ROME – Christmas air coming, of scheduled departures with skis and boots, of holidays in some wonderful alpine location. But the problem is always the same: how will my car behave in the snow? And what driving style will I have to adopt when I am in front of the whitewashed asphalt? The classifieds site automobile.it has created a guide to tackle a snowy road without particular problems and fears.
1. Drive smoothly
Turning the steering gently, as well as gently using the gas pedal, will be useful for driving on snow in complete safety. In short: avoid sudden movements of the steering wheel.
2. Anticipate the movements of the car
Reduce speed and anticipate braking and steering maneuvers compared to what you would do in dry asphalt conditions.
3. Use the engine brake
Use the engine brake as much as possible to brake.
4. Give up in the hall
To overcome a snowy climb you need to engage first or second gear, take a bit of a run-up and proceed without hesitation: accelerating too much and losing speed are the worst things to do.
5. Increase the safety distance
Keep a safe distance from the cars in front to avoid a collision in the event of sudden braking.
6. Driving on snow without chains
As an alternative to snow chains, it is also possible to drive using thermal tires. These guarantee a good grip on the asphalt thanks to the particular composition of the tread with sipes which, flexing and touching each other while rolling on the road surface, produce heat and consequently increase grip.
7. With winter tires
Even if you do not use snow chains but use winter tires, it will be essential to moderate your speed, not to make sudden braking and to soften your driving style both by accelerating gently and by turning the steering wheel, anticipating the movements of the vehicle. Finally, if the car is equipped with traction control it is better to switch it off for starting.
8. Downhill
In this case it is necessary to anticipate the maneuvers and drive with particular caution. The speed must necessarily be moderate, while for braking it is preferable to slow down the car using the engine brake so as not to lose direction at the front.
9. With automatic transmission
If you have a car equipped with an automatic gearbox, therefore without an engine brake, how do you drive on snow? If you are behind the wheel of a modern generation car, you can press the button marked with the snowflake to make the car’s control unit adapt gear changes and downshifts to a snowy surface. Obviously, despite the driving assistance devices make everything easier, you must always be careful behind the wheel and you must follow the advice indicated above, also valid for cars with automatic transmission.
10. Beware of contrails
In case of deep snow it is better not to follow the trails left by the vehicles in front, the wheels would be in a track that limits their movements.
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