Slipperyness - What will you be driving this winter?

[RedSparrow]

It's been raining heavily lately here and I decided that I would go to Tescos in the Beemer.

For some reason other road users were pissing me right off - especially the twat in a Suzuki 4x4 that was driving up a road at 15mph for no apparent reason.

This caused me to drive slightly more aggresively than usual once I had passed, resulting OMG MASSIVE ACCIDENTAL DRIFTING. Then on the way up the slope into the car park the back wheels took ages to grip even though by this time I had calmed down and was being sensible. The layer of water on the roads today was lethal.

 

Anyway, by January if its snowing and I have some work in the next town (only 5 miles) I have decided that the BMW will be no good, for me personally anyway.

The best car I've found for the snow is, oddly, the TR7. I guess because it's tourquey and has thin tyres.

 

What shite will you be driving in the snow?

[pandamonium]

This!

[messerschmitt owner]

XM - choice of two

smart roadster - all esp, hsa, abs switched off

or Punto cabriolet!

[Guest]

This:

 

But with winter tyres.

[Rusty Pelican]

This , which is going to be a really bad idea unless I fill the boot up with bricks or dead people , Never known a car with so much understeer

 

[RedSparrow]

Pelican - Yes it was a BMW E30 which I realised has fuck-all traction today!

[worldofceri]

Volvo S40 T4.

Too much power for the chassis? Check.

Rubbish budget tyres? Check.

I can see another coming-together with the ring road armco coming on. Already had some OMG ACCIDENTAL DRIFTING and that was just in mildly moist conditions (as Clarkson would put it).

Wish my Beetle was likely to see the road any time soon. That was ace in the snow, apart from the wipers which were literally not powerful enough to push the show off the windscreen. Had to lean out of the window with a squeegee. Happy times.

Or my wife's Scenic:

[garethj]

I shall be lording it up in the Volvo 740, I think the tyres are pretty narrow by today's standards so it should have enough weight over the rear to move. If not, I've got plenty of room for ballast

 

I'm considering a set of snow socks, if only to tow others out with the Volvo and charge them a tenner. I should break even after 5 tows, which is one morning in rural Bedfordshire where everyone has a Merc with 385/45/18 tyres

[Rusty Pelican]

Pelican - Yes it was a BMW E30 which I realised has fuck-all traction today!

They really are shit in the wet , havnt tried snow yet so will be having a party come spring if me and the E30 are still alive ,

 

Had this in the last lot of snow so things are going to be difficult this year with no four wheel drive / diff locks , A cropper coming up soon

 

[pogweasel]

Maybe it will properly snow again like the last two winters, which generally means sitting at home scratching my balls and not driving anywhere. Hurrah! (no money though which is shit)

[Guest Leonard Hatred]

 

One of these because I can't drive an ordinary car when snow starts lying on the roads.

[HillmanImp]

Probably the GT6 with a few of bags of sand in the back.

[ashmicro]

I've been offered an old Legacy Est (2000 ish) auto for nowt, 100k miles and busted trans, stinks of DAGS. It was a very kind offer, but I can imagine a transmission change on one of those is a bastard. The owner is in no rush for me to move it. She's also offered me a petrol V40 thing of indeterminate age (haven't seen it yet) which has been smacked up the arrse.

[RedSparrow]

There are some bags of hardcore (rubble, not porn before anyone says it) in my dad's garden. I think a couple in the boot of the TR7 should provide an excellent ( ) winter weapon.

 

I'll post photos when I smash it into a bus shelter.

[garethj]

One of these because I can't drive an ordinary car when snow starts lying on the roads.

You're right, there'll never be a better excuse to buy a hovercraft, I've missed a trick

[Pillock]

The only car that ever got me into snowy trouble was a Quattro, damn you false sense of security! Didn't hit anything, but very nearly did - as observed out of the side window, not quite knowing where forward was. In anything else I've been fine. Have to say, the safest thing was my Beetle.... RWD on 165's, 55bhp and all the weight at the back. Pretty solid in the snow and I was regularly the only person to turn up at work.

[wuvvum]

This, assuming I can get it through an MoT:

 

 

Maybe with some cheap remould mud'n'snow tyres if it gets really bad. Should be pretty much unstoppable then. I imagine the Innocenti would be quite good in snow, with its zero weight, lack of power and skinny tyres, but I also imagine it would dissolve rapidly if used on salted roads on a regular basis.

[Guest Leonard Hatred]

On my way back from the west coast last winter on the A86 (which was atrocious - 1ft of unploughed snow) three 4x4s had fallen off the road, while the rest of us in FWD cars stuck to the road, including the young girls in front in a Ka.

False sense of security FTL.

[Owain-328i]

I fully intend to be a local hero and again use the old BMW for the 3rd winter in a row. Great fun was had in the snow last year.

[Rusty Pelican]

This is GR8 in the snow but im too scared of smashing the thing up , stuff for this is a bit rare

 

[worldofceri]

One of the (very few) good things about getting up at 4am to go to work is that when it snows you get to drive to work in nice fresh crisp show that the tyres bite into, rather than the polished ice rink you get once everyone's got up and joined in the fun. Here's me back in January down Marlow Bottom:

[Richard]

The picture didn't load properly on my computer so it looked as if the snow was up to the lorry's windscreen.

[Mr Lobster]

This >

 

 

might get a few BFO paving slabs to stick in the back though.

[fotorabia]

winter..bah..im going to be summer stalling this old gurl around..but im looking at getting sumthing slightly newer when im back in NZ

[Rebuilda]

I'll be driving the Dutton albeit with M&S colways on the back.

If that fails to start it will be the Transit based ambulance conversion, 3 ton of shite and a shite handbrake to boot, but its warm and cosy when you get stuck. Has a stove, kettle and TV... sorted.

 

 

Sprinter in the snow, very brave (or foolish?) you are so going to need those paving slabs...

[Albert Ross]

Erm... this, but with a full metal roof and Michelin radials.

[Pete-M]

 

255/45/17s, 378 lb ft, 326 bhp, rwd, auto.

 

Should be an absolute disaster. It's bad enough in the damp.

[Station]

This:

 

 

Was pretty good in the snow and wet last year. I'm wondering if the roasty toasty heater has anything to do with imminent HGF's on these cars?

[Angrydicky]

I got stuck in some damp mud on a grass verge in my work van the other day, I honestly thought I wasn't going to get out, not looking forward to driving that in the snow

 

As for my own car, it'll probably be this for the second year.

 

 

but I might be getting one of these to replace it soon, possibly even this one!

 

 

And if both these fail, I've got this to fall back on:

 

[Jozza]

This (but now with fully functional sidelights):