Car suggestions for bad weather/icy roads

[alex_mac30]

Hi
Can anyone suggest a car that would be good for bad weather/ icy roads. I currently have a polo which is pretty much useless as soon as there is a little bit of ice on the road so I am looking to change it.
I dont need to tow but a 4x4 would be a good idea
Thanks
m

 

[luckyoldme]

The thing is that 4x4 s are brilliant in the snow but as for ice really no different from a car..they will skid just the same as anything else. Just after i sat my test with the raf they gave me skid pan lessons, and to me thats the best way to learn about how to handle any vehicle on slippy roads.
As for 4x4s weve got a ford ranger wildtrak...its a stunning vehicle and previous to this had two others, the thing about pick ups though is buying them second hand its hard to find one thats not been trashed

 

[FubsyMog]

Using winter tyres are a more effective way of coping with snow/ice than having a 4x4 (though 4x4 with winter tyres is the ultimate strategy).

If you definitely want a 4x4, I've no advice I'm afriad as never owned one - have driven my trusty Yaris through all manner of treacherous conditions over the years!

 

[turnbuckle]

WINTER TYRES!!!!!!!

Make all the difference - seriously. Polos should be quite good on ice, narrow tyres do grip better than fat ones when it gets slippy.

If you regularly get hit by ice, snow socks are worth looking at, although you will probably scorch through them if you keep putting them on.

And just an idea - you can go on skid pan courses, which teach you how to cope with a skid - could be well worthwhile.

 

[alex_mac30]

It has got all weather tyres on the front, I read up on it after it was useless in the show 2 years ago. I researched it and found ones with great reviews that suggested they were great almost as good as the winter tryes. They seem to make on difference at all.

 

[Unicorn]

Second the winter tyres suggestion.

I have a Citroen C3 and put winter tyres on every year. They're amazing. I live in a small village and the lanes can get very icy. With the winter tyres on I have absolutely no problems getting anywhere, even up the hill to the yard.

 

[FubsyMog]

It has got all weather tyres on the front, I read up on it after it was useless in the show 2 years ago. I researched it and found ones with great reviews that suggested they were great almost as good as the winter tryes. They seem to make on difference at all.

All-weather and winter tyres are not the same thing - proper winter tyres are made of a much softer compund that normal tyres, to give best traction on slippery surfaces. They would be baldy in no time if you used them on non-snowy/icy roads for any length of time. All-weather tyres are a compromise that should handle wettish, moderate conditions (as opposed to purely summer use - hard and dry).

 

[Emma_H]

I found my little polo really good in the snow and ice. it died in March this year and I miss it.
All cars skid regardless of type, I think 4x4 are best in the snow but still come a cropper in the ice.

 

[PaulnasherryRocky]

My little 1995 Nissan micra (cost me £150 to buy!) is fantastic in the ice and snow, i'm always the one overtaking all of these hefty 4X4s on the icy hills in my area on the way to work! AND I can fit 6 bales of shavings in it..

 

[alex_mac30]

I think thats the thing, old cars are heaver and hold the road better. My old polo was fine in the ice and snow and it only had summer tyres on it but this one is just not the same. I will look at getting winter tyres for it and see if that makes a difference. Might still look at a 4x4 as I am worried about getting to the stables in the snow

 

[Slightlyconfused]

My next car is going to be a rav 4. Just because I miss a 4x4 and the frontera is a little too.big now I don't need to tow.

 

[turnbuckle]

Funnily enough one of the best cars for snow and ice was the old Citroen 2CV.

4x4 on it's own only gives a very marginal improvement. You still need proper tyres....

For snow, you do get a real advantage in getting through deep stuff with high ground clearance - think Land-Rover Defender or a Hilux.

But if it gets really bad, a tractor is your best bet. Or a Sno-Cat

 

[ester]

I think thats the thing, old cars are heaver and hold the road better. My old polo was fine in the ice and snow and it only had summer tyres on it but this one is just not the same. I will look at getting winter tyres for it and see if that makes a difference. Might still look at a 4x4 as I am worried about getting to the stables in the snow

I'm not sure that is the case, old nissan micras were tiny compared to the new ones! I'd rather be trying to get something lighter up an icey hill than dragging a beast up.

 

[PorkChop]

Like others have said get some winter tyres alternatively my ML is super in the ice and snow even with its road tyres on

 

[bakewell]

4wd makes a big difference in my experience, with FWD second best.
Agreed winter tyres are a massive help also.
Audi quattro is pretty handy and still presentable for non-horse life.
I'd also like to recommend FWD transits. And an honorable mention to saabs.

TBH only traditional landrovers, landcruisers and tractors if I have to go into the field or off a road though.
We've only ever had a few occasions in my lifetime when the milk tanker couldn't make it down the drive (which is about 3/4 of a mile of compacted earth and road planing and could be a toboggan run on shape and drop) and I'm sure they just swap to winter tyres.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

The best non 4x4 car I've ever had was a Hillman Imp, many years ago. Its engine was in the back and it once got me into the works carpark, after a horrendous journey, when the only other car there was a Defender. Old style VW Beetles were the same, don't know whether the new ones have their engines front or back.

A small 4x4 will probably be your best bet, OP, something like a Fiat Panda or a Suzuki Jimny, both of which I have heard owners praise for their performance in snow.

 

[Caol Ila]

Huh, I find 4wd makes a big difference in terms of stability and not getting stuck on hills. Currently driving a Subaru Forester -- this past weekend, across a very snowy Rannoch Moor. Great car.

 

[MerrySherryRider]

My Defender was great in snow, but quite honestly, I had a little Yaris which was superb when I was driving 8 miles through hilly snow drifts to the yard twice a day. Daily we passed 4X4's and lorries that had gone into ditches but the Yaris never skidded or failed to climb an icy hill.
Currently driving a Mazda 3 which is also impressive on ice. Good tyres with a decent tread make a huge difference. Haven't needed winter tyres or snow socks yet despite being in a rural area with single track roads. Blinking flooding due to the councils inability to clear the drains is our biggest problem.

 

[ester]

I do think 4x4 is better in snow, we don't get much of that down here though!

 

[Scarlett]

All-weather and winter tyres are not the same thing - proper winter tyres are made of a much softer compund that normal tyres, to give best traction on slippery surfaces. They would be baldy in no time if you used them on non-snowy/icy roads for any length of time. All-weather tyres are a compromise that should handle wettish, moderate conditions (as opposed to purely summer use - hard and dry).

This. Get some proper winter tyres, you can just put them on the front if you don't want to shell out for all 4 as that's where your car drives from.

Also in snow let your tyre pressures down go as low as 15-20psi, makes a HUGE difference. My old VW - a lowered Corrado so the furthest thing from a 4x4 you cold imagine - could skip through the snow past 4x4's and all sorts with the pressures lowered.

 

[outinthefens88]

Huh, I find 4wd makes a big difference in terms of stability and not getting stuck on hills. Currently driving a Subaru Forester -- this past weekend, across a very snowy Rannoch Moor. Great car.

I have one too!! Yes, its quite old, a little bit battered and does like to drinks its petrol, but I wouldn't change it for the world. It has Lassa 4x4 all terrain tyres on all around, permanent 4x4 and low box. Did once tow out a stuck Nissan Terrano with it too!

And it handles a Rice trailer fine on the road and on muddy parking areas, and it'll even pull chain harrows round the field if you ask nicely..

What more could you ask for and still have change from £1000?

 

[alex_mac30]

Thanks for all the suggestions, I think I will get a set of winter tyres for it and maybe look for a 4x4 in the new year.

 

[Penny Less]

I asked about winter tyres at my little garage,but they said you would soon wreck them on ordinary road surface when not snowy, also you would probably need extra set of wheels so expensive ! Im a bit worried about getting to my yard if its bad, as though the main road does get gritted at some stage, there are so many accidents on it when the roads are NOT icy that its even worse in bad weather

Are snow chains or socks easy to fit, I would have to fit them myself

 

[LovesCobs]

my daughter has winter tyres and travels our country lanes and roads and at weekends motorways a lot. they don't wreck. in tests the best car on snow/ice was a 4x4 with winter tyres, followed by a 2 wheel drive with winter tyres followed by a 4x4 without them, last was a 2 wheel drive without them. So I'd suggest winter tyres.
she swaps them over when the weather gets like this, it cost £25 to have them swapped. no new wheels needed. keeps them on until spring.
the only reason i don't have them is the cost for my car's huge wheels! but hers weren't too expensive as she has a Corsa. get 4 though not 2. you're also making your normal tyres last longer as you won't use them for a few months. so over all won't be a huge expense

 

[Scarlett]

I asked about winter tyres at my little garage,but they said you would soon wreck them on ordinary road surface when not snowy, also you would probably need extra set of wheels so expensive ! Im a bit worried about getting to my yard if its bad, as though the main road does get gritted at some stage, there are so many accidents on it when the roads are NOT icy that its even worse in bad weather

Are snow chains or socks easy to fit, I would have to fit them myself

Your garage are talking rubbish, winter tyres aren't just for snow, they are for cold, wet conditions and wont fall apart if driven on the roads. In much of Europe winter tyres are compulsory between certain months. They will last several winters.

Any decent garage or tyre place would swap winter tyres onto your existing wheels, there's absolutely no need to get a new set of wheels.

 

[cremedemonthe]

I've had a few 4x4's including 3 Mahindra Jeeps, 1 Suzuki SJ413 and 1 Maverick LWD . Never got stuck with any of them except the Maverick once in a graveyard on a icy hill but that's another story and a rather embarrassing one!
We did have 18 inches of snow though a few years ago when I got stuck.
I am now in a white transit van which is near to useless at the first sight of ice and a new Micra with Winter tyres on (never bothered to swop over in Summer to ordinary tyres as I did such little mileage in it ) The Winter tyres do make a difference and although I miss the 4x4's the Micra usually copes well enough except in deep snow or solid ice which gets a lot of the 4x4's anyway.
Types of tyres really are the key, I've seen big butch 4x4's that are supposed to go anyway stuck on slippery hills when a little hatchback scuttles past them, also some of the other 4x4 drivers I have met out there in bad weather really haven't got a clue how to use their vehicle to the best of it's ability.

 

[Prince33Sp4rkle]

winter tyres and learn how to work the traction control and to control a skid!

my car is *only* a Honda Civic but it is brilliant in bad weather, its never skidded more than a few inches and only once got stuck in the snow(when muppet here attempted a seriously steep hill on farm track in about a foot of fresh snow).

the following morning it then waded back the way we had come, up hill and down dale through tons of fresh snow and didnt give me a moments worry.

BUT, i know how to switch the traction control off so that i am in control instead of the car taking over and i know when to let it right its self out a skid and when to try and straighten it without making it worse.

unless you are driving off road or live in a very remote location you dont need a new car, just winter tyres and a bit of new knowledge!

 

[Honey08]

Your garage are talking rubbish, winter tyres aren't just for snow, they are for cold, wet conditions and wont fall apart if driven on the roads. In much of Europe winter tyres are compulsory between certain months. They will last several winters.

Any decent garage or tyre place would swap winter tyres onto your existing wheels, there's absolutely no need to get a new set of wheels.

I agree. I would change garages as well as tyres! Hubby is a mechanic and we own a garage. We fit loads of winter tyres nowadays.

I put winter tyres on my Focus and the difference it makes is incredible. It goes from being useless in snow to drive able and gives me confidence. I drive 450 miles a week in them on normal road surfaces. We swop them back to normal tyres every summer. We just put them on and there is lots of tread on, this will be there third winter, so I'm getting my money out of them.

 

[Carrots&Mints]

I have an Audi A3 and Im dreadin drving in the snow :|!!!!! I bought it last september but luckily we didnt get any snow did we!!!! I always get snowed in at my house so will have to walk to the stables (about 4 mile trek!)

 

[fatpiggy]

Totally agree. Mine was a Yaris too and it coped with snow that was 8 inches deep and then froze solid. I passed a few 4x4s going nowhere fast! And that was without snow tyres on. The best tip for driving in snow etc is don't turn the steering wheel, don't brake and don't accelerate. Stay in second gear, let the car pull itself forward, pump the clutch if you want to slow down and just ease the steering wheel around over about four times the distance you normally would. Oh, and if you are on a slope, NEVER stop - keep the tyres rolling forward even if its infinitely slowly. These techniques have kept me out of trouble and travellin' for 32 years