snow...ice...nae bother!

[scooters]

Well well well, I live at the bottom of a big hill in Edinburgh and I thought I had better pop out to the shops to get some milk and some dog food. Missus has taken the we'anes and the Volvo 4x4 so what to take...after much pondering I decided on the Moggy.didn't even attempt to start the car from behind the wheel - car has been sitting cold for 2 weeks so I popped the hood - skinned the back of my skull on the bonnet catch (this is customary with Minors and oxfords) - hooked up my powerpack, took the air filter off, gave the carb a good scoosh of something flammable (carb cleaner this time), pressed the solenoid (I love the way you can start these cars from under the bonnet and vroooommm!anyway - into car out onto bottom of snowy and icy hill - loads of cars struggling up it - moggy into 2nd and straight up the hill - a bit of slipping and sliding but a lesson in why 18" low profile tyres are mince in the snow. give me a set of narrow cross plys any day of the week!!!Golf's turn tomorrow - what a shame the Daf isn't on the road just now!mind you that Nissan Sunny that just went up on ebay....very tempting indeed!

[scruff]

Kwality, nice one

[whitevanman]

aye the older cars seem less concerned about the snow than this modern rubbish

[bigstraight6]

Splendid! I love reading about how an ancient motor can overcome terrible weather conditions where moderns can't

[pbottomley]

I can vouch for classic car head injuries from catches, all Viva owners have a deep ridge on forehead from constant scrapes with the bleedin things. CROSSPLY's FTW

[Pete-M]

"quattro"

[warren t claim]

Powerpack! You wimp! My Moggy used to start in all weathers with the starting handle!

[j-j]

Powerpack! You wimp! My Moggy used to start in all weathers with the starting handle!

Excellent! real cars have starting handles like my old GSA the only car I know of with the obscene combination of a starting handle and electronic ignition!^^I agree with the above^^ Was caughttoday in the gridlock of the sudden snow here at first in the CX - the old heap made absolutely light work of every icy hill even the local ones here with chicanes to stop one side of the road and prioritse the oncoming (traffic 'calming' or some shit) so you're doing a stop and then hill start on snow and ice. Most of the modern grot including 4x4s were all over the place. I put the CX in 3rd (top) and accelerated - no clutch pedal an torque convertor and it just went without a hit of spin! Pulled away slow as a Guinnes- induced morning brick-shite of course but hey it was WIN.Later, my sister asks me to go with her to get her kid from the nursery so she takes her C4 - I'm 'instructing ' her all the way (snow is EVEN WORSE at this point) but she starts off in 2nd, does the cadence braking where necc. and hardly a spin at all on the hills - unlike the other drivers who seem to think that when you're losing traction the answer to your problems is MOAR POWA in the same gear... wrong. There was one twonk in particular in a newish Jag constantly spinning the back pair like it was a kokking drag strip - this was in stop start traffic.... Anyway, at least managed to get a spot in (see J-J's road rubbish thread)

[keef]

I can vouch for classic car head injuries from catches,

Very good tip from a friend a few weeks back: tennis ball.

[scooters]

Powerpack! You wimp! My Moggy used to start in all weathers with the starting handle!

indeed - I do make some concessions to the 21st C!don't worry though - I have the scars to prove my starter handle worthyness

[Split_Pin]

Thats given me a good image, a Minor getting up an icy hill with the modern stuff getting stuck.I work in Dalry Road, is your Minor dark blue? I dont see many in the capital, so thought I'd ask

[CIH]

I had this allday, watching customer's moderns sliding around in the slush. Best was an E-CLass (or something) on 275 rear tyres, though I heard an X5 slid on the hilly bit of the car park into works bin!

[Ratdat]

I went out in the ol' Nissan Bluey today and it was champion in the snow. Being an auto it's got plenty of weight up front which gives it brilliant traction. It felt really sure footed even on really packed down snow. Qual!

[scooters]

Thats given me a good image, a Minor getting up an icy hill with the modern stuff getting stuck.I work in Dalry Road, is your Minor dark blue? I dont see many in the capital, so thought I'd ask

Hi Iain,My Moggy is a series 2, 3 door in Black - split screen. quite distinctive - it has a driving lamp in the middle of the front bumper and an overtaking mirror clipped to the drivers side windowI driver her mostly on fridays or weekends as other times i am usually down south in the XM

[binhoker668]

Yup - agree with all the above. My old Viva = head injury central.323 covered in snow and ice this morning? Nae bothers - started first time heated up in next to no time, and straight off up the hill. Piece of piss.Lovin' it!

[Pete-M]

I had this allday, watching customer's moderns sliding around in the slush. Best was an E-CLass (or something) on 275 rear tyres,

My brother has one of those insanely torquey (470 NM or summat, I don't do metric) E class diesels, met him this morning on a snowy car park in Warrington and was highly amused by the Merc doing its thing in the snow.Rev - traction control kicks in - revs die - big judder - rev - tc kicks in - rev - esp kicks in - revAudi just drove out like it was on slightly dieselly tarmac.

[Tayne]

.

[Richard]

I had the C5 out last night, most of the roads were reasonably clear but it seems not too bad in the snow.

[dollywobbler]

Disappointingly, the Saab is quite rubbish. Was all over the place on the admittedly icy roads last night. Same roads this morning, still frozen, but the 2CV was much more secure - though the downside was that the windscreen was so ice-covered (inside and out!) that vision was a bit of an issue at times...The Saab is noticably worse than the BX. 185s on 15 inchers compared to 165s on 14s. Both are on Hankook tyres yet the BX always feels planted. Neither can match the 135s of my 2CV though!

[scooters]

I think BX's are great in the snow - narrow wheels - the TZD I had steamed all over the alps midwinter no problem several times and was used in many a scottish winter

[Mr_Bo11ox]

My brother has one of those insanely torquey (470 NM or summat, I don't do metric)

That is metric!

[pogweasel]

I assume alot of "problems" are due to new things having anti-stall/fly-by-wire throttles. Certainly in our Focus it makes things more "entertaining" - second gear start on ice, little bit of gas to control things, then when you take your foot off the go pedal i.e approaching a junction at nominal MPH, it speeds up. Pain in the backside...

[Father Ted]

Had no issues in the Micra (155 tyres) at all. Had a lot of fun on an empty car park last night doing handbrake turns in the snow. Zafira (225 tyres) is a bit twitchy.

[Split_Pin]

Thats given me a good image, a Minor getting up an icy hill with the modern stuff getting stuck.I work in Dalry Road, is your Minor dark blue? I dont see many in the capital, so thought I'd ask

Hi Iain,My Moggy is a series 2, 3 door in Black - split screen. quite distinctive - it has a driving lamp in the middle of the front bumper and an overtaking mirror clipped to the drivers side window

I cant remember the last time I saw a Moggy with a split screen, I'll look out for that My Vectra is ok in the snow, but the 4 shagged Firestones make travelling in a straight line at any speed without snaking extremely challenging. New ones will be purchased asap.

[Pete-M]

My brother has one of those insanely torquey (470 NM or summat, I don't do metric)

That is metric!

I know... I don't know what it translates to in lb ft and couldn't be arsed googling for a calculator. I think 470 NM roughly translates as "enough".

[myglaren]

This bus and then the police car didn't do very well. "All were amazed that this road was not gritted, which is a regular road used by those who go to see the Christmas lights".

[VWPowered]

have to admit whilst all the other cars keep breaking, the polo keeps rolling, hasnt failed to start or anything

[alfetta]

900's are pretty average in snow/ice, just like any other FWD bigish car.the old 96 and lesser extent 99 were just brilliant!so was my little AX!

[Milford Cubicle]

My 900 was good in the snow, all that weight over the nose must have helped. I'm glad it was the revised model with a rear handbrake as opposed to the earlier versions with a front handbrake, GR8 4... etc.

 

 

This is it half way up a mountain. In essence, I think you're all rubbish at winter driving.

[Station]

didn't even attempt to start the car from behind the wheel - car has been sitting cold for 2 weeks so I popped the hood - skinned the back of my skull on the bonnet catch (this is customary with Minors and oxfords) - hooked up my powerpack, took the air filter off, gave the carb a good scoosh of something flammable (carb cleaner this time), pressed the solenoid (I love the way you can start these cars from under the bonnet and vroooommm!

Jealous! Also caught my head on the bonnet catch today.