Jaguar X

[jaydah]

My X type sailed thru today passing 90% of other stranded cars. I had to take staff home as their Audi/Mercedes/Porsche were stuck with wheel spins in car park :)

[jaydah]

Am tempting fate - bet I'm stuck 2moro.

Can you explain the 3 2 1 on automatic gears and the best way to handle a skid ?

[AlBags]

Only thing mobile around here was .. me .. and a Smart Car belting about. They are really good in the snow, Smart Cars!
Auto boxes lower gear selector is just a gear 'hold'. It will stay in that gear.
Steer into skids as in most situations. Try not to hit brakes in panic!

[jaydah]

There are 2 steep hills which caught most cars, I weaved thru them on 2 (gear to side of D). I've never used those gears & dont know when they should be used.

[Toureman]

So, whats your question?

[Andyvon]

My 1984 Golf is fine in the snow. It's all the newer cars that seem to have the trouble. Perhaps it's the tyres. Mine uses 155x13" which have a high profile and appear very 'upright'. Most modern cars seem to have much wider and lower profile tyres which can't be too clever in the snow.

[sigma]

You passed 90% of stranded cars. What happened when you met the other 10%.

[tigerlelly]

Let's face it, there is a whole generation with no experience of driving on snow and ice and they get stuck because they 'gun' the car leading to spinning wheels instead of changing down to a lower gear (2nd is best ) and proceeding slowly. Agree with Albags on gears and skids. Also, as I mentioned in another post, keep a bag of kitty litter in the boot to put under wheels as traction.

[magicmerlin]

I have an old VW Polo (89), it's great in the snow as it's front wheel drive. For those of you with rear wheel drive cars, stick the other half in the back to put some weight on rear axle.

[Toureman]

A rear wheel drive car will always give more traction on the snow because as you accelerate the whole weight of the car goes on to the back wheels.

Exactly the opposite happens with front wheel drive, the weight goes off the front wheels.

A front wheel car is safer in the snow for inexperienced drivers though.

[chas2008]

some of the 1st vehicles stuck when it snows are mercs & BMW as most are RWD...