Winter Driving Tips

[cqaigy2]

How can any of you tell people to not use brakes and instead downshift, and then turn around and say 4wd won't help stopping? If the 4wd drive train is engaged, and you downshift, won't engine braking be applied to the entire drive train? What am I missing? :confused3:

I'd always assumed 4wd would distribute the engine breaking process to more wheels then 2wd.

 

[2ndhalf]

You could tell the ones in that video that got out and helped had ABS, ESC.
Funny I couldn't tell.
Makes me wonder how I've got by just fine without those features driving in the winter the past 40 years.
The only vehicle we have ever owned with ABS is my wife's 2005 Subaru, and she never drives in the snow.
None of my personal vehicles had ABS or ESC.
If its snowing or calling for snow and my wife needs to go somewhere I take her, some times using her car with ABS.
Do I feel I'm safer and more in control with her car with ABS, vs my current and previous vehicles without it. NO, not really, I drive they all the same way in the same conditions.

well it was kind of a joke but you could tell from the dash cams that some had no issue stopping. want to venure a guess why? I too got by fine but now that they exist I want them and that doesn't make me a poor driver.

They guys who made this thread personal were the ones acting like if you like ABS you were a bad driver (actually just one guy JK); pretty imature in my opinion.

 

[Oaktree]

Regarding ABS.....

this topic seems to come up alot also. Boggles my mind the number of people that "claim" they hate ABS.
Sure, back in the 1990's......With some only having real wheel ABS, or 2-3 channel ABS....while better than none....wasnt that great. But about everything made in the last decade has true 4-wheel ABS. All 4 wheels have sensors.....and the computer knows the split second that a wheel locks up.....and releases brakes a little to JUST THAT WHEEL. Something you just CANNOT do without abs.

Very true. Before my wife bought her present car ('16 Buick Regal) the only vehicle I'd ever driven with ABS brakes was the company truck at my previous job (07 tundra). I couldn't believe the night and day difference between the two. You barely even notice the ABS action on the Buick, while the truck would clatter and clack and more often than not pull you one way or the other.

BIG improvement!!

 

[Agvg]

My 2004 van had very good abs, but you have good example on conservative Japanese to frighten to get the best and hangs on to outdated solutions. Nissan had the same horrible bad ABS for years.
My 1998 VW pickup has quite good ABS so it was possible to do it, not as fast as later systems but very nice in use.

 

[RoyJackson]

Also, a vehicle in 4wd takes longer to stop than a the same exact vehicle in 2wd, not talking about two different Chevys but rather one Chevy with a transfer case change

I don't know if I agree with that, conditions being equal...are you writing about coasting, or braking?

 

[RoyJackson]

How can any of you tell people to not use brakes and instead downshift, and then turn around and say 4wd won't help stopping? If the 4wd drive train is engaged, and you downshift, won't engine braking be applied to the entire drive train? What am I missing? :confused3:

It does for me...so I'm not sure what some of those guys are writing about...

I downshift as I come to a stop sign, but I'm traveling pretty slow before I downshift....and the engine RPM is pretty close to idle before downshifting

 

[LD1]

Also, a vehicle in 4wd takes longer to stop than a the same exact vehicle in 2wd, not talking about two different Chevys but rather one Chevy with a transfer case change

I dont agree with this either.

Dont know why there are so many myths around winter driving regarding ABS vs No ABS.....4Wd vs Awd.....And now 2wd somehow stops faster???

I fail to see some peoples logic regarding quite a few of these topics.

I own:

1. 2005 dodge, diesel, DRW, 4wd, Automatic, Quad cab long bed (longest wheel base). Has 2000# tucked next to the tailgate and with the plow hanging off the front....weighs in just north of 11,000#

2. 2015 Buick Encore Awd, Automatic, ABS ~3400#

3. 2008 Nissan sentra....FWD, Auto, ABS....~2800#

4. 2001 Saturn, FWD, 5-speed stick, NO ABS, ~2300#

Guess which one handles best in the winter? Guess which one stops the quickest in the winter? Guess what order I prefer them in when winter conditions hit? (hint.....they are already in order)

 

[Bingo9991]

Theres videos out there comparing stopping distance in snow

 

[Bingo9991]

I'm not saying a 2wd truck stops faster, I thought I made it clear enough that if your 4wd truck is in 2wd, it will stop faster than it would in 4wd

 

[Ken]

I'm not saying a 2wd truck stops faster, I thought I made it clear enough that if your 4wd truck is in 2wd, it will stop faster than it would in 4wd

Have any facts other than opinion on this statement
Not interested in wobbly ideas just the facts.
ken