by Marc Lachapelle (with files from Gerry Malloy)
Driving through the Great Canadian Winter can truly be a lot of fun. But to achieve this, you must first learn how to get out, and stay out of trouble on icy and snowy roads.
Prudent and smooth as you may be at the wheel, trouble will sometimes still find you on the roads of the Great Canadian Winter. In those instances, it is important, if not vital, to know how to respond properly.
# 1 - If you get stuck :
If your tires start spinning wildly when you try to drive away, and they don't regain their grip when you ease back on the pedal, you should brake them to a stop. Do not sit still, spinning. You'll just dig yourself in deeper this way. (Some exceptions apply, most notably with snow tires in deep snow, which may generate their maximum traction while spinning gently.)
If you can't move forward with gentle throttle application, reverse gently - without wheelspin - and move backwards as far as you can, up to a metre. Then accelerate gently forward in the wheeltrack you have just created, using the vehicle's momentum to carry you past your initial starting point. If you get stopped again, repeat the procedure, over and over again, if necessary.
Doing the same when parking in deep snow will create a set of wheel tracks you can use to generate some momentum when it's time to leave. This could prove particularly useful if more snow falls while you are parked. You may help widen these tracks by steering gently left and right, while keeping your vehicle going straight ahead when you are trying to move forward or back.
Unless the bottom of the vehicle rides up on the snow sufficiently to leave the tires hanging, without traction, this procedure will usually help get you moving. Even if your first try results in only a couple of centimetres of movement. If that procedure doesn't work, you should be prepared to shovel.
On hard-packed snow or ice, ashes or sand may help. So might spray-on traction compound, if you are very careful to apply power gently and not abrade it off the tread-face with wheelspin. Forget kitty litter; it's a waste of time and money, except for your cat. So, in most cases, is the use of floor-mats under the tires. You will simply eject them into a distant snowbank.
The best traction aids, unless you are willing to install chains, are metal cleats, available at many auto-parts stores. They fold compactly and are amazingly effective - again, if you don't spin the tires. Doing so on the cleats can ruin your tires.
Of course, the need for any of the above would be substantially reduced if you have already invested in a full set of premium winter tires.
# 2 - If your brakes lock up :
If brake lock-up occurs (in non-ABS-equipped) vehicles, you can sense it by a reduction in deceleration rate, or perhaps by the yawing (rotation) of the vehicle if all four brakes didn't lock equally and simultaneously (they seldom do). Don't panic. You are still in control. Reduce brake pedal pressure just enough to feel the wheels roll again or to straighten the vehicle's path with gentle use of the steering wheel. Then, reapply them gently.
Doing so is different than pumping the brakes, which involves fully releasing, then reapplying the brakes in random sequence. Pumping is generally less effective.
Allowing the brakes to lock up not only reduces vehicle stability and increases stopping distance (except in loose snow), but it renders the steering ineffective. If all the available traction is being used for braking there is none left for steering. So, no matter how much you turn the steering wheel, if the brakes are locked, it will have no effect.
While separating steering and braking actions is advisable as an ideal, in some situations, it may be necessary to both brake and steer to avoid a potential crash. In that case, brake hard, then release the brakes and steer. Then; brake again with the wheel straight, release the brakes and steer again; and so on. You can do so very quickly with a bit of practice and it's amazing how much control you can exercise in very difficult situations with that technique.
# 3 - If you have to brake hard with ABS :
With ABS (anti-lock brakes), the system automatically does the releasing for you as required, so you can keep your foot on the pedal. In essence, ABS "time-shares" the braking and steering functions, allotting some traction for steering in the milliseconds during which the brakes are partially released. It works far faster than you could, and it can work on individual wheels or wheel pairs. You can't. That is its big advantage.
So in a vehicle with ABS, if you stay hard on the brake pedal once the ABS activates, it will keep the vehicle straight as long as you hold the wheel straight. Remember, however, that if you have to turn you have to do the steering yourself. Don't forget to do so!
On dry pavement, ABS permits substantial steering while braking hard. With the limited traction available on snow and ice, however, the amount of steering possible with ABS activated is more limited. In extreme circumstances, if the vehicle is not turning enough with ABS engaged, it still may be desirable to release the brakes to free up a bit more traction for cornering.
In many cases, ABS may activate in non-emergency situations. (You can hear it and, in many cases, feel it as a pulsation in the brake pedal.) If so, consider that a warning that you are over-driving the conditions. Rather than simply pushing the pedal hard and relying on the ABS as a crutch for sloppy driving habits, use it as a tutor to learn how to brake smoothly.
When you can brake quickly and progressively to a stop on snow or ice without engaging ABS, you are driving smoothly. The ABS will still be there to back you up when you need it in a real emergency, which is its purpose.
# 4 - If you encounter a front-wheel slide:
When turning into a corner in slippery conditions, the front wheels may want to 'plow' towards the outside of the corner (understeer). That tendency to go straight when you want to turn can result from excessive speed into the corner, turning the steering wheel too quickly, braking while turning, or accelerating when turning, particularly with a front-wheel-drive car.
Whatever the cause, you must remove or reduce it to correct the front slide. Two things will help. Slow the vehicle down by smoothly lifting off the accelerator pedal (unless you were braking), and turning the steering wheel back towards sraight ahead. That's right, you have to reduce the steering angle to turn tighter. It's hard to convince yourself to do so, but it's the right thing to do.
If you were braking, lift off the brakes and straighten the steering. In either case, you should be able to feel the tires stop sliding and roll freely. When they do, turn smoothly back to the direction you want to go and, with your reduced speed and new-found rolling (as opposed to sliding) traction, the car should respond.
Accept the fact that you cannot regain the path you originally tried to follow. At best, you will carve a wider arc, potentially carrying you onto the shoulder or out of your lane. That's why a front slide is among the most dangerous potential occurrences in winter driving, and why you should always drive to avoid one.
# 5 - If you encounter a rear-wheel skid :
When turning in slippery conditions, you may also encounter the rear wheels 'fish-tailing' towards the outside of a corner (oversteer). That tendency to skid, potentially culminating in a spin, can result from excessive speed into the corner, turning the steering wheel too quickly, braking while turning, or accelerating when turning, particularly with a rear-wheel-drive vehicle. It can also result from lifting off the accelerator too quickly while turning in a front-wheel-drive vehicle.
As with a front-wheel-slide you must remove the cause to correct a rear-wheel-skid. Lift off the accelerator if you were accelerating or simply going too fast. Do NOT touch the brake. Release it if you were braking. And steer!
Where? Forget about "into the skid", or "out of the skid". It's too complicated to remember which way is which in an emergency. Just look where you want to go, and steer where you want to go. You tend to steer where you look so if you don't look in the right direction, you probably won't steer to go where you want, and where safety dictates.
While smoothness is essential to keep you out of trouble, if you are in a skid, you are in trouble already, so forget about smoothness! At that point you are looking for salvation, any way you can find it.
That means you must respond hard and FAST. The faster you respond with the steering wheel, the less you have to turn it. Be just a split-second too slow and even full-lock on the wheel may not save you.
Be prepared, too, for the vehicle to skid the other way once you have stopped the first one. The instant you feel the vehicle stop rotating, turn the wheel the other way. You may have to go through several such oscillations before you get ahead of the skid and regain control. Stay with it: don't give up until it's over.
Should you ever apply the brakes in a skid? Yes, if a crash is imminent in your path, or if you can no longer see where you want to go through the windshield or side windows. In that case, brake as hard as you can to reduce the speed of impact, and prepare for a bang. You've succumbed to the laws of physics.
Dispelling A Few Winter Driving Myths
A few final thoughts on some common winter driving myths:
Myth # 1: The traction advantages of front-wheel-drive apply primarily in the initial stages of acceleration from stop. Once moving, front-wheel-drive can be at a traction disadvantage. Especially on very slippery surfaces. First, because a good chunk of weight (or load) is then transferred towards the rear of the vehicle. But also because any tire has a finite amount of grip. And since the forward-mounted pair on a front-wheel drive vehicle must both steer it and drive it, sometimes at once, each portion of grip used for one function (acceleration or steering) thus becomes unavailable for the other.
Myth # 2: Contrary to common belief, four-wheel-drive does not increase traction. What it does is make more effective use of the traction available by splitting driving torque four ways rather than two. By doing so, it permits up to twice as much torque to be transmitted by a single wheel before wheelspin occurs. And in some systems, it directs torque to the non-spinning wheel(s). Four-wheel-drive does nothing to improve braking or steady state cornering traction, although it may improve cornering balance, depending on the system.
Myth # 3: Adding mass, such as sand bags, over the driving wheels of a two-wheel-drive vehicle may improve traction for initial driveaway. But the added mass makes the vehicle harder to stop and increases cornering loads, neither of which are desirable. In addition, the position of the mass may aggravate a skid, making it more difficult to correct. In general, it's not a good idea.
Still, the most effective winter driving aid is a well-trained and responsible driver. So once again, to enjoy the Great Canadian Winter safely, you must be one, or become one!
Driving through the Great Canadian Winter can truly be a lot of fun. But to achieve this, you must first learn how to get out, and stay out of trouble on icy and snowy roads.
Prudent and smooth as you may be at the wheel, trouble will sometimes still find you on the roads of the Great Canadian Winter. In those instances, it is important, if not vital, to know how to respond properly.
# 1 - If you get stuck :
If your tires start spinning wildly when you try to drive away, and they don't regain their grip when you ease back on the pedal, you should brake them to a stop. Do not sit still, spinning. You'll just dig yourself in deeper this way. (Some exceptions apply, most notably with snow tires in deep snow, which may generate their maximum traction while spinning gently.)
If you can't move forward with gentle throttle application, reverse gently - without wheelspin - and move backwards as far as you can, up to a metre. Then accelerate gently forward in the wheeltrack you have just created, using the vehicle's momentum to carry you past your initial starting point. If you get stopped again, repeat the procedure, over and over again, if necessary.
Doing the same when parking in deep snow will create a set of wheel tracks you can use to generate some momentum when it's time to leave. This could prove particularly useful if more snow falls while you are parked. You may help widen these tracks by steering gently left and right, while keeping your vehicle going straight ahead when you are trying to move forward or back.
Unless the bottom of the vehicle rides up on the snow sufficiently to leave the tires hanging, without traction, this procedure will usually help get you moving. Even if your first try results in only a couple of centimetres of movement. If that procedure doesn't work, you should be prepared to shovel.
On hard-packed snow or ice, ashes or sand may help. So might spray-on traction compound, if you are very careful to apply power gently and not abrade it off the tread-face with wheelspin. Forget kitty litter; it's a waste of time and money, except for your cat. So, in most cases, is the use of floor-mats under the tires. You will simply eject them into a distant snowbank.
The best traction aids, unless you are willing to install chains, are metal cleats, available at many auto-parts stores. They fold compactly and are amazingly effective - again, if you don't spin the tires. Doing so on the cleats can ruin your tires.
Of course, the need for any of the above would be substantially reduced if you have already invested in a full set of premium winter tires.
# 2 - If your brakes lock up :
If brake lock-up occurs (in non-ABS-equipped) vehicles, you can sense it by a reduction in deceleration rate, or perhaps by the yawing (rotation) of the vehicle if all four brakes didn't lock equally and simultaneously (they seldom do). Don't panic. You are still in control. Reduce brake pedal pressure just enough to feel the wheels roll again or to straighten the vehicle's path with gentle use of the steering wheel. Then, reapply them gently.
Doing so is different than pumping the brakes, which involves fully releasing, then reapplying the brakes in random sequence. Pumping is generally less effective.
Allowing the brakes to lock up not only reduces vehicle stability and increases stopping distance (except in loose snow), but it renders the steering ineffective. If all the available traction is being used for braking there is none left for steering. So, no matter how much you turn the steering wheel, if the brakes are locked, it will have no effect.
While separating steering and braking actions is advisable as an ideal, in some situations, it may be necessary to both brake and steer to avoid a potential crash. In that case, brake hard, then release the brakes and steer. Then; brake again with the wheel straight, release the brakes and steer again; and so on. You can do so very quickly with a bit of practice and it's amazing how much control you can exercise in very difficult situations with that technique.
# 3 - If you have to brake hard with ABS :
With ABS (anti-lock brakes), the system automatically does the releasing for you as required, so you can keep your foot on the pedal. In essence, ABS "time-shares" the braking and steering functions, allotting some traction for steering in the milliseconds during which the brakes are partially released. It works far faster than you could, and it can work on individual wheels or wheel pairs. You can't. That is its big advantage.
So in a vehicle with ABS, if you stay hard on the brake pedal once the ABS activates, it will keep the vehicle straight as long as you hold the wheel straight. Remember, however, that if you have to turn you have to do the steering yourself. Don't forget to do so!
On dry pavement, ABS permits substantial steering while braking hard. With the limited traction available on snow and ice, however, the amount of steering possible with ABS activated is more limited. In extreme circumstances, if the vehicle is not turning enough with ABS engaged, it still may be desirable to release the brakes to free up a bit more traction for cornering.
In many cases, ABS may activate in non-emergency situations. (You can hear it and, in many cases, feel it as a pulsation in the brake pedal.) If so, consider that a warning that you are over-driving the conditions. Rather than simply pushing the pedal hard and relying on the ABS as a crutch for sloppy driving habits, use it as a tutor to learn how to brake smoothly.
When you can brake quickly and progressively to a stop on snow or ice without engaging ABS, you are driving smoothly. The ABS will still be there to back you up when you need it in a real emergency, which is its purpose.
# 4 - If you encounter a front-wheel slide:
When turning into a corner in slippery conditions, the front wheels may want to 'plow' towards the outside of the corner (understeer). That tendency to go straight when you want to turn can result from excessive speed into the corner, turning the steering wheel too quickly, braking while turning, or accelerating when turning, particularly with a front-wheel-drive car.
Whatever the cause, you must remove or reduce it to correct the front slide. Two things will help. Slow the vehicle down by smoothly lifting off the accelerator pedal (unless you were braking), and turning the steering wheel back towards sraight ahead. That's right, you have to reduce the steering angle to turn tighter. It's hard to convince yourself to do so, but it's the right thing to do.
If you were braking, lift off the brakes and straighten the steering. In either case, you should be able to feel the tires stop sliding and roll freely. When they do, turn smoothly back to the direction you want to go and, with your reduced speed and new-found rolling (as opposed to sliding) traction, the car should respond.
Accept the fact that you cannot regain the path you originally tried to follow. At best, you will carve a wider arc, potentially carrying you onto the shoulder or out of your lane. That's why a front slide is among the most dangerous potential occurrences in winter driving, and why you should always drive to avoid one.
# 5 - If you encounter a rear-wheel skid :
When turning in slippery conditions, you may also encounter the rear wheels 'fish-tailing' towards the outside of a corner (oversteer). That tendency to skid, potentially culminating in a spin, can result from excessive speed into the corner, turning the steering wheel too quickly, braking while turning, or accelerating when turning, particularly with a rear-wheel-drive vehicle. It can also result from lifting off the accelerator too quickly while turning in a front-wheel-drive vehicle.
As with a front-wheel-slide you must remove the cause to correct a rear-wheel-skid. Lift off the accelerator if you were accelerating or simply going too fast. Do NOT touch the brake. Release it if you were braking. And steer!
Where? Forget about "into the skid", or "out of the skid". It's too complicated to remember which way is which in an emergency. Just look where you want to go, and steer where you want to go. You tend to steer where you look so if you don't look in the right direction, you probably won't steer to go where you want, and where safety dictates.
While smoothness is essential to keep you out of trouble, if you are in a skid, you are in trouble already, so forget about smoothness! At that point you are looking for salvation, any way you can find it.
That means you must respond hard and FAST. The faster you respond with the steering wheel, the less you have to turn it. Be just a split-second too slow and even full-lock on the wheel may not save you.
Be prepared, too, for the vehicle to skid the other way once you have stopped the first one. The instant you feel the vehicle stop rotating, turn the wheel the other way. You may have to go through several such oscillations before you get ahead of the skid and regain control. Stay with it: don't give up until it's over.
Should you ever apply the brakes in a skid? Yes, if a crash is imminent in your path, or if you can no longer see where you want to go through the windshield or side windows. In that case, brake as hard as you can to reduce the speed of impact, and prepare for a bang. You've succumbed to the laws of physics.
Dispelling A Few Winter Driving Myths
A few final thoughts on some common winter driving myths:
Myth # 1: The traction advantages of front-wheel-drive apply primarily in the initial stages of acceleration from stop. Once moving, front-wheel-drive can be at a traction disadvantage. Especially on very slippery surfaces. First, because a good chunk of weight (or load) is then transferred towards the rear of the vehicle. But also because any tire has a finite amount of grip. And since the forward-mounted pair on a front-wheel drive vehicle must both steer it and drive it, sometimes at once, each portion of grip used for one function (acceleration or steering) thus becomes unavailable for the other.
Myth # 2: Contrary to common belief, four-wheel-drive does not increase traction. What it does is make more effective use of the traction available by splitting driving torque four ways rather than two. By doing so, it permits up to twice as much torque to be transmitted by a single wheel before wheelspin occurs. And in some systems, it directs torque to the non-spinning wheel(s). Four-wheel-drive does nothing to improve braking or steady state cornering traction, although it may improve cornering balance, depending on the system.
Myth # 3: Adding mass, such as sand bags, over the driving wheels of a two-wheel-drive vehicle may improve traction for initial driveaway. But the added mass makes the vehicle harder to stop and increases cornering loads, neither of which are desirable. In addition, the position of the mass may aggravate a skid, making it more difficult to correct. In general, it's not a good idea.
Still, the most effective winter driving aid is a well-trained and responsible driver. So once again, to enjoy the Great Canadian Winter safely, you must be one, or become one!
