This is partly true. But let us remind you that SUVs are not all-terrain vehicles or tanks and may well get stuck in both mud and regular snow. Moreover, you can even get stuck in a real 4x4 SUV, which is traditionally considered the standard for off-road capability.

Unfortunately, getting any stuck car out of the snow can be quite problematic, not to mention the time spent on it. Especially if you don’t know what to do in this case. But if you approach the process of pulling a car out of snow or mud correctly, then in fact this task will be quite simple. Moreover, in order to pull the car out of the snow, you do not need any tools.

Recently, our colleagues found themselves in an unpleasant situation during heavy snowfalls in the Moscow region. The fact is that heavy snowfall caught them late in the evening on a remote road near Moscow (they were driving from the dacha home to RAM), after which it was decided to turn around and go back to the dacha. To shorten the return route, it was decided to cut it through a village field. Having driven somewhere to the middle of a snow-covered field, the heavy SUV sat down.

Everything is in vain. The car got stuck at night in the middle of a field in the middle of nowhere. What to do? Most motorists would prefer in this case to return “to the scene of the incident” the next morning, taking the tractor with them. But our friends managed to cope on their own.

How? We will not talk in detail about the process of rescuing the SUV from the snow captivity of the fields near Moscow. We decided to compile the TOP best methods that help get a stuck car out of the snow. By the way, many of these methods were used by our colleagues when they pulled a heavy SUV stuck in a field out of the snow.

Turn the steering wheel

If you are stuck in the snow, the first thing you should do when trying to get out is to turn the steering wheel in any direction and lightly (softly) press the gas pedal. When you turn the steering wheel, you allow the front tires to “grab” the road surface, which has not yet become slippery from wheel slipping. This increases the chances that the front wheels will grip the road surface, causing your vehicle to move.

Rocking back and forth

If your car can move even a few centimeters back and forth, then in order to get it stuck in place on a slippery surface (in the snow), you need to use the back-and-forth rocking technique. This means that you must engage first (or second) then reverse gear, moving first and then backward, thus rocking the stuck car. Thanks to this, you will create the necessary momentum, which may help you get out of the snow trap.

If your car is equipped with an automatic transmission, then constantly turn on the reverse mode, then the "Drive (D)" absolutely not possible. This can damage the automatic transmission. The fact is that switching the gearbox from reverse gear to “drive” will create an extra load on the box, which can damage the clutches with constant switching.

In order to use the rocking method on an automatic transmission, the algorithm of actions must be slightly different than when driving a car with a manual transmission. So, here's what to do automatically:

• Turn on the mode "drive" (D) and smoothly try to move away by slightly pressing the gas pedal. Once you have moved, release the gas pedal and wait until the car rolls back again. This way you can rock the car in one mode without switching the automatic transmission to reverse gear. "D".

What should you do if the car does not roll back when you release the gas pedal? In this case, do the following:

Engage reverse gear. If possible, move back 50 centimeters. Next, press and release the gas. Switch the automatic transmission to “drive” mode and release the brake pedal, trying to overcome the area where the car cannot move.

Please note: switch the automatic transmission between the “drive” mode and reverse gear with a delay so that the rotation of the automatic transmission shaft has time to stabilize while the engine is idling. This way you will protect the automatic transmission of your car. Unfortunately, the rocking method is ideal only for cars with manual transmissions. As you can see, this method does not work on an automatic machine.

Push the car

If the car does not move at all or the back and forth rocking method does not help, then you need to give the car a push. First try pressing on the hood or trunk, trying to rock the car up and down. If this method does not help, then try to push the car with force. You'll be surprised how a small push can help the car gain momentum, which can help pull it out of a problem spot.

Moreover, if you are trying to pull out even a heavy SUV or truck, it makes sense to push the car while trying to move. After all, your efforts can help move the car just a few centimeters. Next, you need to switch the box in the opposite direction and try to push the car from the other side.

This way you will be able to rock the car a little in order to compact the road surface under the wheels and regain traction. Also, if you can push the car and move it a few centimeters, try rocking the body up and down by pressing on the hood or trunk lid. This impulse can also help the car move out of the car.

Remove snow from undercarriage

Let's get back to our fellow friends who are stuck in a field in a super-off-road RAM SUV. The main reasons why the car sat down in a field near Moscow was a decrease in ground clearance due to snow sticking under the car, as well as terrible all-season tires. For example, due to poor tires, the car lacked grip on the ground under the snow. As a result, the car began to slip and literally buried itself in the snow. As a result, ground clearance practically disappeared, and snow enveloped the entire suspension of the car. This also affected the reduction in traction of the SUV.

So the SUV pickup truck stopped moving off-road. But our friends turned out to be not timid and knew what to do in this case. They immediately realized that in order to move the seated vehicle, it was necessary to restore the grip of the wheels with the earth’s surface. Fortunately, they had a shovel with them, which helped clear the snow under the car, increasing the road clearance, and also remove the snow from under the wheels. As a result, this helped restore traction to the SUV and increase traction between the wheels and the ground.

In principle, anyone can do this without a shovel. Simply remove dense snow from under the wheels with a stick, feet, or, in extreme cases, with your hands. Yes, without a shovel it will take you longer to clear the snow. But nevertheless, by removing dense snow from under the wheels, you will really increase the chances of pulling the car out. Fortunately, removing snow is quite easy.

But in addition to removing snow from under your tires, you should also remove any snow that may be preventing your car from moving. For example, our friends had to remove snow from under the lower suspension arms and from under the differential. In addition, they had to remove the snow in front of the car, since otherwise it would have resisted the unimpeded movement of the car. Having removed the snow in front of the SUV, our friends cleared the way for the car.

Dig around the wheels

When you try to drive out, the drive wheels will kick the snow and mud in place, creating mounds in front and behind that will prevent the car from driving out of the snow. Ideally, the machine should be parked on a level surface so that it does not have to negotiate a hill of snow and mud.

Lifehacker arranged the tips from simple to complex. But they can be used in any order and combined with each other depending on the situation and the equipment at hand.

1. Don’t accelerate or panic

As soon as you feel that the car is starting to get stuck, stop pressing the gas to the floor and calm down. If you can’t go forward, try to move backward to get out on your own track.

Drive smoothly, without sudden acceleration. Don't gas too hard or for a long time. Otherwise, the wheels will quickly dig in and the car will sit on its belly.

2. Try pushing

Ask passengers or passers-by for help. To begin with, just have them press the hood or trunk when you try to drive out. This will additionally load the drive axle and improve wheel traction. If it doesn’t work, let them push in the direction of travel, helping the car get out.

3. Drive out with a swing

Manual Transmission

With a manual transmission, the surest way to get out is to rock up to use the moment of inertia and compact the snow into the rut. To do this, align the wheels, engage reverse gear and drive off, carefully operating the gas pedal.

When the car starts moving, stop accelerating and let it roll back. Drive off smoothly again. Drive until the wheels start to slip, but don't let it happen.

The main thing is to feel the impulses when moving and work like a pendulum. By repeating this simple maneuver, you will gradually compact the snow and, having made a rut for yourself, you will be able to get out.

If the acceleration is not enough to overcome the snow hill, then, having driven back, engage first gear and move forward. This way you will increase the amplitude and roll out a platform on which you can accelerate and gain the necessary inertia.

Automatic transmission

It will not work to use the swinging method to the fullest extent: fast and frequent switching of modes R - N - D can lead to transmission breakdown.

Therefore, turn on the drive or reverse mode (depending on the direction of movement) and try to move off smoothly. As soon as you move, release the gas pedal and wait for the car to roll back.

Then get going again and roll away until you get out.

• If the car is equipped with all-wheel drive or a differential lock, be sure to turn them on.
• If there are assistants, they should push in the direction of movement, first in one direction, then in the other, increasing the moment of inertia.
• Instead of first gear, you can try to engage second. This will help reduce torque on the wheels and reduce the likelihood of slipping.
• You can also lightly press the brake pedal to apply weight to the spinning wheel and prevent it from locking up.

4. Dig up the snow

When there is a lot of snow and it is wet, rocking does not always help. In this case, it is necessary to clear the wheels and the space around them. For this purpose, a shovel, which in winter it is advisable to carry in the trunk.

If you don’t have a shovel, use your feet, a stick, cardboard and other available means. Your goal is to remove the snow from under the wheels and clear a track for them.

Be sure to check if the exhaust pipe is clogged with snow. At best, the engine will stall, at worst, gases may enter the cabin.

Sometimes in deep snow a car gets stuck because it sits on its belly, and the wheels, having lost grip, literally spin in the air. The problem is solved by clearing the snow under the bottom.

If you have nothing to clean with, you can jump on the door sills to compact the snow and lower the car. Another option is to jack up the car and lower it sharply.

5. Place something under the wheels

If you cannot drive out after clearing the snow, it means that the wheels do not have enough grip on the ground. To ensure this, it is better to use special anti-slip tapes. But if they are not there, any available means will do. Place a jacket, branches, crushed stones - whatever you find in the trunk or around the car - under the drive wheels.

By the way, be careful. Anything that is under the wheels can fly out from under them when the car starts moving.

6. Deflate your tires

This will help increase the contact patch with the surface and, as a result, wheel traction. Unscrew the spool cap and press the valve stem with keys or another thin object.

Flat tires reduce ground clearance. If there is a lot of snow, it will only do harm: the car will sit on its belly.

Bring the pressure to approximately 1 atm. Without a pressure gauge, you can visually determine a flat tire by its slight flatness.

Do not overdo it, otherwise the weight of the car may inadvertently remove the empty tires from the rims. Also, don’t get too carried away if you don’t have any pumping supplies at hand.

7. Build anti-slip chains

Another effective way to increase grip. If you don’t have real chains in the trunk, try making homemade ones from scrap materials. Take a rope or tow rope and wrap it around the drive wheels like chains. The main thing is to secure them well so that they do not unravel and damage the brakes and suspension parts.

Even with such improvised chains it is almost guaranteed that you can drive out of any snow. By increasing traction on the surface, cross-country ability will be significantly improved. But you should be careful with the gas pedal, because with such wheels the risk of digging deeper increases.

8. Jack up the car

If you can’t get out because the car is sitting too deep, you can try to lift it with a jack. To do this, clear a place for the jack and find some kind of plank, stone or other lining made of hard material so that the tool does not sink into the snow or ground.

Next, lift the car on each side one by one and fill the holes formed under the wheels of the drive axle with something. Gravel, sticks, branches and any hard objects will do. After this, the stuck wheels will be on the surface and the chances of getting out of the snow captivity will increase significantly.

9. Ask to pull the car out with a cable

Don’t be shy to ask for help when you can’t go out on your own. If the place is not deserted, and there is a cable at hand, there will probably be people willing to help.

Not just any rope is suitable for pulling out of snowdrifts. Conventional tape slings often cannot withstand the load and break. Steel cables, on the contrary, are too strong and can easily tear out the towing eyes or deform the body.

Even for small runabouts, it is better to use special dynamic or, as they are also called, jerk slings, which elongate when stretched and compensate for sharp shocks.

Check that the cable is securely attached to the towing loops and be sure to throw a jacket, some kind of bag or bag over it so that if the cable breaks, it will not end up in one of the cars.

On a stuck car, turn the wheels straight to reduce drag. Later, when you move, the steering wheel can be turned in the right direction. When pulling out, help with your engine, but do not accelerate too much, so as not to dig in. It's better to act as if you're moving away.

On a towing car, it is worth engaging in a lower gear and all available locks, first trying to move under tension.

If the snow is deep and the car is firmly seated, you cannot do without jerking. Then the person pulling it should accelerate a little and stop, acting as an anchor. The dynamic cable will stretch and automatically move the stuck car from its dead point. Maybe not on the first try, but it should work out eventually.

To avoid damaging your car on a nearby tree or fence, form a compacted track from the snow that will keep it from turning and sliding.

10. Call for help

If all else fails, call for help. Call your friends, write a post on social networks, or leave a mark on the map. Get back on the road and ask the truck drivers for help. If there is a settlement nearby, go there.

In really difficult situations, when you find yourself in the wilderness and there is no one to expect help from, contact emergency services and call rescuers on the single number 112.

Do not overestimate your capabilities: frivolity can cost your life.

Bonus. How to avoid getting stuck in the snow

1. Don't neglect it, even if you rarely leave the city and have a four-wheel drive vehicle. As a rule, all the troubles happen because of bad tires.
2. Always carry a shovel with you. At least a compact folding one, or better yet a full-size one with the handle cut to the required length. You can replace it with a piece of plywood that will not take up space in the trunk.
3. Change to a lower gear as soon as you feel yourself starting to get bogged down on a snowy stretch of road. And don’t stop, otherwise you’ll get stuck right away.
4. Avoid sudden acceleration and braking. Keep the engine speed constant, low, between 1,500 and 2,000.
5. Drive carefully but confidently. Turn smoothly, and when driving along a rut, hold the steering wheel tightly so as not to fly off it into the snowy side of the road.
6. Park close to the roadway, but not directly on it. This way you will have to clear less snow in the morning and there will be no risk of ending up in a snowdrift from snow removal equipment.
7. When leaving your car in a snowy place, do not forget to drive back and forth several times in order to compact the ruts for yourself and later leave without problems.

What to do,

if the car gets stuck in the snow

How to get out of snow captivity without resorting to outside help is probably of interest to many these days. Snowfalls have literally covered all of Central Russia and are not going to retreat anytime soon, which means there will still be many people stuck in snow traps. Today we will tell you how, using standard car systems, you can overcome a difficult section.

text: Oleg Slavin / 02/09/2018

1. PARKING BRAKE

Yes, no matter how strange it may seem, but by engaging the parking brake, you can quite easily significantly improve the cross-country ability of a rear-wheel drive car on snowy slopes, bare ice, or even on virgin snow. Surely each of us has encountered such a situation when the drive wheel that has fallen on a slippery surface spins madly, and at the same time the one that stands on the surface with the best grip remains motionless. The reason for this is the differential. Designed to significantly improve the car's handling on roads with good grip, on slippery areas it becomes the culprit of such an unpleasant situation. There are, of course, cars that can forcibly lock the differential, and then the wheels begin to rotate at the same speed, significantly increasing the car’s cross-country ability in such conditions, but what about those who don’t have such a magic button?

This is where the parking brake comes to the rescue. After all, in order for a wheel standing on a hard surface to start rotating, you just need to slow down the one that is spinning helplessly. And this can be done just with the parking brake. By slightly tightening the handbrake, you will slow down the rotation of the free wheel, and the differential will be forced to transfer part of the torque to the one that is not rotating. As a result, the wheel on the surface with the best grip will push the car out of the trap. The main thing is not to tighten the parking brake completely, that is, to find the edge at which it will create sufficient resistance to rotation and will not completely block the wheels. Try this method and you will see how effective it is. And after you get out of the trap, don’t forget to release the handbrake so that you don’t burn the brake pads while driving on the road.

2. MAIN BRAKE SYSTEM

But what if the car is front-wheel drive? Yes, now basically all passenger cars are equipped with drive on the front axle, and it is not possible to slow down the differential with a parking brake, which, as a rule, is applied to the rear axle. But there is a way out. In this case, you can slow down the uselessly rotating wheel using the service brake system. This will require some skill, because you will have to press both the accelerator pedal and the brake pedal at the same time, but with a little practice, using only your right or both legs, you can achieve the desired effect.

In any case, when a wheel standing on a surface with good grip lacks only a slight impulse, this method works.

By the way, it is precisely on this principle, by braking one or another wheel, that intelligent all-wheel drive systems work in many cars. The electronics monitor the speed of rotation of the wheels and, if necessary, slow down one of them with the service brake system, thereby ensuring maximum torque on wheels located on a surface with a good coefficient of adhesion, which, in fact, gives good cross-country ability.

3. A SPOK IN THE WHEEL

They are usually spoken of as objects that interfere with movement. Meanwhile, in the situations described above, they can not only not interfere, but also help. However, it should be borne in mind that this option is only suitable if the car has cast or forged wheels with spokes, between which you can insert something like a shovel handle. By inserting a stick and wedging it between the wheel disk and the caliper, you will tightly block the helplessly rotating wheel, and the differential itself will transfer the torque to the opposite wheel, which will free the car from captivity. The main thing is not to overdo it and not to damage the brake system with a foreign object. In this regard, you need to start moving with a foreign object inserted very carefully so that the disc spokes do not hit, but smoothly press against the caliper. And, naturally, the stick must be removed immediately as soon as the car moves from a dead point. For this, at first glance, barbaric method, you need to use a wooden stick in order to minimize possible damage, since wood is softer than steel, and it will bear the main burden of forced deformations.

4. WHEELS

You can also make some kind of snow chains out of sticks. To do this, it is enough to fasten a stick to each of the drive wheels, with a rope or belt across the tread, taking into account that when the wheel rotates, they do not cling to the structural elements of the car. Of course, you won’t be able to drive with them on a road with a dense surface, but you can get out of a snowdrift or drive through virgin snow.

All of these methods are effective and may well help you free your car from captivity if you find yourself trapped completely alone and without the necessary tools. However, when driving on a winter road, we would still recommend having at least a small snow shovel, a couple of kilograms of sand and, of course, a cable in your car. It can just become that irreplaceable item when your strength and resources are exhausted and you can no longer do without help.

A common occurrence on our roads. And in the city, you can often see cases when some driver jumps onto the curb and hangs helplessly on it. Or, in a snowfall, he loses control and flies into a large snowdrift.

There are many reasons for such accidents. One of them is out-of-season tires or simply bald tires. Moreover, it is found even in expensive crossovers. In order not to get cables and shovels, and then not shell out a lot of money for body or suspension repairs, it is better to pay close attention to the tires on your car. Monitor the condition of the tread and change tires promptly according to the season.

Well, what if the worst has already happened and you can’t get out without outside help, or someone, having found themselves in a difficult situation, asks you for help?

Cables

It doesn't matter what kind of car you have - a small car or a full-size SUV. Any car can be planted in such a way that you will need a reliable cable. It should always be in the car. Many cables sold at car dealerships with labels like “parachute line” and the like are nonsense. Moreover, they are very cheap, for 200 rubles, and for 1000 rubles. The maximum they are suitable for is towing a car, and then without jerking. Otherwise, such a coupling will break.

To be sure of the reliability of the cable, you can buy either a climbing rope or a dynamic sling at a jeep shop. The cost of elastic slings varies. You can buy it for 2000 or 8000 rubles. You need to look at what load a particular specimen can withstand.

Metal cables, which truck drivers often use, can cause harm if not handled properly. During a jerk, they are likely to turn out the towing eyes of the car or deform the frame.

A similar incident happened to us during a trip to the city of Rzhev in an UAZ.

The main disadvantage of a metal cable is that it is inelastic. These need to be pulled out only by tension. And they are difficult to tow. Because there will still be jerks on the road, and this can damage both cars.

If a car has fallen into a ditch, it is extremely difficult to pull it out with a metal cable, but it is easy to pull out the towing eyes. If there is ice on the side of the road, and the road itself is slippery, the tires of the towing vehicle simply do not have enough grip on the surface. Here you will have to act in spurts. That’s why you need a Jeep dynamic line.

A car acting as a tug can be accelerated and then braked, preventing a rollback. Due to its elasticity, the dynamic cable will pull the stuck car out of place. And a car that has moved is much easier to pull out.

Ideally, it is good to have two cables in the trunk. One is dynamic, or jerking - for towing or pulling a stuck car out of place, and the other is for pulling out.

Shovels

A shovel in the car is a must, especially in winter. And it is advisable to carry with you a normal, so to speak, full-size one, and not a small folding one, which can often be found in car stores.

Ideally, an iron bayonet would be suitable. With its help you can easily scatter loose snow and also break ice. It would be a good idea to carry a knife with you that can be used to cut, say, a cable if the knot is tightened so tightly that it can no longer be undone.

How to pull out

If the car has sunk shallowly into the snow, it is better to try to pull it out without jerking, by pulling. To do this, on the towing vehicle you need to engage a lower gear and all available locks (if any). A car without locks may slip when pulling out a stuck car.

Well, if it’s deep, then you can’t do without a shovel. We clear the snow under the wheels and the bottom. That is, we do everything to reduce the resistance when pulling out. And we try...

If there is a tree next to a stuck car, you can protect the side with a padded jacket or place a spare tire next to the tree. Of course, there will be scratches on the car, but this is better than rubbing the bare body on the trunk.

The front wheels turned to the side act as a brake and also shovel snow in front of them. After you start moving, you can try to turn the steering wheel in the right direction.

The driver of a stuck car should operate the throttle smoothly, lightly pressing the gas. But in no case to the floor, so that the pulled off car does not bury itself again.

help yourself

Well, what if you are stuck and there is no one to help? You'll have to act on your own, and then you won't be able to do it without a shovel. You need to clear out as much space as possible for yourself. Remove the snow from under all the wheels so that you can create a rut while moving back and forth.

If this does not help, you need to remove the snow from under the bottom. Alternatively, you can stand on the running boards and jump on the car. The bottom will accept the snow a little, and then you need to shovel it out of there. You can independently build something like chains that are installed on wheels. To do this, you need to tie pieces of broken cable across the tire, passing them between the spokes of the wheel rim. But you need to tie it tightly so that none of the pieces get on the brakes or axle. It’s better to get such a useful accessory as snow chains in advance.

If the car is parked on a slope, you can put branches, stones, or, in general, anything at hand under the wheels, building something like sand trucks. But there is no need to accelerate sharply. You need to move slowly.