Rwd auto winter driving question

[jaycey001]

Hi

 

As some of you may know i drive a 1984 freight rover sherpa van fitted with an automatic tran. As im used to modern (ish) cars i was wondering how i should approch icy roads this winter? it tends to loose traction on damp grass so dreading a bad winter. its fitted with an uprated quaife differential (still 80s tho) i dont know it thats good or not :-/ (also rear wheel drive)

I have also found it struggles up very steep hills, would it be wise to drop down to 2nd gear to help get up?

 

cheers in advance

 

James

 

 

P.s Anyone seen that lovely ford escort van on ebay? http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1979-FORD-ESCORT- ... 43a26069a9

If only i had the room:-)

[Albert Ross]

If traction is your issue, then a different tyre choice is the answer. Instead of the budget commercial 185/14 with longitudinal tread ribs, try the same size 4x4 knobbly tyre on the drive axle. They are available, but be certain you find one of the correct load rating. Speed ratings aren't an issue for this size of tyre. I do believe Dacia Dusters had 185/14 tyres, but many years ago.

[Guest Leonard Hatred]

mytyres.co.uk offers commercial rated winter tyres, 185/75/14. They aren't very cheap though.

[Mr Lobster]

Half a dozen paving slabs over the back end?

[warren t claim]

Is it a single or twin rear wheel?

[Mat.T]

I drove my '79 Hiace camper in the snow a couple of times last year and found it terrifying! chinese 185 r14 8 ply tyres rwd was not fun! So went back to fwd.

[jaycey001]

Thanks for the suggestions, I am already in the habbit of puting sand bags over the back tires when needed, (well its actually bags of dog food but same thing!)

i also try to keep the fuel tank full as thats directly under the rear wheels, and does help with traction and stops it wondering around as much (the vans on single rear wheels)

 

im just going to look in to the winter rated van tyres.

 

cheers

 

james

[autofive]

i drove an se6a scimitar (3 litre petrol, rwd and auto) all through last winter and didnt really have an issue with ice or snow

 

i cant speak specifically for the Tenzing, but in general, winter driving with an auto is fairly easy and uneventful, even in deep snow

 

if pulling away in snow or ice - dont use any throttle, just crawl forward, then once moving drive normally allowing extra stopping distance depending on conditions. as for wheelspin, just ease off and reapply the accelerator a bit until you can grip

 

tyres are very important - perhaps and pair of winter tyres for the rear?

[Station]

I found RWD in last year's snow to be totally random. It'd handle really well on the skinny wheels it had, but any incline in the road, it'd spin like a mutha from a standstill. I remember actually bravely doing a u-turn on a dual carriageway because I couldn't hack it. The worst was when snow solidified into mars bar sized hard ice blobs on the motorway due to freshly falling snow being impacted straight away by cars, they'd actually throw you around (like rumble strips) and you'd be left with the challenge of keeping the car straight, up to one point going 30 degrees one way then back straight again - that was the scariest moment I've had driving I think.

[scaryoldcortina]

i drove an se6a scimitar (3 litre petrol, rwd and auto) all through last winter and didnt really have an issue with ice or snow

 

Remember the day we discovered that the lane had frozen solid and both cars were stuck the wrong side of a snow/ice ridge? That was fun....

[M'coli]

i cant speak specifically for the Tenzing,

Tenzing Norgay wore crampons to the top of Everest, perhaps your Sherpa could do similar - snowchains?

[dieselnutjob]

winter tyres do make an amazing difference

my 607 frightened me when I first got it because one morning on the M25 everyone else seemed to be able to stop and I couldn't.

the reason was the 225 width tyres that were just legal.

Below about 5 deg C normal tyre rubber hardens and doesn't grip well.

I bought a set of rims on ebay and some winter tyres and the difference is amazing. It honestly feels like I have twice as much grip now.

The cost isn't really that high because the summer tyres are not being worn out whilst the winter tyres are on. You can also get part worn winter tyres on ebay.

[Guest Leonard Hatred]

Aye, winter tyres are ace.

[Richard]

Remember the day we discovered that the lane had frozen solid and both cars were stuck the wrong side of a snow/ice ridge? That was fun....

 

My street was like that for about two months last winter.

[whitevanman]

Well I drove the P100 all through the snow and seldom had a problem, the only bits of advice I'd give you are...put it into 2 if you are traveling very slowly, that way it can't shift up too far if you get wheel spin, some weight over the rear wheels will help, winter tyres are a deffinate bonus, but more than all that, anticipate the road, use momentum instead of the throttle to get up hills if you can, and finally, get used to tail out action, learn to control it and you'll find snow ain't that bad to drive in

[Richard]

I've driven loads of RWD cars in the snow with no problems but the Volvo was a nightmare last year, it just would not go at all. I don't know it it was the stupidly wide tyres, the design of the car or the layer of ice under the snow but it was more or less housebound for the whole winter.

[dieselnutjob]

I use normal size winter tyres. They go on the car once temperatures get near freezing and stay on for a couple or three months until the end of winter. They are fairly normal looking things and you can drive as fast as you like on the motorway and don't feel funny or make more noise etc.

 

However if you want to go thermonuclear then get mud n' snow tyres. Get narrow ones. Rally friends used to get Colway remould M&S tyres and I had some on a Peugeot 305 for rally mashalling and generally dicking about. The steering was a bit odd and they would howl like an old Land Rover above 50mph. They looked like a minature version of a tractor tyre. But my God they gripped in mud and snow. My old Pug was totally unstoppable in those things. I had more grip that most school run 4x4s. I think you can only get these things from motorsport type suppliers but they weren't that expensive.

[Guest Leonard Hatred]

I used Kingpin Alpin M&S remoulds on my 405, based on an old Michelin tread pattern they were great and got me out of a lot of trouble in the winter.

Not nearly as grippy as modern winter tyres though, with their silica-based compounds.