FWD Van in the snow

[real4star]

I have a confession I'm not sure how to handle FWD in the snow.
In the 4 1/2 years I've had a license, I've always owned FWD cars. But when it's snowed, I leave them at home and use Dad's Series 2 Land Rover.

I can drift with the Land Rover in RWD only on snow&ice and I have been taught cadence braking. I have never had any trouble driving in the snow if I'm in a Rwd or 4wd car.

However we are moving house this week and I am the designated Hire Van driver... A Vauxhall Vivaro

So how do I regain control if the back of this FWD van starts to slide out?

Hard braking and booting the accelerator are NO No's
I seem to recall being told to take my feet off the pedals and steer into the skid?
Also how will ABS react in this situation? (I've never driven ABS in this kind of weather)

Edited by real4star on Tuesday 22 January 04:35

[ismellburning]

A bit of opposite lock, try not to jam the brakes on so hard all the wheels stop turning. Don't think ABS will do too much for you in the snow, sure others will confirm/deny.

Best approach will be to pay attention to the road and not drive so fast that the car can get away from you. Be cautious going down hills, doubly so going down hills with bends in them.

[GravelBen]

Sometimes you will need some acceleration applied (smoothly controlled, not just boot it and hope) to pull the vehicle in the direction the wheels are pointing - this can get you out of some Fwd oversteer situations, but definitely build up a feel for the vehicle gradually first.

[HustleRussell]

If the back steps out on you, avoid abruptly snapping off of the throttle and resist the temptation to brake. Steer into the slide and gently trail the throttle slightly. Sudden deceleration can cause the front axle to come unstuck too.
The best way to control the van, though, would be to not get into any opposite-lock slides in the first place by driving at a sensible speed and using the controls smoothly.

ETA: The other thing that gets tricky with turbo diesels is the throttle response isn't great. I was caught out by a surprise oversteer in my Mondeo and was able to power out as I was in a lower gear than usual (3rd rather than 4th). Had I been in 4th, I would've been out of the power band and I might not have been able to power out.

Edited by HustleRussell on Tuesday 22 January 11:54

Edited by HustleRussell on Tuesday 22 January 11:57

[real4star]

Thanks for the advice... I'll remember it in future

Enterprise didn't have any Medium Vans (Vivaros) in, so they up-graded me to a LWB Transit Hi-Top which is RWD anyway. Worrying about nothing as usual

[ismellburning]

real4star said:

...which is RWD anyway.

Some are, some aren't apparently. Never mind; unless you've got a serious hill to get up fully loaded it's unlikely to make much difference.

Enjoy leaning out the window and shouting at ladies. They keep your deposit if you don't, apparently.

[real4star]

ismellburning said:

real4star said:

...which is RWD anyway.

Some are, some aren't apparently. Never mind; unless you've got a serious hill to get up fully loaded it's unlikely to make much difference.

Enjoy leaning out the window and shouting at ladies. They keep your deposit if you don't, apparently.

Its definitley RWD, I spun the wheels on the snowy driveway at the new house

I was chuckling to myself thinking about trying some cat calling... sadly Gillingham seems to be full of munters today

[davepoth]

Steer into the slide - but not too much. At the lock stops the wheels won't want to turn with the road. If it starts sliding at full lock winding it off a bit should help to get grip back.