Z's First Snow !

[DKZ5745]

So tonight saw my Z's first snow encounter, BUT I'm not going anywhere tonight. Just hope it's all gone by morning :roll:

Not having driven a Z in the snow yet, I was wondering if someone with this experience would care to pass on how they handle.....

 

[DKZ5745]

It's getting worse......

 

[tianorth]

And theres me thinking you kept your car clean! :lol: :shock:

 

[DKZ5745]

Snow joke :lol:

 

[Anonymous]

I'm astonished that you guys are getting the snow before us in NE Scotland!!


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[DKZ5745]

Special Yorkshire Snow, but typical at this time of year, ordered it for a White Christmas, get it 24 hours late :eusa-whistle:

 

[DKZ5745]

So, just got back from taking my wife to work. The snow isn't as deep as last night, but it's been replaced by very crunchy thick ice (Z reported -1 all the way there and back).

Handled like a Chelsea Tractor! Very responsive steering, used the handbrake on a couple of quiet corners (after dropping the BH off) and it was like the good old days in my Mk1 RWD Escort Sport!

Had to stop on a slope cos of a parked vehicle & a car coming towards me. That was a little tricky getting forward motion again, but nothing the Z couldn't handle.
Stopping was a bit hairy though, 4 wheel skids seem to be the order of the day, but I once had a 4WD RAV4 and although it would go where most cars wouldn't in really bad weather, stopping in that was exactly the same, the extra grip going forwards gives you a false sense of security as when it comes to stopping, almost all cars are exactly the same.

At work, we once had a Merc Fire Engine that when it was delivered, it simply wouldn't stop in ANY kind of snow or ice. The anti lock braking was so sensitive that the instant it felt any kind of lock up, it took the brakes off again. I think the idea was electronic cadence braking, but in practice, it just didn't brake! It went back for adjustment.

All in all, quite happy with the Z in snow & ice so far........although I know there will be worse to come :shock:

 

[Anonymous]

The RCZ has many strong points but handling in the snow and ice really isn't one of then so don't get too complacent DKZ! Even driven appropriately for the conditions, highest possible gear, use of engine braking etc, it'll quickly end up sideways on a corner. It's all to do with the tyre profile and size of those alloys. I bought continental winter contact tyres which made a huge improvement to its handling in these conditions but even then it was a far cry from something with thinner tyres and smaller alloys. In fact, my wife's Fiat 500 (without winter tyres) matched it (or was better) in these conditions. Just saying...don't be too bold with it without winter tyres or you may find yourself in for a hefty repair bill!!

 

[pete.garratt]

Snow forecast for Hertfordshire at 4 o'clock this afternoon.

 

[DKZ5745]

Good point Rizz & well taken

As for cleanliness, normal service is now resumed..........

Does anyone know of a quick cure for frostbite ?

 

[Tomas_90]

Are you still on summer tires? That would be kinda scary in that much snow With winter tires it's fine-ish to drive. Like any other car really. But i tend to go slower than usual around the bends just in case the front end lets go, cause that's no bueno! :lol:

 

[DKZ5745]

Yes 'fraid so, good old original well worn summer tyres, (well worn - 3.6mm front 6.5mm rear) I know the old saying about pride and falls, but I have been on extensive skid-pan training, high speed driving training, and I am EFAD trained (emergency fire appliance driving).
I have only once been in a situation that I couldn't get out of, and fortunately a large grass verge came to my rescue on that occasion.
I know that it doesn't matter how good you are, there are eventually going to be times beyond your abilities, and so it is unwise actually seeking out such occasions, it's just that I do enjoy it, and NEVER do it where it might involve other motorists or pedestrians.
If I break my car it will be nobody's fault but mine, but I'm not stupid, and so "play times" are few and far between, and believe it or not, they do actually serve a function, cos they help to educate me as to exactly where the edge of the envelope is.

The advice given by mrizzle above is the best advice available. And anyone not trained should ALWAYS follow that advice in poor driving conditions.

 

[Anonymous]

+1 for winter tyres. I've got them on my Octy and they are superb (got a set of steel rims so just swap over) and will probably get some for the RCZ in due course. Enhanced grip on wet, ice or snow when <7 degrees. have to decide whether it's worth it depending on how much driving you do in the car, where you live and how bad conditions tend to be in your part of the country though, but you can drive with confidence when the weather is poor or on icy mornings or evenings... Well worth the £ IMO. Good side is they last several years and prolong your summer tyre life, bad side is you have to store them somewhere or pay to store them and either swap across or pay for a 2nd set of wheels (although cheap sensible sized steel wheels can make winter tyre price more reasonable, not sure if there are steel rims to fit RCZ but can always swap tyres over). Check this clip out to see the benefits, the cornering bit is most impressive and sold it for me...

http://youtu.be/GlYEMH10Z4s

A few hundred pounds in wheels and tyres vs insurance claims, getting stuck or anxious driving, especially as it doesn't have to be your fault when someone else makes a mistake and pulls out or loses control... I've done my IAM course and was initially skeptical I needed them in the UK but they are becoming more popular over here now and are recommended by many uk motoring organisations, I've done 3 winters on mine so far... Got my conti winter sports from Kwikfit for a good price, but also check out Tyreleader website... Worth nothing you may need to inform your insurer and also that some winter tyres have a lower speed rating (my Octy can't go as fast as the winter tyres top speed rating though!). Oh and finally, you MUST replace all 4 tyres with winter tyres, highly dangerous to do only fronts or rears... :thumbup:

 

[DKZ5745]

From Snow to sheet ice this morning, but yet again the Z didn't disappoint. No unexpected loss of grip, wheel spin exactly where I thought, very controllable behaved really well to be honest. Feeding power in is the key, and anticipating where the grip will disappear.
I think the main problem will be when we do get deep snow, the ground clearance will become an issue, and it doesn't matter how good a driver you are or what tyres you have, if the car won't go forwards due to snow depth, you are bu#*ered.

 

[tianorth]

Does anyone know of a quick cure for frostbite ?

Yes, stay indoors! :dance:

 

[Anonymous]

Ranulph Fiennes cut his finger tip of cured that

 

[Anonymous]

I have winter tyres on my van amazing difference in the cold would recommend to anyone.
Problem with the std RCZ tyres is the snow has nowhere to go once in the treads and gets compacted so turns them into slicks.

 

[Tomas_90]

Snow depth hasn't been an issue at all for me. 10 cm of snow works fine, with snow tires then ofc. Haven't really tried or i just don't remember how it worked tho as we didn't have that much snow last year and nothing yet this year to talk about either. But maybe in january-March we'll get some more! I'll be sure to test deep snow travel :lol:

Also a tip in winter driving, not that i know if it actually makes any difference but i keep the spoiler manually up in top position when driving now on ice to get that bit extra downforce on the rear wheels. Obviously i'm only topping 90 km/h or rarely 100 km/h speeds so if it's working i don't know, but it can't hurt. Atleast it feels better

 

[Anonymous]

Im on 19" summer original wheels and on 235/40/18 on spare wheels for winter. We have had severe snow and they are brilliant.

 

[Tomas_90]

Im on 19" summer original wheels and on 235/40/18 on spare wheels for winter. We have had severe snow and they are brilliant.

Welll... They're not really :lol: