up through a crossroad junction. I was waiting to cross this and if I hadn't reversed he would have hit me . Silly sod continued reversing, car coming down the hill used his horn to warn him he was there and said Audi driver gets the right hump thinking this bloke is having a go - what an ar5ehole - the roads really would be safer without idiots like this on it.

Cheers

Chris

sunilp

Listen mate, if you evade Council Tax then they wont grit your roads you naughty man

On a serious note, what is it with all these ***** on the road???

Dave T-S

Sunlip
They can't effing well drive M8 that's the problem......

boomer

Dittos,

4 to 6 inches of snow in Brum today, and temperatures below freezing for most of it n'all.

My first time out in a Scooby in the white stuff - and i wish that i had winter tyres (can you fit chains to a standard MY00?) 'cos there is naff all grip.

Tomorrow will be much more fun. Most of the snow on the main roads has turned to slush, but this will freeze big-time tonight. I have a remote/radio thermometer in my car (on the dash), and it is registering MINUS 3.6 decrees Celsius already!!

Crinkley ice (as opposed to sheet ice) is much nicer to drive on.

mb

p.s. Why are the Police not out in force today nicking every driver who fails to clear all windows and lights of snow???

MorayMackenzie

(Also posted on sunils thread.)

guys,

ABS can be disabled for snow conditions by removing the fuse, just remember to refit it when the snow goes away. (Stef: you'd better check with IM to see if this will affect your warrantee merry xmas dude! )

300+bhp and snow is fun, as long as its done safely.

I find that the car is much less stable when not under power... you end up drifting down the camber if you don't stabilise the car with a whiff of power. Obviously, when you've turned the wheel too far and the understeer sets in winding lock off again is one solution, reducing power can help too, but will render the car unstable.

Other (by JohnS's implication, "advanced") options include slight left foot braking to get more weight over the front wheels or the more power to induce a bit of oversteer. By far the best and safest option is to approach the corner/hazard you have to negotiate at an appropriately slow speed.

Just play safe out there, watch out for those first time snow pilots sharing the roads with you.