DRIVING IN SNOW

[sid1100]

Hi, Just a quick (probably stupid question)
I had a Pajero auto, so just switched to 4 wheel drive and car done the rest.
In the frontera Manual I switch to 4L or 4H , then can I just change gear as normal ?
THANKS FOR ANY HELP
Glen.

[westo123]

Yep, simple as that, 4L is I think the normal choice.

[sid1100]

THANKS MATE.
GLEN

[gregster]

Use 4wd high mate, low's for max torque and climbing stuff. You dont need to keep reversing up to unlock the hubs if you high a dry bit of road either. Just stop and shift between 4h and 2h...(you can do it moving between 4h and 2h and vice versa, but thats not what the book says...but if you try it, dip the clutch as if you are changing gear. You can only do this if you hubs are already locked at the front, and NOT to LOW range).

[Funky Bri]

as said above, 4H for sure. I have never driven a 4x4 in the snow, Its good but you are not invincible in one, a bit less grip than I expected. I am on road tyres though. had under steer and a bit of sidways action this morning.

[sid1100]

BRILLIANT , Thanks very much.
Time to hit the roads soon to get kids from school.
And the snow is coming down well, here in Berkshire.
Cheers
Glen

[gregster]

And remember, whilst they things pull well in the snow, they are pretty much a crap as everything else on ice...the only difference being you have got 2 tonne to stop and you will do more damage if you hit something.

A 4x4 will climb using wheelspin and friction something that it cant come down in a controlled manner on ice, so be careful...

DO NOT DIP YOUR CLUTCH WHEN BRAKING...its tempting, but the moment you do that you will just lock everything and crash...use your engine braking to resist it locking up. Try and drive so you dont use the brakes at all, just use engine braking.

Cadence braking might help if the car doesnt have enough engine braking, and can help you steer while braking, this is where you quickly pump the brake pedal up and down...again dont dip the clutch or it will lock up. The idea is you brake and release before it gets chance to lock, rather similar to what ABS does. This works better on surface where there is a degree of grip.

If offroad I would recommend to try and drive out of a slide, where if it just looses grip altogether no matter how gently you back of the throttle or brake, and the car is getting way from you and you are becoming a toboggan passenger...this involves accelerating gently so the wheel speed again matches the speed the truck has gone and then try backing off or gently breaking again to slow it, hoping it will find more traction this time...however, if you are on a sheet of ice then its unlikely that you will find more traction, and you can end up making things worse as you have now accelerated the vehicle. Worth a go if you have space to play with and an impact isnt imminent.

Another trick is what is know as "gassing yourself out of trouble"...I use this sometimes and again is kinda a last resort as done wrong can make things much worse...Imagine you are sliding down a hill on a country lane towards perhaps a stationary car, you have tryed to regain control as above and yet you are just sliding faster and faster. Dip the clutch, rev the engine and drop the clutch in a 2nd or 3rd depending on how fast you are going, whilst steering to either side. This will try and emulate how a truck can climb what it cant decend, and you use this technique to get the truck to drag itself off the ice onto loose snow where you might find grip and can brake, or to get into a gutter off ice where you can strub off speed against a kerb, or to aim yourself at a softer landing site such as a hedge sooner than a tree, car or person. Be careful where you aim it though, as steep bank could tip you over at even slow speeds.

if all else fails and it gets away with itself sliding down a hill and you are loosing control and a crash is inevitable,
the you could try the "Gregster Method of Extreme descent for zero grip"...but only if its a dire emergency as this is brutal.
The method is to lock the wheels with your right foot on the brakes, so the car is just sliding, which it would be anyway, then holding your right toes on the brakes dip the clutch and select reverse, still holding the brakes with your right toes, use your right heel to increase engine revs to about 1/2 throttle, and then release the brakes and clutch together keeping your heel on the gas. This will start the wheels spinning in reverse and sheer friction will slow you down, control the engine revs to control the slowing action. You will need to be on the ball on the steering as the car could slide from side to side, as if you were trying to climb something and it was sliding around, and this needs to be done quickly. THIS IS A LAST RESORT, you may damage you gearbox props etc...but if it saves yours or someone else life then its an option to you. At the end of the day a gearbox is probably cheaper than loosing your NCB.

TO REITERATE>>>THE "OPTIONS" ABOVE ARE LAST RESORTS TO SAVE YOU FROM KILLING SOMEONE IF EVERYTHING ELSE HAS FAILED>>>NOT NORMAL SNOW DRIVING PRACTISE!!!

And when you have done playing in the snow, leave the truck in gear and the handbrake off...or you could find the brakes will freeze on where its so cold.

[sid1100]

Thanks for all the advice.
Really helpful. We made it back safe
Regards
Glen.