Snow in the news

[s88]

Has anyone noticed that in most of the clips on the news that there is always a 4x4 that is in trouble or being pulled out along with a 2 wheel drive car.

Why is that?

1. Are they rubbish.

2. Do the drivers have misguided faith in their car.

3. Do the drivers need to learn to drive?

Last night we had the Mountain rescue in a Landie pulling out a Land Rover!
Also a blue Land Rover in the back ground of a clip last night going nowhere.
Onbe slipped down into the canal in Yorkshire.

 

[G.O'Rilla]

You're right, but in their defence, mountain rescue vehicles probably have M&S tyres on and are driven by people used to driving in "challenging" conditions. with the wrong tyres, you go nowhere.......

There are also a lot of muppets out there that use their 4X4's only for the school run, and let's not forget that most 4X4's are really soft roaders and not in the landrover / landcruiser league.

 

[wemorgan]

A 4x4 on 19" low profile tyres will no better and possibly worse than a 2WD Nissan Micra on skinny tyres.

Also, I wouldn't put it beyond a journalist to fake a stuck car purely for the purpose of a film.

 

[G.O'Rilla]

Good point about the tyre width........

 

[s88]

Fully agree on the tyre width.
I am refusing to get the SL out as it is like driving a hovercraft, rear tyres too wide.
Needs to go to the dealers to have the oil leaking from the neck of the filler cap fixed.
Odd it did not leak before they replced the rocker gasket. Not connected they say. Not to worry think they are paying for it.

can anyone explain why the filler cap is just glued on? Years ago this was always welded or built into the head cover as one piece.

 

[Spin_bowler]

A 4x4 on 19" low profile tyres will no better and possibly worse than a 2WD Nissan Micra on skinny tyres.

Also, I wouldn't put it beyond a journalist to fake a stuck car purely for the purpose of a film.

Spot on. Neighbour one side - Touareg on 22" wheels - not moved since Thursday, neighbour on t'other - Nissan Micra with 15" 175 section has been tootling about no bother.

My FWD Mondeo with 225/45/18 - stuck on day one.

 

[robert.saunders]

My FWD Mondeo with 225/45/18 - stuck on day one.

Mine has 225/40 18 - also useless in the snow/ice, despite decent tread

Neighbour has a Citroen ZX thing, skinny wheels & tyres, he laughs at me as he drives off. Mind you, I laugh at his car full stop

 

[Spin_bowler]

Mine has 225/40 18 - also useless in the snow/ice, despite decent tread

In fairness mine are balder than Harry Hill, I had it booked in for new rubber the day the snow started

 

[mw_C32]

Has anyone noticed that in most of the clips on the news that there is always a 4x4 that is in trouble or being pulled out along with a 2 wheel drive car.

Why is that?

1. Are they rubbish.

2. Do the drivers have misguided faith in their car.

3. Do the drivers need to learn to drive?

.

In my case all of the above....

M

 

[HR17]

A friend of mine in the AA mentioned that he's had a number of call outs from people who's 4x4s are stuck in the snow. A number of them he's encoutered have been easily solved - switch the car from 2WD to 4WD. Easy! Or in more complex cases - adjust the cars traction/gear settings via the OBC - again easy. Seems that plenty of people buy them but don't know how to use them when they really have too.

 

[SilverSaloon]

A friend of mine in the AA mentioned that he's had a number of call outs from people who's 4x4s are stuck in the snow. A number of them he's encoutered have been easily solved - switch the car from 2WD to 4WD. Easy! Or in more complex cases - adjust the cars traction/gear settings via the OBC - again easy. Seems that plenty of people buy them but don't know how to use them when they really have too.

hahaha....

yes i agree lots of "sporty" 4x4's with big fat, low profile tyres on bling bling alloys will be next to useless in the slippery weather!

unfortunatly the idiot who may be driving one thinks he has the ideal car for the snow so heads off and drives like a lunatic.
the ultimate 4x4 for this weather:

alternative

and then even if you do get stuck the girl can push you.

 

[Darrell]

If I got stuck in the Landy with the girl, the last thing I would want is a push....maybe a pull or a tug!

 

[raymont]

What some 4wd owners appear not to understand is that while 4wd aids traction (points about tyre widths acknowledged) it doesn't make any difference at all to the braking ability of the car and virtually no difference to it's cornering capability. This results in 4wds steaming along thinking that they are invincible when all they've got is better traction.

 

[Satch]

Allow me to mount my soapbox....

It is pathetic the number of "lifestyle" 4x4's I have seen in buried in ditch/wrapped around tree/demolished lamp post/hit other vehicles/dumped at the roadside or in car park not to mention those just slithering around in the frozen wasteland that is Surrey. Wrong tyres, no driving skill nor simple common sense in many cases.

Self & Mrs S have been plodding around and about in Land Cruiser which has 265/70 R 17 BF Goodrich All Terrain tyres with no trouble at all.

But it is still really hazardous on roads that had been gritted before big snow dump but not since, thawed a bit/refrozen/thawed a bit: net result patches of sheet ice or fine layer of ice slush over tarmac that are had to see even if looking for them.

Had a couple of moments and found it far better sticking to the wholly uncleared back roads, not least because that is not a option for the majority of other road users!

 

[trapperjohn]

What ever happened to a make of vehicle called, I think, "Haflinger" I seem to remember watching Motorcross years ago and these little things made mincemeat about of bigger 4x4s.

Its ok Wiki sorted it for me.

Styer Puch took them over.

 

[Tiff]

What some 4wd owners appear not to understand is that while 4wd aids traction (points about tyre widths acknowledged) it doesn't make any difference at all to the braking ability of the car and virtually no difference to it's cornering capability. This results in 4wds steaming along thinking that they are invincible when all they've got is better traction.

Lots and lots of the original Ur Quattro's were written off because of this... the performance was amazing for its time,you could use all of the power even in the rain,snow..anything. But they couldn't stop any faster than any other performance car of the day. I do remember that you could switch off the ABS for use in deep snow and gravel though,although I 'm not sure how useful this really was.

 

[A210AMG]

What ever you drive in this weather you HAVE to be sensible.

Ice you will slip what ever. I agree large (wide) wheels and rear wheel drive are pretty much best on the drive at the moment. I've had BM's with 245/35/19's and simply useless.

My current ML is superb, and in Scotland over the new year did it proud. You still have to be sensible though. Given it has 275/55/17 road tyres I was suprised what it got through .

I'm pretty certain some people really think that not just snow but rain / fog they just drive at the same speed. Most I think are just plain lucky.


What does make me smile are the Nissan twin cabs and similar pickups with all the bling cages and big wheels but rear wheel drive and slipping away


Oh and with an auto as you stop on snow / ice nock it into 'N' as this stops the driven wheels keeping pushing you forward (ive heared this can help)


Keep safe..

 

[Aoraki]

Oh and with an auto as you stop on snow / ice nock it into 'N' as this stops the driven wheels keeping pushing you forward (ive heared this can help)..

My W204 was terrible for that, no matter wether in S or C, W212 seems much better though...

 

[x332race]

W203 fine in the snow with 225/45/17 winter tyres on the rear...no problems at all..

 

[stevesey]

W203 fine in the snow with 225/45/17 winter tyres on the rear...no problems at all..

225/50/16s coping very well with the roads - TC on a few times, ABS very little (mainly me not being too careful pulling away but very careful slowing down). Taking it too slowly in and out of rutted car park spaces is the only time I've become temperarily stuck.