Winter scare

B

BMW_Z4_Norway

Member
 Oslo
Just arrived at my school on VERY icy roads. Driving down a small hill to my school parking lot, and I started to skid towards a big pile of snow and ice made from the snow-truck. Coming to a stop inches before hiting it. :( Putting it in revers and givning it some gas, this only gets me closer to the snow. Finally I floored it wich made the care rotate with the nose pointing at the top of the hill. I managed to spin mye way in the parkinglot. Not looking forward to the drive home. I am a bite unsure if the not so good winter driving abilites are down to the car or my nokian winter tyres :? Think im going to be driving my moms 118d from now on, and the tram when she is using it
 
Doesn't the DSC/DTC help you out in a Z4?

In my e34 (no traction aids) I normally just put the car into 2nd/3rd and just use the clutch and the car's natural idling speed to slowly pull/push me.
 
bras0782 said:
Don't you guys need snow tires or chains? If not, do the authorities not grit/salt the roads?
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He does claim to have Nokian winter tyres - at the bottom of the paragraph.

But maybe they work on snow but not on ice - sometime studs are the only way - although on normal tyres you can let out a lot of air to spread the weight of the vehicle, and as long as it's only for a very short distance you won't do the sidewalls any harm.
 
We have both winter tires (mostly without studs in recent years) and salt on the roads here, but parking lots are rarely salted instantly after snowfalls.

Unfortunately studless snow tires are no good on ice - only studs or chains will do.

It is a lot easier to get traction if you turn the DSC/DTC off, it'll allow you to jerk the car back and forth, thus gaining momentum. DTC/DSC is useless for accellerating at low speeds on ice / snow - it'll simply help you control the car.

As for the 118d it should be the same as for the Zed - 50/50 weight. You could always ask a buddy to sit in the trunk for some extra weight on the rear wheels!
 
mmm-five said:
Doesn't the DSC/DTC help you out in a Z4?

In my e34 (no traction aids) I normally just put the car into 2nd/3rd and just use the clutch and the car's natural idling speed to slowly pull/push me.
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Unfortunately - once you have no grip at all the aid can't help very much! They work on the basis that at least one driven wheel can get traction, or brake wheels to find some. On ice / compacted snow, there isn't really much they can do!!!

I've had scary moments in cars with and without - fortunately I've been lucky, but ending up in someones front garden in my original Mini 12 years ago was interesting (less than 10mph, ice, was just a passenger!).
 
Definitely put it in DTC mode in slow speed slippery situations like that. Be very patient grasshopper, go very slow, always take your time and you shall be OK.
 
Would get the tram myself unless you really need to drive no matter how careful you are some plonker could slide into you and wreck your Z :cry: never use my car in the snow
 
If you want to add extra weight over the driving wheels, a couple of bags of horticultural grit @ 25kg ea are dead cheap from any garden centre. And keep a full tank of fuel of course.

Make sure they've not got wet though,
 
Frederik said:
We have both winter tires (mostly without studs in recent years) and salt on the roads here, but parking lots are rarely salted instantly after snowfalls.

Unfortunately studless snow tires are no good on ice - only studs or chains will do.

It is a lot easier to get traction if you turn the DSC/DTC off, it'll allow you to jerk the car back and forth, thus gaining momentum. DTC/DSC is useless for accellerating at low speeds on ice / snow - it'll simply help you control the car.

As for the 118d it should be the same as for the Zed - 50/50 weight. You could always ask a buddy to sit in the trunk for some extra weight on the rear wheels!
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haha... good advice from a fellow snow driver in the cold north :D Haven´t driven the zed since :P Think I am going to wait until the snow disperse before I venture out on another drive :)
GAZA62 said:
Would get the tram myself unless you really need to drive no matter how careful you are some plonker could slide into you and wreck your Z :cry: never use my car in the snow
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True... that is the scary bit at my school, the parking lot is so small, and most the pupils driving to school are not the best to parallel park, for example a couple a weeks ago a girl backed into an A3 4 times and did not seem to notice or care :o If we do park where it is safe (with the teachers) our cars get towed immediately. So I "kindly" asked my teacher to tell the administration to put salt or gravel where it is slippery. Several other students I talked to also had the same experience as me.
Sticks said:
If you want to add extra weight over the driving wheels, a couple of bags of horticultural grit @ 25kg ea are dead cheap from any garden centre. And keep a full tank of fuel of course.

he he.. could be a cheap solution I would agree. But driving it now would make it a snowplow so it will stay stationary covered in snow, will take a pic for the competition so you can see what hard life it lives in the winter months :P

Make sure they've not got wet though,
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Sticks said:
If you want to add extra weight over the driving wheels, a couple of bags of horticultural grit @ 25kg ea are dead cheap from any garden centre.
Click to expand...

..and if you do get stuck in a patch of ice, you can throw some of the sand around the car and under the tires to get you going.
:)
 
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