The Hedgehog

Dear large SUV drivers,

Just because you have 4WD equipped on your vehicle does not mean that you are invulnerable from accidents. Ice is ice, and you will slide no matter how many wheels are spinning.

Slow down in the snow and ice for you own safety and more importantly mine! Just because I choose to drive responsibly and safely, does not give you the right to tailgate me, I will go even slower because I factor in bad weather to my commute and leave my house accordingly. There is a difference I agree of people that drive too slow, but due to the nature of my car (RWD + high power) I cannot drive any faster while remaining safe.

It is quite funny how many accidents you guys get in because of this mentality (not funny as I wish no one would get hurt), maybe ironic is the term. But it would be quite a concept if they slowed down and remained safe (albeit unrealistic).

Recap: SUVS driver's slow down.

Lunchboxer

Yeah, 4WD does not mean the car can defy physics!!

Heavier you are, the harder it is to stop!! [X(]

Dale Gribble

My Feedback: (4)

Amen to that... No traction = no traction, regardless of how many tires are powered and brakes certainly don't work any better.

nitrohog

I agree that you should slow down in the snow and ice, but it is just as dangerous to drive 35MPH in good visibility. Other people are going to pass you if you go that slow, when they do you are at their mercy. I encourage people to go to an empty parking lot an see what their car is capable of and what your own driving limits are.

The Hedgehog

I am not talking about visibility, when the ground conditions warrant slow driving speeds.

Lunchboxer

But if I have these tires.. I can tailgate you all I want, right?!

The Hedgehog

On my lunchbreak I just saw a poor Altima being tailgated by a Volvo SUV when the Altima was GOING THE SPEED LIMIT, in the snow.

Lunchboxer

Bet the Altima does not have the studded tires...

secretsg

That should be a giant sign that says 4wd only helps when the car is in motion. 4WD actually increases your stopping distance in the snow because of the extra weight of the drive train.

Oh and winter tires.... Those should be mandatory for those who live in harsh weather.

Mr. Mugen

On my wayhome from droppping the kids off at school about a month ago I was in the suburban and was passed by a expedition going about 65...I was going about 57. The speed limit there was 55. She went past me and went to get over in the "slow" lane and the slush build up inbetween lanes made her lose control. Back and forth she tried to correct it until her assend hit the snowbank on the side. It rolled her over. I got out of my burb and another fellow behind me stopped as well. He boosted me up on top of the rolled over suv and I got her door open and helped her out. The forst thing she said was "I cannot believe that happened....I had it in 4 wheel drive". I told her to tell the cop that.

Kevin

Please do slow down a bit.

oldvet70

My Feedback: (10)

Now now people, body shops make most of their profit this time of year :<). Given the poor economy everyone needs to make a few bucks.

Mr. Mugen

At what cost? Lives?

oldvet70

My Feedback: (10)

That may well be. However the real danger on the roads today is wireless communications, cell phones, texting, wireless computers, even hands free cell usage. If you want to save people on the roads work to ban these items. SUV's and other over-sized 4wds will disappear when the price of oil gets high enough but the cell phone won't.

The Hedgehog

Encouraging accidents and death for the profit of body shops is not what I was getting at. I was commenting on safety, and helping people stay safe.

SUV's have their place, and cell phone were not part of my original request.

Krazy Chicken

no ice or snow here does this mean im invincible? lol jk but i wish it did snow here, and trucks count as suv's also right?

brett65

My Feedback: (18)

I used to drive my 300hp mustang daily, snow, ice, whatever. It would spin the tires in idle. I never had a problem. Saw lots of other goobers sliding and crashing, thankfully not into me. For snow and ice, nothing beats a stick shift front wheel drive.

HJJFFFAA

It's widely accepted that because Volvo's defy physics even more that other SUV's.

HJJFFFAA

It's widely accepted that because Volvo's are so "safe" they defy physics even more that other SUV's.

NitroVenom

Front wheel dirve mustang? Or are you talking about another car. It doesn't matter how much power your car has. You should be able to control it in the snow and ice. You only spin the tires if A: your on a steep hill with RWD. Or B: You give it too much gas. End of story.

Haha I saw a vid of a guy who did the same thing with his mustang. Spinning the tires at idle that is. It wasn't moving anywhere and he could actually get out of his car and it still just spun the tires when it was idleing. Funny site to see

I remember witnessing a women(cough.. cough...) spin in her mercedes SUV on the highway. I have no idea why because there was NO one around her and to this day it still amazes me.. She ended up doing a 180 and smacking the gaurd rail. She was only doing like 30, if that.

So Cal

Thats not good, Ford says to stay under 60 in 4wd. We forgot to take our f350 out of 4hi and got on the highway and hit 70 then realized it was in 4hi it was stuck in 4hi for a while. Had to go forward, the reverse, then neutral like 20 times and it finnally went back to 2hi.

ELK

my mom and her sister in law were in her suv going 30 mph on the highway(cause they had a baby in the car) a car past them at 65mph and five minutes later the car was flipped on the side of the road.

The Hedgehog

Funny how I read in an article once that the majority of winter accidents are in SUV's.

ELK

probally cause people think 4wds are all that until they get in a wreck where they lost control of the car

SAVAGEJIM

Yep, and the physics concept in play here is friction. Yes, that's right, friction! Everyone thinks that cars must be as absolutely free of friction as possible, but this is absolutely incorrect. Friction is an absolute must at the tire patch and the road surface. A coeficient of friction = to 1.00 means that the car will grip the road like super glue. A coefficeint of friction 0.00 means that the car will slip and slide 100%. Moreover, gas it and the wheels spin and the car goes absolutely nowhere.

Not necessarily. If you have a high coeficent of friction, lots of tire patch area interfacting with the road surface, and a device to convert the kinetic energy of the vehicle into heat in massive amounts, you WILL stop very very quickly.

Stopping is a matter of converting one form of energy into another. It is all about how much work the stopping devices (i.e. the brakes) can do.

SAVAGEJIM

Yep, SUVs plus low coefficent of friction (caused by ice) plus the inability of the brakes to do the work of converting energy without locking the wheels = poor braking and lots of slipping and sliding.