How Do You Know if You Have Honda Sensing
If you live where the snow flies, yous've seen overconfident drivers accident past you on a snowy route and wondered if—and maybe even secretly hoped—they'd terminate up in a ditch. Whether they did or not, one affair's for sure: you don't want to be that person.
And you don't have to be. Years of driving and testing cars (and winter tires) in wintry atmospheric condition have taught united states of america that post-obit these nine unproblematic winter-driving rules will greatly improve your chances of arriving at your destination calm, collected, comfortable, and—almost important—prophylactic.
1. Drive Super Smoothly
The primal to safe driving in snow is being smooth with the steering wheel, accelerator, and brakes. Why? Hasty movements with the controls hands unstick tires that have a tenuous grip on the glace road, so every plow of the bike, push of the brakes, and movement of the throttle must exist deliberate, gentle, and gradual. Pretend in that location's a cup of scalding coffee in your lap and drive so equally not to spill it.
2. Look Far Alee
The slipperier it gets, the farther down the road you should wait—and call up. Anticipate what y'all'll need to do next. Slow way downward for turns. Allow double the stopping altitude when the road is wet, triple on snowfall, and even more than on ice. Driving carefully and safely takes actress concentration.
3. Listen the Flashing Lights
How much traction do you actually have on a snowy road? Ane manner to know before you get into trouble is to understand what one particular small, bister, flashing light in the musical instrument cluster means. (It'due south an outline of a car with squiggly lines behind it.) If you're accelerating in a straight line and this light is blinking, this is the stability-control arrangement warning you that the wheels that drive the car are slipping. Heed information technology. And ease up on the accelerator so the tires regain their grip.
If you're turning and see a blinking amber light, this is likewise the stability-command system alerting you that the car is beginning to slide from your intended path. Again, ease back on the accelerator until you are no longer applying whatsoever throttle; this allows the car to regain grip. And practice non accelerate aggressively when turning tight corners in town on snowy or slushy streets. E'er ease into the accelerator so that nothing untoward happens abruptly.
4. Look Here!
If you feel your car beginning to skid, e'er, always, look where you want to get—non where the auto is heading at that precise moment. Let your peripheral vision accept care of any you're trying to avoid. Racing drivers know that you lot about e'er end up where you are looking; that's ane of the reasons they're so good at recovering from skids.
5. Deal with the Skids
Sooner or later on you lot will hit a slick spot and get a queasy feeling in the pit of your stomach as your auto starts to slide abroad from the direction in which you want to be heading. Skids, even large ones, can be managed, and you tin bring the car back under full command in curt order. First, don't panic—and don't stab the brakes! Instead, do the post-obit:
For a front-bike skid—where the front end tires lose grip and the car turns in a wider arc than you look—ease off the gas. In a beat or two, the front tires should regain traction. Then aim where you want to go as your traction returns.
For a rear-cycle skid—where the rear tires lose traction and you experience yourself beginning to spin out—quickly plow the steering wheel in the same direction that the rear is sliding. If, say, the rear is swinging to the left, turn the cycle to the left. Ease off the accelerator and stay off the brakes. Equally the rear wheels regain traction, steer dorsum in the original direction.
No thing which type of slip you're experiencing, brand sure you go on your wheels pointed in the direction you desire to be going. And you tin gently (call back signal number one) employ your brakes if you call up you can recover without hitting anything. If an bear on is imminent, don't be afraid to stand up on the brake pedal as described in point number six.
6. Use Your Anti-Lock Brakes This Way
If all else fails and yous demand to stop as quickly every bit possible in snow or on ice, it'south time to engage the help of your car'due south anti-lock-restriction arrangement (ABS). All new vehicles on the road today are equipped with anti-lock brakes, which use an onboard computer to optimize the car's braking in extreme conditions. If you lot are in a skid from which yous can't recover or y'all need to avoid an obstruction—and your vehicle has ABS—push the brake pedal down hard, and don't let upwards. The figurer will do the rest, keeping each wheel braking as aggressively equally possible based on the available traction.
The amazing thing about ABS systems is that y'all tin keep the brake pedal fully depressed while steering around obstacles; the calculator will adjust the braking forcefulness at each wheel to permit you lot to maneuver while simultaneously slowing downward. So in an emergency, don't merely jam on the brakes—keep steering!
No prophylactic organisation can ensure you avoid all accidents, just anti-lock brakes undoubtedly accept saved many drivers from disaster. Note: nearly ABS systems cause the restriction pedal to shudder when they activate to let you know they're working, then don't lift off the brakes when you feel this vibration; it'due south perfectly normal.
7. Constantly Assess Your Traction
In the course of nearly any snowy drive, your available traction will ebb and menstruum as route and weather conditions change forth the route. In addition to the warning lights from the traction-control and stability-command systems, your anti-lock-brake organization tin can help yous assess how much grip you lot take on snow-covered roads. Here's how: Make sure there are no cars close to you lot, then utilize the brakes gently for a 2nd or two while driving in a straight line. If you lot experience the restriction pedal chattering underfoot but discover minimal deceleration, the ABS system has activated, and yous can rest assured the road beneath your tires is very slick. If you can wearisome down at a reasonable rate without ABS activating, you lot're on a more grippy surface. One time again, be sure there are no other cars around you that will exist bothered by your unexpected slowing. Some anti-lock-restriction systems will also flash a small bister light in the instrument cluster while ABS is working, so this can be another clue to low traction when you are brake-testing for grip.
eight. Beware All-Bicycle Drive
Vehicles equipped with all-wheel drive or 4-wheel drive can lull yous into a fake sense of security on slick roads. They ship their power to all four wheels rather than just 2, which on glace surfaces enables impressive, skid-free acceleration, especially from rest— which can brand information technology feel as if you take much more traction than you actually do. Don't be fooled; these systems don't in any fashion amend your vehicle's power to turn or stop in snowy conditions, so look it to behave just like any other "normal" vehicle when yous push on the brake pedal or plough the steering wheel. If you desire to appraise how much traction you have, you can utilise the technique described in the previous footstep.
9. Fit Winter Tires
Technically this isn't a driving tip—it'south a survival tip. That's considering plumbing equipment a gear up of four winter tires (more than commonly called "snow tires") is actually the all-time matter you can do to improve your safety margin and reduce your anxiety level on those awful snow-covered roads. Proper winter tires provide far more traction in snow, slush, and on ice than fifty-fifty the best set of all-flavor tires. We at Car and Commuter test winter tires and install them on all of our long-term vehicles, and nosotros accept some top suggestions for your vehicle.
10. Read the Route
Is the surface shiny or dull? Is there a uniform blanket of pulverization, or bare spots interspersed with snow in the shade? Is the temperature cold enough to ensure crunchy, lite, snow, or is it warm plenty to create a slushy mess? While you can stop the machine and get out to assess the surface if you're in doubt (and that'southward not a bad thought), you lot can acquire a lot virtually bachelor traction just by knowing what you lot're looking at. In general, shiny is bad, since that ways either ice or water. Shady spots are deceptive, since dry pavement alee of them tin can lead to a false sense of security. And dry snow is much amend than slushy slop. Dry snowfall actually offers pretty skilful traction—think of the crunch beneath your boots—whereas slush behaves like deep water, with the tires riding up on pinnacle of information technology.
11. Plan Alee
Nosotros already mentioned looking as far ahead as possible, and that'south a practiced thought in full general. But chances are, y'all're driving in familiar territory, and then you can use that cognition to your advantage, too. When you caput downward that hill, is there an equal climb on on the other side of the valley? Maybe conserve momentum for that. Is at that place an off-camber downhill left a quarter-mile away? You don't accept to wait till y'all see it to wearisome down. If y'all know what'south coming, drive similar y'all're your own rally navigator and think a few steps alee.
12. Carry the Right Supplies
At that place've been times—commonly when nosotros're halfway through relocating a snowbank with our easily—that nosotros've declared that nosotros'd pay $500 for a snow shovel. The better solution is to throw one in your car earlier you exit, along with a bag of table salt and a tow strap. If you're really concerned about your winter expedition, you tin get your tow centre set up, also. The tow centre screws into a threaded socket (usually backside a foursquare plastic cover that pops out of the bumper) and can be used to attach a tow strap to vehicles that don't have a hitch or bumper-mounted tow hooks. The tow eye is usually under the rear cargo floor, with the spare tire, so if you think you need it, don't stack a quarter-cord of firewood dorsum there before you set off.
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Source: https://www.caranddriver.com/features/a25350719/how-to-drive-in-winter-snow-safely/
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