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Topic: driving in ice and snow (Read 3930 times) |
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mondeoman
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2.9 24V Cosworth Ultima + 2.3 16V Facelift Ultima
Posts: 376
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driving in ice and snow
« on: Jan 3rd, 2010, 5:22pm » |
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Anybody give any advice how to drive a Scorpio in the ice and snow?
My road is like a sheet of ice on the morning and I have no traction, and nearly hit a parked car several times
I come to a halt and my wheels just spin regardless of traction control. I've got a 2.9 24v Coswort
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Matt
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Manual'd and a 4.0 in the making
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Re: driving in ice and snow
« Reply #1 on: Jan 3rd, 2010, 5:52pm » |
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best way i found was to pull away and get up to speed in 2 then pop it into D
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FDS2000 Scans - Birmingham
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tlundkvi
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Ex. Scorpio 2.9 24V -95
Posts: 909
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Re: driving in ice and snow
« Reply #2 on: Jan 3rd, 2010, 5:56pm » |
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First advice: Get a set of decent winter tyres, not the all-year-round ones. Like real fríction tyres, the best are those meant for Nordic conditions, usually with a speed rating of 160-170km/h. They bite on snow really well. On black ice, unfortunately only studded tyres are superb, but guess they're banned in UK. Look for Michelin X-Ice2, Gislaved Nordfrost, Continental ContiViking Contact 5, Nokia Hakkapeliitta R.
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londonajay
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I'm a YaBB nbeiwe!
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Re: driving in ice and snow
« Reply #3 on: Jan 3rd, 2010, 8:07pm » |
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I trust my winter mode button to get me through which puts 2nd as the gear to take off with. Then it's down to the tyres and the driver's response to the car. Plenty of black ice back in mid december, only skidded a little to which i turned into a touch and released the accellerator.
HTH
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pinto
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TD04 on a galaxy manifold ? whooooooosh !
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Re: driving in ice and snow
« Reply #4 on: Jan 3rd, 2010, 9:08pm » |
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Scorpio's are terrible in icy conditions  I came across a long stretch of black ice in my 24v the other night and ended up in a 100+ ft controlled "skid" - ABS thudding away and fighting to keep control of the rear end - and this at no more than 35 mph. Im very glad indeed no-one else was ahead of me or pulling out 
As stated, the best option is a set of 15" steel wheels in conjunction with a set of proper winter tyres. Im not sure on the legal status of studded tyres in the UK, but the fact they seem VERY difficult to actually obtain here, im guessing they're frowned upon (not that i care - when i find some for sale i WILL be buying some.) You can buy snow chains relatively cheaply on ebay, but again they arent any use unless there's actually a depth of snow on the ground. Car sizes also dont seem to be available in sizes over 15" either, so you wont be fitting them to 24v alloys
If you go to mytyres.co.uk, they actually do a service in which you can order winter tyres AND a set of steel rims to go with it  .. they arent cheap tho - expect a set of 5 to set you back over £500 !!
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scorpio_man
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Ford Kuga awd
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Re: driving in ice and snow
« Reply #6 on: Jan 3rd, 2010, 10:57pm » |
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hi there
just to make it clear at the start, this is not aimed at anyone in particular!
right, it all comes down to the driver. nothing to do with the car, be front wheel drive, rear wheel drive, big wheels or small! this same type of discussion is taking place on the mondeo forum that i'm a member of.
in the 7 years that i had my scorpio, never once was i stuck or had that 'do i really need to drive in that weather again' feeling.
you need to get the 'big picture' when driving in winter conditions. take things easy and relax. being all uptight will just lead to an accident.
so, remember these 'golden' rules...
look ahead and 'read' the situation. not the 2 seconds as a 'normal' driver but the 7 -15 seconds as an advanced driver will do. that way you will be able to react before being 'forced' in to it.
'feel' what's going on. don't drive with your radio on. listen to what your tyres are telling you. you'll 'hear' the different grip levels.
use all controls gently. brake well in advance, and do it gently. that way you shouldn't get the abs kicking in.
use the snow setting on the gearbox. you will start of in 2nd gear, so shouldn't slip as much. traction control isn't much good in these conditions. even ford acknowledge this. they tell you to switch it off if stuck and are trying to 'rock' the car free.
match your speed to the road conditions.
and most importantly, don't out drive your abilities!
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gozz
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Been around awhile
Posts: 3475
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Re: driving in ice and snow
« Reply #7 on: Jan 3rd, 2010, 11:47pm » |
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You can't overcome the laws of gravity and simple physics unless steps are taken to negate these,chains on the drive wheels are optimum but we just don't get the weather for them to be fitted for any length of time,they wear out prematurely when firm conditions return.The same applies to studs to a lesser extent,though these can be left on the car longer with less wear.It was common in the past,60s and before to have a spare set of wheels with chains on ready to fit in bad conditions,and one of the duties in the Fire Brigade was to keep an ear to the weather forecast and fit chains where necessary,no excuse for not turning up sharpish then 
GOZZ.
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10mpg
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Re: driving in ice and snow
« Reply #8 on: Jan 4th, 2010, 12:28am » |
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I took my 2.3 16v estate out in the snow the other day thoigh it was surprisingly good for a torquey rwd car but then mine is a manual and that gives you an easier time controling it, most of the time i was using my P38 rangy though, if yoiu can get thatt b****r stuck you shouldnt be allowed a driving licence!
I also tried my Auto Scorpio my '00 TD mondeo and my missuses 05 Accord CDti by far the worst was the Honda which with its 260lb/ft at 1800rpm and high speed run flat tyres was a complete nightmare both the other Fords aquitted themselves quite nicely!
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Snoopy
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Very old.BAD tempered and missing friends.
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Re: driving in ice and snow
« Reply #9 on: Jan 4th, 2010, 7:48am » |
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One thing to do is to LOWER the rear tyre pressures slightly and carry a reasonable weight in the boot both of which assist traction on icy conditions. But care is the MOST essential thing.
Always carry a shovel or spade and a couple of old blankets or hessian sacks in the boot or luggage space. Also if travelling any distance a flask and some food " Just In Case ".
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tlundkvi
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Ex. Scorpio 2.9 24V -95
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Re: driving in ice and snow
« Reply #10 on: Jan 4th, 2010, 8:50am » |
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Well said scorpio_man. No tyres will transform the winter to summer, 90% is between the seat and the steering wheel.
As I said before, the studded wheels are most likely banned in UK. Pinto, £500 is what a good set costs at regular price. I got my set (note I'm from Finland, where these are legal) for 275 euros rims and all in 205/65R15 (Fulda Kristall Ice studded). If one buys the friction winter tyres, that is if £400+ is justified, go for those with a low speed rating, T at most. But they may be hard to obtain. Perhaps www.nordendack.se will deliver to UK, if one would ask.
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londonajay
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Re: driving in ice and snow
« Reply #11 on: Jan 4th, 2010, 8:51am » |
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on Jan 4th, 2010, 7:48am, Snoopy wrote:| One thing to do is to LOWER the rear tyre pressures slightly and carry a reasonable weight in the boot both of which assist traction on icy conditions. But care is the MOST essential thing. |
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I was going to mention that earlier but thought better not to just in case of blame etc... lol
It is a way of increasing friction between the tyre and road. Driving at slower speeds in cold conditions should be ok. The downside of this is increased wear / tread separation and at high speeds blow-outs. So remember to re inflate to recommended levels if going for long A road or motorway journeys.
- Ajay
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Pegasus
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24V Cosworth Ultima Born: Sept 97, sold Aug 23
Posts: 741
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Re: driving in ice and snow
« Reply #12 on: Jan 9th, 2010, 4:54pm » |
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on Jan 3rd, 2010, 9:32pm, lesterlad wrote:
I got a set a few years ago - seem easy to fit but haven't had to try them yet - keep them for emergencies if I get caught out and about.
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gost
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Re: driving in ice and snow
« Reply #13 on: Jan 9th, 2010, 10:11pm » |
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Hear hear scorpio man
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2.3 ultima
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Jonnycab
Senior Member
Former owner of 2.3 Ultima Facelift saloon
Posts: 3900
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Re: driving in ice and snow
« Reply #14 on: Jan 10th, 2010, 1:42am » |
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I've been driving about in the snow every night in my 2.3 & have yet to have any real problems that I couldn't deal with......just been taking it easy & keeping the revs low 
The only real problem I've had is with idiots who tailgate way too close for comfort in these conditions. Tailgaters are bad enough on a dry road, but when they do it in the ice & snow it's just madness.
I've found that if you switch the traction control off & dip the accelerator slightly, causing the rear to spin off sideways a tad, it makes them realise that the road is worse than it looks & they brake & tend to keep a good distance
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leewar
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Re: driving in ice and snow
« Reply #15 on: Jan 10th, 2010, 1:49am » |
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Done that a couple of times myself. You think the fools would learn but then they are mostly the inexperienced young drivers who think they can do it all and win.
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Chieftain
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Mechanically Challenged with a 24V Cosworth
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Re: driving in ice and snow
« Reply #16 on: Jan 11th, 2010, 9:33am » |
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To get out of our car park we have a slight long ramp, tried to get her escort out and what a nightmare, then took the Scorp out in snow mode and Tc on, seemples, not a problem.
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Bob
if it ain't broke fix it and it will be
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Tompion
Administrator
1997 2.3 Ultima estate.
Posts: 2918
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Re: driving in ice and snow
« Reply #17 on: Jan 11th, 2010, 6:18pm » |
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Well this is my experience & yes I do know how to drive in the snow been doing it long enough cars & motorcycles.
The last couple of winters I’ve had 195 Dunlop fast response tyres fitted I had no problems even on some very deeply rutted snow albeit a softer type of snow.
In December last I put the 225 Michelin Pilots back on, drove on the compacted snow before Christmas – no problem.
Last Tuesday I drove back from my girlfriends place & it started snowing heavily about 5 miles out of Guildford. It was obvious within the first half a mile I was going to struggle, the car would step out for no apparent reason, fair enough I could control it but it was not good.
When I got within half a mile of home it really struggled up a relatively short incline there’s no way it was going to tackle the final steep hill, so I parked up and walked home.
It’s stayed there for the last 6 days. Every day I’ve tried to move it but it was hopeless. Last evening it was above freezing & started to rain so I walked down again it was much better under foot so I cleared a bit of a runway again absolutely certain it would be OK – not a chance, no way I’d be able to turn it round & even if I did my road was in a worse condition.
Over night the temperature dropped & it snowed a bit more. This morning I decided to take one of the 195’s with me as there was already one in the car as the spare so I tied a rope to it and dragged it along like a sledge .
After changing the back wheels to the 195's I just drove off, no snow clearing, no problems whatsoever 3 point turn a doddle not a slip no wheel spin in fact I could probably have got up the hill on the back road & not bothered turning around.
Comparing the tyres the Michelin 225’s have about 3.5 mm tread and have worn quite evenly the year of manufacture mark is week 20 2005.
The Dunlop 195’s have about 2mm tread but have the sipes scuffed down quite badly (the part of the tread that aids traction on snow & ice) the year of manufacture mark is week 24 2007.
I draw no conclusion from this in fact I don’t care what the problem was it’s just so ******* frustrating, as my girlfriend had a nasty fall on new years day & I need to be confident I can drive the 25 miles there. I therefore bit the bullet and ordered some winter tyres last week but they were unable to do it till tomorrow.
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Jonnycab
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Former owner of 2.3 Ultima Facelift saloon
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Re: driving in ice and snow
« Reply #18 on: Jan 11th, 2010, 8:12pm » |
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I've got Michelins with 3.5 - 4mm all round & as I said before, I never had any real problems....just took it easy & tried to keep the momentum when going up hills......although I did avoid the bigger hills
I wonder if new heavy duty springs & shocks I fitted to the rear last year helped with the traction in the snow & ice ?
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Tompion
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1997 2.3 Ultima estate.
Posts: 2918
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Re: driving in ice and snow
« Reply #19 on: Jan 11th, 2010, 8:54pm » |
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Maybe but the broken Dunlops were easy.
Could've gone for a cuppa & left the Michelin's spinning in second at tickover - might have slid back a bit by the time I got back
Broken obviously can't say kn etc
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