fairyworld14 Posted November 10, 2013 Share Posted November 10, 2013 Anyone got any tips for driving when there is black ice on the road ? Because last year I was coming onto my road & I wasn't driving fast , when all of a sudden I lost control on the blooming stuff & damaged my wheel .I hate this stuff . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rampent Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 What to when > no idea. I normally stay indoors and catch the bus as when. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Obelix Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 Pretend that the pedals are made out of fine china and you will break them if you push too hard.... Do you have a car with ESP? (electronic stability protection not extra sensory...). Most modern ESP systems will get you out of small scrapes - don't turn them off but don't rely on them either... Warning signs of black ice are a light floaty wheel and a change in sound - I drive often with the windows open a half inch to listen in cold weather. Black ice makes the tyre noise go high pitched, a fair bit quieter and hissy, rather than a lower rumble. If you get onto ice and start to slide, get off the pedals and turn the wheel back to centre. Don't brake, you will slide and spin. Only when pointing ahead should you brake, very very gingerly. Proper black ice is so tricky to spot and so lethal that you really cannot deal with driving on it, it's just better to avoid it. I once found ice after I stopped (eventually) on the crown of the road, and the car slide sideways then down the camber to the kerb. I got out and fell over. Got up, fell over. I had to crawl for about fifty yards before I could stand up. Thin glassy sheet ice, all over the road caused by humid cold air flowing off a canal and then down over the road where it condensed and froze.... More common are patches of black ice, or icy roads with the peaks of the gravel poking a fraction of a millimetre above the ice. These can be driven on, very carefully, you can either steer slowly or brake. You wont do both without spinning. Finally if you do end up sliding towards a kerb and it's inevitable you hit, turn the wheel so that the front wheel will hit the kerb square on. You are less likley to bend an expensive steering rack that way (but you will probably trash the tyre instead) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rampent Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 Pretend that the pedals are made out of fine china and you will break them if you push too hard.... Do you have a car with ESP? (electronic stability protection not extra sensory...). Most modern ESP systems will get you out of small scrapes - don't turn them off but don't rely on them either... Warning signs of black ice are a light floaty wheel and a change in sound - I drive often with the windows open a half inch to listen in cold weather. Black ice makes the tyre noise go high pitched, a fair bit quieter and hissy, rather than a lower rumble. If you get onto ice and start to slide, get off the pedals and turn the wheel back to centre. Don't brake, you will slide and spin. Only when pointing ahead should you brake, very very gingerly. Proper black ice is so tricky to spot and so lethal that you really cannot deal with driving on it, it's just better to avoid it. I once found ice after I stopped (eventually) on the crown of the road, and the car slide sideways then down the camber to the kerb. I got out and fell over. Got up, fell over. I had to crawl for about fifty yards before I could stand up. Thin glassy sheet ice, all over the road caused by humid cold air flowing off a canal and then down over the road where it condensed and froze.... More common are patches of black ice, or icy roads with the peaks of the gravel poking a fraction of a millimetre above the ice. These can be driven on, very carefully, you can either steer slowly or brake. You wont do both without spinning. Finally if you do end up sliding towards a kerb and it's inevitable you hit, turn the wheel so that the front wheel will hit the kerb square on. You are less likley to bend an expensive steering rack that way (but you will probably trash the tyre instead) I'd go easy on the drinking dude Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megalithic Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 Only drive when following gritters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rampent Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 Only drive when following gritters. I did that for a laugh years ago in my 50 notes Metro > my whole bonnet was covered in dings and a week later the bonnet turned to rust and fell off Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DT Ralge Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 (edited) Good advice above (gentle, smooth, early and don't rely on ABS or ESP to help on ice), then ... Hope that you have less momentum than will take you somewhere you don't want to go and that it's a small localised patch of black ice. You can't walk very well on ice nor can you expect to drive on it. Years ago I spent 4+ hours on the Parkway when the snow had come down in force one afternoon. I had been inching forwards, stopping, inching forwards into town all the way from Catcliffe. Sheffield was gridlocked. I got to the point where I could almost see Park Square r/b, road goes down to the left with, I think some camber to the left. Inching, gentle braking, inching, braking and Torvile and Dean'ed into the car on my left (mirrored by a couple of cars ahead of me). My car eventually came to stop against the kerb in front if the car that mine had kissed. I got out to exchange details to find out that I could barely stand up on the black ice let alone walk back 10 metres. Edited November 11, 2013 by DT Ralge Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angos Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 (edited) Anyone got any tips for driving when there is black ice on the road ? Because last year I was coming onto my road & I wasn't driving fast , when all of a sudden I lost control on the blooming stuff & damaged my wheel .I hate this stuff . If there is a possibility of ice, accelerate, brake and steer very gently and start slowing for junction much early than usual, ---------- Post added 11-11-2013 at 07:13 ---------- Pretend that the pedals are made out of fine china and you will break them if you push too hard.... Do you have a car with ESP? (electronic stability protection not extra sensory...). Most modern ESP systems will get you out of small scrapes - don't turn them off but don't rely on them either... Warning signs of black ice are a light floaty wheel and a change in sound - I drive often with the windows open a half inch to listen in cold weather. Black ice makes the tyre noise go high pitched, a fair bit quieter and hissy, rather than a lower rumble. If you get onto ice and start to slide, get off the pedals and turn the wheel back to centre. Don't brake, you will slide and spin. Only when pointing ahead should you brake, very very gingerly. Proper black ice is so tricky to spot and so lethal that you really cannot deal with driving on it, it's just better to avoid it. I once found ice after I stopped (eventually) on the crown of the road, and the car slide sideways then down the camber to the kerb. I got out and fell over. Got up, fell over. I had to crawl for about fifty yards before I could stand up. Thin glassy sheet ice, all over the road caused by humid cold air flowing off a canal and then down over the road where it condensed and froze.... More common are patches of black ice, or icy roads with the peaks of the gravel poking a fraction of a millimetre above the ice. These can be driven on, very carefully, you can either steer slowly or brake. You wont do both without spinning. Finally if you do end up sliding towards a kerb and it's inevitable you hit, turn the wheel so that the front wheel will hit the kerb square on. You are less likley to bend an expensive steering rack that way (but you will probably trash the tyre instead) Follow this advice. Edited November 11, 2013 by angos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mecky Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 While power is going to the wheels you'll still have some degree of control. If you lock the wheels you could slide anywhere Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doom Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 It's frightening when you do hit black ice because there is a feeling of helplessness. When we had that icy rain a couple of years ago many of the roads were deadly. I can remember driving onto Wilkinson Street and wondering what the car in front of me was doing because he was travelling so slowly.....When I got on I realised why....It was a sheet of ice. I must have driven about 1 mile an hour and deliberately kept crashing into the kerb to stop myself....It's frightening when you have so little control. Do things like Autosocks improve traction on icy roads? Regards Doom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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