Driving in winter is much more difficult than any other. Problems can catch you even before the start of the movement, but, as practice shows, these are only flowers. One of the most dangerous moments in driving in winter is skid steering. This is what they will talk about today. auto instructors .
"Feeling of skidding"
Loss of vehicle control during skidding can threaten the driver and his passengers with dire consequences. And to put yourself in such a difficult position is as easy as shelling pears - any harsh or thoughtless decision, and please, you are already carried away. The most frequent cases of such situations occur on sections of the road with bends or steep descents, as well as on roads with long gentle gradients.
Strictly speaking, a skid is nothing more than a violation of the vehicle's movement, accompanied by side slip. The rear axle wheels are most often skidded.
For a driver, regardless of his experience, the most important thing is to understand, to feel the moment when a skid begins.
Conventionally, this skill can be called "skidding." It develops over time, with the accumulation of driving experience. Novice drivers, due to an absent or insufficiently heightened sense of skidding, should be especially careful on a snowy road.
In order to feel and track the incipient skid in time, the driver must position himself correctly in the driver's seat. The most sensitive way is to track the behavior of the car with its back, contacting directly with the back of the driver's seat. The safety of the driver and his passengers, how well the driver will feel his car, depends on the correct landing. If your back is not close to the back of the seat, it will be problematic for you to feel the beginning of a skid.
Correct fit
Good ones driving instructors often draw the attention of their wards to the correct landing. It is very important for comfortable driving. And it's not even about convenience, it's about how sensitively you will be able to track the behavior of your car on the road and react in time to its changes. When driving, do not go to extremes.
It is not worth sitting, clutching the steering wheel, since such excessive stress will lead to rapid fatigue and scattering of attention, but you should not also fall apart into a reclining position, imposingly twisting the steering wheel with one finger.
A complete lack of concentration on the road situation is unacceptable. When driving, visibility is of great importance, and, in addition to it, the ability to reach any buttons and control levers at any time. Skidding is usually the result of human error. The grosser the error is, the greater the skid angle you will get as a result. Of course, it will be easier for a driver who has extensive driving experience in his luggage to cope with a skid. Nevertheless, there is a way out for beginners. You can go for an additional class to improve your qualifications. This kind of training under the guidance of an experienced instructor will significantly increase your confidence on the winter road and protect you from unpleasant incidents.
Rear-wheel drive skid
Driving a rear wheel drive vehicle is generally a little more difficult. As a result, in order to successfully get out of a skid on such a car, you will also have to follow several recommendations. Avoid the common mistake most beginners make: slow down as soon as a skid starts. It is unacceptable.
You cannot press the brake at all during a skid.
The algorithm of actions is as follows: depress the gas pedal, and then sharply turn the steering wheel clearly in the direction of the skid. By depressing the pedal, you will create some braking effect on the rear wheels of your car, this will help align the course.
Front-wheel drive skid
To remove a front-wheel drive car from a skid, a beginner may well limit himself to the same actions as in the previous case, only instead of engine braking, you need to slightly increase the speed. As for an experienced driver with solid driving experience, he will most likely be able to get the car out of a skid exceeding ninety degrees without loss.
At the moment when you feel the beginning of a skid, simultaneously with the steering wheel turn, gently press the gas pedal and hold it.
Moreover, it should be held until the skid angle decreases. After that, the gas pedal should be released, and the steering wheel should be kept in a straight position.
All-wheel drive skid
As for all-wheel drive vehicles, the situation here largely depends on which of the axles the maximum torque load is directed to. As in the cases discussed above, in order to get out of the started skid correctly, it is necessary to turn the steering wheel in the same direction in which the skid occurs. Do not forget also about the correct landing in the driver's seat, which will contribute to the earliest determination that your car is in a skid.
Remember that the sooner you take action to eliminate the skid, the easier it will be to eliminate the unpleasant situation, and the smaller the skid angle will be.
The likelihood of a skid increases significantly with sharp acceleration as well as braking. This is especially noticeable and dangerous in winter on a slippery road. Drivers, especially beginners, often get lost and panic. This becomes the cause of wrong actions, and as a result - accidents and all kinds of accidents. Hence the conclusion: if you are in a skid, do not panic. And never touch the gas pedal.
In order to feel confident on the road in winter and know that any, even the most difficult situation on a slippery road is within your reach, you should gain experience, experience and more experience. This is best done under the guidance of a sensitive, experienced instructor.
Video about tricks on ice:
Be careful and good luck on the road!
The article uses images from the site www.ria.ru and www.vetton.ru
Driving an all-wheel drive car seems very simple to many, because there are already four wheels spinning at the same time, which, it seems, should turn the control of an all-wheel drive car into a carefree game. Contrary to popular belief, driving an all-wheel drive vehicle requires remarkable skills from the driver.
Of course, an all-wheel drive vehicle offers a number of advantages on a snow-covered or ice-covered track. The four-wheel drive vehicle increases the dynamics during acceleration due to a more even distribution of traction along the axles and wheels, making it more passable. An all-wheel drive vehicle outperforms a front-wheel drive vehicle in cross-country ability when driving uphill or on slippery road surfaces. However, the behavior of both types of cars is almost the same during sharp turns or hard braking. Therefore, when driving downhill or when cornering, it is imperative to slow down and maintain a sufficient distance in relation to other vehicles.
But there is always a fly in the ointment in a barrel of honey. In our case, a whole ladle. Driving an all-wheel drive vehicle on a slippery road requires special attention and concentration on the part of the driver. The main danger on the road is skidding. Unlike cars with one driving axle, the nuances of control of which, whether with front-wheel drive or rear-wheel drive, are clear and unambiguous for an experienced driver, driving an all-wheel drive car will require a filigree game of gas, which depends on many factors - the direction of the skid, displacement speed, road surface condition, front wheel steering angle.
Most drivers believe that the main pedal in a car is the brake pedal. Tellingly, an untrained driver knows only two methods of pedal control: press and release. Meanwhile, the main enemy of an all-wheel drive car is not only road and weather conditions, the main enemy of such a car is the brake! The second in order, but not in importance, the enemy is the thrown "gas". Paradoxical as it sounds, the best brake for an all-wheel drive car is gas! For example, if, in the event of a skid, relying on the instinct of self-preservation, throw the gas and then depress the brake pedal heartily, the four-wheel drive car will not just stop, it will fly off the road with double zeal. This is exactly the command the driver gave to his four-wheel drive car with a similar sequence of actions. Physics cannot be deceived.
So, the main pedal for driving an all-wheel drive vehicle is the gas pedal! Errors when operating this pedal are most often the reason for the emergence of extreme situations. If we talk about the methods of "throttling" - control of the "gas" pedal on all-wheel drive vehicles, then first it should be noted that an all-wheel drive car becomes really dangerous during emergency maneuvers and high-speed cornering due to multidirectional traction and unpredictable reaction of the car, namely wheel drift front axle, rear axle skidding, side slip. Therefore, it is recommended to overbrake and reduce the speed as much as possible before turning, and in the event of a critical situation, in any case, do not abandon the gas pedal and use only it. Only by operating the gas pedal can you cope with a skid on an all-wheel drive car. At the very beginning of the skid, you need to turn the steering wheel in the direction of the skid and adjust the fuel supply level: more - less. You have to feel it. But the most important thing to remember is that four-wheel drive is the most difficult car to drive in a skid. You need to clearly feel the balance of the steering wheel and gas. And this requires constant training.
In order not to be excruciatingly painful and offensive for the consequences of rash actions, you need to include caution along with all-wheel drive, and even better to take a course driving an all-wheel drive vehicle... An experienced auto instructor will competently show and explain how to proceed in certain cases. This will save the lion's share of time, and most importantly, ensure your safety.
Many motorists tend to overestimate four-wheel drive vehicles. They naively believe that since all four wheels are spinning, then nothing can unbalance such a machine. However, driving such a car requires experience and certain skills.
Of course, a car with four-wheel drive offers a number of advantages when driving on a difficult section of the road, for example, during icy conditions or heavy snowfall. The dynamics of a car with four-wheel drive during acceleration is higher, because the traction is evenly distributed over all wheels, which also increases the cross-country ability. But even despite these advantages, driving such a car on a slippery road requires a high level of attention and concentration from the driver. The main danger on the road is skidding. And if with a car with only one drive axle, everything is more understandable and predictable, then all-wheel drive models require special driver behavior and careful gas play, which will depend on many concomitant circumstances, be it the angle of rotation of the wheels, the speed of displacement or the direction of skidding.
As a rule, a driver with insufficient experience knows only two ways to control the gas pedal: press and release. But he is completely unaware that the greatest danger comes not so much from adverse road conditions as from the brake pedal. The second source of danger is a gas pedal that is not released in time. It is worth knowing that if, during a skid, you throw the gas and press the brake shoe into the floor, then the car will not just stop, it will fly off the road into the nearest ditch many times faster. Unfortunately, these are the laws of physics, and it is useless to argue with them.
Therefore, you can make a note that the main pedal for controlling a car with four-wheel drive is gas. It is its improper use that is a frequent cause of emergencies. It is also worth noting that four-wheel drive vehicles become quite dangerous and unpredictable with sharp maneuvers and too sharp turns. In this case, the front wheels may start to drift, and the rear wheels will skid, sending the car into side slip. Therefore, in order to avoid an emergency, before turning, it is recommended to reduce the speed as much as possible, and also not to abandon the gas pedal, but, on the contrary, to use only it. On a four-wheel drive car, there is only one way to get out of a skid, and that is to operate only the gas pedal. Do not forget that in spite of all the convenience and prescribed traffic safety, an all-wheel drive car is the most difficult to control during such critical situations. To successfully overcome a skid and avoid disastrous consequences, a lot of experience and a high level of driving skills are required.
As you know, it is very difficult to get out of a skid on a four-wheel drive car. The main thing here is not to make sudden movements and not to panic. The fact is that since the car has all wheels driving, during a skid it can combine the behavior features of both a front-wheel drive car and a rear-wheel drive one. In the event that you start to skid, you need to slightly turn the steering wheel towards the skid. In this case, in no case should you immediately release the gas pedal and, obeying instincts, frantically press the brake. It is recommended to keep the gas in the same position as before skidding.
In order not to be afraid to get into a difficult situation, in addition to the all-wheel drive on the car, you should include your own caution and attentiveness, moreover, to the maximum. It will not be superfluous to take a specialized training course on the intricacies of controlling an all-wheel drive vehicle. An experienced instructor will be able to clearly explain and show how to act in certain situations that may occur on the road. This will not only save you the time it would take to find information and practice on your own, but it will also significantly increase the level of safety while driving.
Photos from Internet resources
Hello All!I'll tell you right away, I'm sorry.
Experience like 10 years already, I have always had
front-wheel drive cars, and that's got enough,
that the city is not cleaned, and in the winter around the city,
just do not pass, I decided to buy a jeep or SUV,
the choice fell on the 1997 Toyota RAV4 with 4WD.
Well, I drove it in the summer, very happy with it
that almost everywhere you can climb on it, and for
families and cottages just right. Cool cars.And now winter has come ...
Well, I prepared for the winter (fluids, batteries, and suspension)
the car by itself, I also changed the tires for winter,
though not studded on the Michelin Alpine 4x4 (215/70 / R16).
In our city, the first snow and ice, as always,
as a natural disaster utilities, the snow is not
they waited and did not know, in the evening the night was heavy rain,
then it snowed, in the morning there was already 10-15 cm of snow,
and at the same time, already frozen, and below there was ice.
I had to go to the dacha in the morning with my mother-in-law, well, the car tore off
from the snow, started, drove off, well, the roads, as always, are not removed,
on the bend, ice blocks, and an ice slide on the road
with a comb. We are not us, we are in a jeep, I am glad that the car,
so good, rides through the snowdrifts, and goes through the snowy porridge,
well class car, supper. We left the city, well, as always,
out of habit with front-wheel drive, I fly 70 km / h, and I don't see
that on the road outside the city there is a strong wind and ice and crust.
Well, I’m flying, and at some point during a detour, I don’t remember what,
the car starts spinning (or drifting), out of habit
front-wheel drive, I press the gas pedal, I think, somehow get out
from this drifting, but nothing comes of it, ahead of me,
on the left lane, cars and a flight groove, well, I think, only
no matter how I fit in, figs with him that I will cure for the road,
there are snowdrifts, I'll slow down on them. Here in these thoughts,
I turn the steering wheel in different directions, I try to stabilize,
movement of the car, and get out of drifting, I get away from cars,
then I see that I am carried to the flight groove, drove,
he also sees that I'm carrying me sideways on him, let's leave,
from each other, thank God, they left, while I was carried by him,
it dawned on me that it was necessary to brake with the engine, i.e. on the gas pedal
you cannot press in this situation. It all happened
in some 1-2 seconds. The mother-in-law was sitting next to her, she said nothing,
I said to myself, well nafig it, got adrenaline,
I'll go back more carefully, this drifting is enough for me
With first snow.
One upset that I did not notice the number of the flight groove,
to drive up to apologize to him, and in gratitude
give a bottle.Now the questions:
- What driving style should be and is needed at a constant full
drive?
- And what you need to do to avoid the turntable of the car
on a snowy road with ice? I myself understand that I cannot fly,
and if I was driving carefully, and I got into that the cars started spinning.
- Explain, I have never had a car with rear wheel drive,
driving style in the back is almost the same as on a constant
all-wheel drive?
- What is the best way to get out of an unintentional skid in a 4WD car?
Just take your foot off the gas pedal and brake the engine?
- And yet, I realized that for all-wheel drive and to drive out of town,
need SPOTLED rubber. Thorns, I think give less chance to
the car spun and would have been thrown out of the lane.P.S: I understand that I did the wrong thing, I want to
so that this does not happen, here are the questions.Thanks...
----
With respect, Nicholai
Toyota RAV4 (left hand drive), year 1997, 3S-FE, manual transmission
Oh, the thunderous ice field awaiting me, lightly dusted with snow, at first seems too far-fetched a test. When in real life you find yourself in such conditions ... Outside +1, Novorizhskoe highway is covered with an aqueous solution of reagents, but even an ordinary front-wheel-drive hatch feels more than confident on this slurry.
One and a half kilometers to the side, an exit onto a country road to the landfill - and the situation is radically changing. Ice at borderline near-zero temperatures is especially slippery, with a water film and even a spike is not always effective with such a mix ... "It would be easier on all-wheel drive ...", I thought, once again catching the car on a simple arc ...
The 380-horsepower top-end Jaguar F-Pace, of course, has a lot of "electronic assistants": both ABS and ESP, it can emergency brakes and dynamically redistribute torque ... And, of course, it has four-wheel drive with a multi-plate clutch and priority rear axle. Do you really need to learn to ride in winter, having such an arsenal? Necessary!
“The driver of any car faces two dangers. The first is the loss of stability, that is, the drift of the front axle. The second is a loss of control, that is, a rear skid. With an all-wheel drive transmission scheme, these phenomena occur less often due to the redistribution of torque to each of the axles, and in the case of the F-Pace, also to each of the wheels.
The main advantage of all-wheel drive is a stable start from a place and the ability to maintain good controllability at high enough speeds while driving.
If we talk about choosing the safest type of all-wheel drive, then ten years ago I would definitely recommend the "constant" Full time scheme, in which torque is immediately present on both axles. The current electronically controlled clutches are so fast that at the slightest slipping of the driving axle, the rear or front are connected almost instantly, in 3.5 ms. But you just won't feel it, so there is almost no point in permanent all-wheel drive.
Moreover, most of the time the second axle is simply not needed - it only gives an increased fuel consumption and that's it. And if we are talking about safety and controllability, then a car with a constant, unchanging moment on two axles is not very willing to move in an arc. It so happens that on the steering wheels it just gets in the way - this happens on cars with a Torsen differential. Therefore, for normal driving conditions, the most justified systems are based on the Haldex clutch with the front axle priority or the Magna clutch with the main rear axle.
But you should always remember that the braking distance of a car, which is very important, does not depend on the type of drive at all. So the choice of a car is only a small part of the success. "
Semyon Vodilnikov, Jaguar Land Rover Senior Instructor
Moving on from theory to practice at the Jaguar Land Rover training ground near Moscow. The first task on the ice field seems to be simple - a "snake" between the cones with a gradual increase in the amplitude of movement and speed. Sooner or later, this should lead to a loss of both stability and controllability. Why, what and how to do next, I will learn in the course of this fascinating and interesting play.
The F-Pace's multimedia display shows me in real time how the torque is distributed over the wheels, but I have no time to watch the pictures.
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As long as I do not exceed the set limit of 30 km / h and the steering is accurate, the crossover perfectly bypasses the cones on almost bare ice, even on studless tires, without connecting the ESP, which I can judge by the absence of the characteristic crunch and flashing pictograms.
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Semyon Vodilnikov, senior instructor of the Jaguar Land Rover school:
“Let's be extremely honest. For each type of coverage, for each type of tire, for each vehicle design, there is a maximum permissible speed at which one or another maneuver can be performed without loss of stability or controllability. Naturally, with the correct operation of the steering wheel, throttle ... In case of errors in the "piloting" this speed will be lower. "
So, any, even the most perfect stabilization system gives a 20 percent increase in the maximum speed of safe maneuvering. No more. That is, if in a car without ESP you pass this site without losing directional stability at 30 km / h, then with electronic stabilization the speed will be 36 km / h. Let's try!
With an increase in the speed and amplitude of bypassing the cones, the stern begins to be thrown to the side, and the car loses control. The ESP light flashes, "Jag" becomes sluggish, but side slip does not disappear from this. Excuse me, where is all the electronics looking?
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Semyon Vodilnikov, senior instructor of the Jaguar Land Rover school:
“Nobody has canceled the laws of physics. If the impulse imparted to the car by means of the accelerator is excessive, then the car will follow the vector in the direction of which the moment was initially applied.
The direction can be corrected with the help of the steering wheel, gas and all kinds of additional technical solutions, whether it is the redistribution of torque along the axles or wheels, or selective braking of one or more wheels.
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But all this works within certain speed limits.
A typical mistake is too high a corner entry speed. If it is done in winter, it will most likely be followed by the demolition of the front axle outward, which is very difficult to correct. Of course, there are professional or sports driving techniques that allow you to drive at very high speeds, but this is a special article that has been studied for years.
Any electronic stabilization system is, first of all, an analyzer of the correctness of our actions while driving, but only secondarily an effective assistant. If the driver is unable to determine the moment of axle slip into sliding, the triggered automatic is the first indicator that the speed needs to be reduced.
![](https://i1.wp.com/kolesa-uploads.ru/-/5d4c2ccb-8566-483a-939a-95e6f2d03fef/imgp7050-1.jpg)
Don't hit the brakes this second, but understand: the road conditions are such that you need to be more careful to enter the next turn or make a lane change even on a perfectly straight track. And, of course, do not try to brake during maneuvers or on an arc. In this case, only correct control will help. But this, again, is a topic for multiple theoretical and practical lessons. If you have no experience, then it is easier to just go slower. Even on all-wheel drive. "
Another exercise is acceleration with "throttle to the floor" and emergency braking. On ice, even the F-Pace's 460 Nm of torque can hardly be absorbed by the all-wheel drive transmission, and the steering has to be proactive to maintain straight-line stability. The stabilization system, which includes traction control, is still off. The instructor's command, the brake to the floor, the sound of ABS - and the car stops without deviating from the course.
![](https://i0.wp.com/kolesa-uploads.ru/-/58b78848-14c9-4704-bbaa-d8bc1a717e9e/imgp7060.jpg)
Semyon Vodilnikov, senior instructor of the Jaguar Land Rover school:
“Electronics completely copes with its functions, determining how to distribute the force to the brake machines along the axes. But the most effective braking will not be with the pedal in the floor, but on the verge of activating ABS. This method is achieved only through training and unconditional knowledge of the behavior of the car you are using. "
With the electronics turned on, everything happens much more calmly. It "strangles" the engine, corrects deliberate roughness of control and errors, not allowing the super-powerful Jaguar to go off course. It is in this case that the four-wheel drive is one hundred percent fulfilling its existence.
![](https://i1.wp.com/kolesa-uploads.ru/-/b8f9e261-826c-4827-8ded-948226b82520/imgp7075-1.jpg)
Semyon Vodilnikov, senior instructor of the Jaguar Land Rover school:
“In winter, the car can slide out and at low speeds. Inexperienced four-wheel drive drivers often make the mistake of thinking that such a car can add gas already at the entrance to the turn. As a result, we get a slip of both axes. There is only one way out of the situation: to stabilize the front axle, straightening the steering wheel and trying to catch on to the surface, then compensate for the rear skid by adding a weak, "pulling" gas. And again you need experience and practical training in your own car.
But it also happens that at the very minimum speed the car does not go where it needs to be. It seems like you turned the steering wheel all the way to the left, but it does not obey and goes straight or even to the right. In this case, turning the rudder in the direction of the axle drift, in this case - to the right, will help to get on the desired course. Stereotypes interfere with this simple movement, which can only be eliminated through training.
![](https://i2.wp.com/kolesa-uploads.ru/-/8a84391a-0737-4353-bf84-bb12e3e6d397/imgp7046-1.jpg)
Even the most experienced driver, I would recommend taking courses for improving driving skills or emergency training once a year. If this is not possible, find a free site where you can work out certain previously mastered techniques and bring them to automatism. In this case, the risk of getting into an unpleasant situation, especially in winter, will decrease many times over. ”
And finally, a few moments especially about 4x4 cars:
- The four-wheel drive vehicle is stabilized only "under gas".
- Having stabilized, it continues acceleration, which is not always safe in the current road situation.
- An attempt to decelerate sharply in such conditions most often leads to the return of the initial instability or uncontrollability, even if the trajectory is straight.
What's the bottom line?
If you are an inexperienced driver who does not have the desire and opportunity to train regularly and “fill your hand”, then the easiest way is to drive slowly enough, even if you have a tall, four-wheel drive car that inspires confidence.
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Have you lost control on 4WD?