1st winter with my 2, ice encounter !

[xsarahx]

I have never been one to shy away from driving in snow or ice but i think this car is going to mentally scar me for life !
A few nights ago at 7pm i decided i had better make my way home from my mum and dads which is only 2 miles away, and its a single carrageway 50mph road, i thought i would be quite safe on this road as gritters had been up and down throughout the evening. boy was i wrong ! i spent most of the time on opposite lock.  s:crazyeyes: :crazyeyes: s:crazyeyes:  

First roundabout was fine, proceeded up the road at a steady 45mph with a few cars behind me, hit a patch of black ice.......sideways in a nano second ! Corrected the slide and continued, i then fishtailed for a full 2 miles at 20mph, passing a young boy in a citroen c2 who had ploughed through a fence and into a hedge, and trying to negotiate around 2 broken down lorrys.

Next rounadabout...sideways, first corner, second corner and third corner...managed to get around them in some sort of odd shape, then had to get towed up the hill by a 4x4.

My 2 has been parked up for the last 3 days and im desperate to get in it again, but i feel like its growling at me everytime i look at it !!   s:twisted: :twisted: s:twisted:

[Treboeth]

Think of it this way


you gained valuable experience in how to drive your `2,

you did`nt damage yourself or the car(or anyone else for that matter)

you just found an excuse to buy some new underwear!  s:flame: :flame: s:flame:

[Gif]

I think all driving lessons ought to take place in rear wheel drive cars on skid pans.  It teaches you more about driving and how cars handle than any driving instructor could ever explain.  As has been said Sarah, you learned loads there, take it out again and again in "safe" conditions and you will grow in confidence in terms of handling it when it happens.  You are now a safer driver, have fun   s:D s:D  

The trouble with the majority of drivers is they have never encountered a skid until it's too late and when they do, they think the answer is to stand on the brake pedal   s:roll: :roll: s:roll:

[stargazer30]

Well done for getting home in one piece and not binning it.  I did the 20mph steer with the throttle, wagging tail and opposite lock run the other day too.  At low speeds its kinda fun but if it went out at 45-50mph I'd be cacking myself.

[xsarahx]

New underwear   s:lol: :lol: s:lol:   definatly ! and i supose your right, i got home with everything in tact.

I drive my other halfs rwd jeep but when it slides you have time to react, i couldnt believe how quick the 2 spins, you have to correct it instantly.

I remember taking the p*!s out of my friend last year in her mx5, she drove it all winter and did nothing but complain, After experiencing it myself i now call her the queen of sideways,   s:lol: :lol: s:lol:  

Thank you for your words of encouragement guys   s:D s:D

[Mad Matt]

I believe you have to correct instantaneously but I take you point. The MR2 also communicates a lot more than your average car, in my opinion, so you feel every little slide and loss of traction.

From what I've experienced I'd say that the MX5 gives you longer to correct and spins a little less easily so I'd say that makes you the Queen and your friend the princess  :-) :-) :-)

[Ilogik]

Drive slower   s:wink: :wink: s:wink:  Black ice is the devil, i slid sideways off the camber of the road at 8mph before, you really are helpless

[xsarahx]

Just took it to a big flat empty car park and showed it whos boss   s:) s:)   got it now..... ALWAYS be on your guard and ALWAYS expect the unexpected.

It really does scare me to think that irresponsible youngsters have these cars and they have only been driving a few months/years,
In the current weather It can be lethal in the right hands never mind the wrong ones.  s:scared: :scared: s:scared:

[creamykiwi]

eep, this is why mine's been parked up outside my flat since the snow first came down - one winter was quite enough in mine! I'd like to take it to a car park and play, but I can't get it out of my drive and up the road safely so it can stay there till the snow's gone. From my experience last winter though, it definitely teaches you to respect the car  s:D s:D  

congrats on being a more aware & safer driver!  s:D s:D

[Patch]

Mine's been parked up for a week.  2's are stoopid in bad weather - and I can't afford to repair mine if I wrap it around a telephone pole.

[MOD]Edited out offensive language[/MOD]

[EDIt: My bad - I was a little drunk last night...    s:crazyeyes: :crazyeyes: s:crazyeyes:  ]

[xsarahx]

I think il listen to you all and leave it where it is for a little while,

Had to borrow my dads focus estate td last night to go to work, felt like i was driving a people carrier   s:lol: :lol: s:lol:  

Oh well, im glad it happened now to be honest, lets just say it was like a crash course (without the crash thankfully) in how to handle the 2 better !

Its good to hear everyone elses experiences and to realise its the car NOT my driving !

[JudoKilli]

It really does scare me to think that irresponsible youngsters have these cars and they have only been driving a few months/years,
  s:scared: :scared: s:scared:

Fixed that for you   s:wink: :wink: s:wink:  

I've had the car since I was 19, am 21 now (have encountered heavy snow every winter since owning it) and have never had a crash or been anywhere close to having an incident in my MR2 that was my fault (I got smashed into in a car park once, stupid woman in an estate that admitted she ignored her parking sensors). Not all young drivers are reckless and dangerous! I know more about the car that I drive than a lot of older people know about theirs, and have grown up around rear wheel drive cars, so know how they react.   s8) s8)

[xsarahx]

It really does scare me to think that irresponsible youngsters have these cars and they have only been driving a few months/years,
  s:scared: :scared: s:scared:

Fixed that for you   s:wink: :wink: s:wink:  

I've had the car since I was 19, am 21 now (have encountered heavy snow every winter since owning it) and have never had a crash or been anywhere close to having an incident in my MR2 that was my fault (I got smashed into in a car park once, stupid woman in an estate that admitted she ignored her parking sensors). Not all young drivers are reckless and dangerous! I know more about the car that I drive than a lot of older people know about theirs, and have grown up around rear wheel drive cars, so know how they react.   s8) s8)

Ok im sorry   s:bowdown: :bowdown: s:bowdown:   i was a bit stereotypical there, can i be forgiven   s:oops: :oops: s:oops:

[Mad Matt]

When I learnt to drive there was no ABS, no ESP ,often no disc brakes, no air bags, little or no crumple zones, no rear seat belts etc. Of course we were al dropping like flies..... hang on a minute we weren't.

I suppose what I'm trying to say is that we may need a bit of perspective. The MR2 certainly needs to be treated with respect but I feel it may be stretching it to say it's dangerous.

[Ilogik]

No car is dangerous, its the driver who is, give someone a loaded gun, the gun won't shoot itself.

[creamykiwi]

hehe i have to shove my oar in here and say that although i'm a responsible, safe, and dare i say it good driver, i don't think the 2 would have lasted long if i'd had it at 17! JK im impressed you had yours at 19 and have kept it in one piece  s:) s:)  especially judging by some of my friends in their mid-twenties and only just getting out of the reckless boy/girl racer phase.

i do think that a lot of new owners probably underestimate how different RWD is to handle though, i assumed it'd drive like the micra but faster and closer to the ground. Oops...

All the snow's gone from round here, incidentally... I can drive again, woo hoo!!!

[Curlytoppz]

hehe i have to shove my oar in here and say that although i'm a responsible, safe, and dare i say it good driver, i don't think the 2 would have lasted long if i'd had it at 17! JK Im impressed you had yours at 19 and have kept it in one piece  s:) s:)  especially judging by some of my friends in their mid-twenties and only just getting out of the reckless boy/girl racer phase.

i do think that a lot of new owners probably underestimate how different RWD is to handle though, i assumed it'd drive like the micra but faster and closer to the ground. Oops...

All the snow's gone from round here, incidentally... I can drive again, woo hoo!!!

I am jealous!  I am missing driving my car... even got the bus on Saturday rather than risk taking it out   s:| :| s:|    I want this snow and ice to be gone now!

[Wabbitkilla]

Roads are pretty clear of snow, but plenty of ice.

Had fun last night on the black ice in the roadster - steady and smooth   s:wink: :wink: s:wink:

[Fatbloater]

I'd definately agree its the driver not the car.

My mate is a bad driver, thinks he knows it all, never his fault :
Like the time he smashed into someone's rear end on an icy road, (council should have gritted)
Like the time he pulled out on someone doing 70mph and got smashed in the side, (sun was in his eyes)
Like the time he was in a multiple pile up on the motorway and smashed into the car in front, (someone shunted him into the car in front)
Like the time he got caught doing over a ton and was banned, all not his fault. (had to overtake a truck urgently because the motorway went from 3 lanes to two)

And guess what...the other day he crashed whilst overtaking someone in the now laden fast lane of a dual carriageway.
He has a FWD ford focus, spun it and smashed into the central barrier.

But it wasn't his fault because apparently "if people weren't going so slow in the slow lane he wouldn't have had to overtake them in the snow".
Seriously some people I just give up. I didn't even bother arguing with him cos you just know you're going to lose !

Still, the classics he comes out with are worth posting on any bulletin board for everyone to laugh at.
(You can laugh because he hasn't killed anyone (YET !))

[xsarahx]

He he, yes i know someone like that too   s:lol: :lol: s:lol:  

Nobody said the car is dangerous but i do think that it can be a handfull for inexperienced drivers, i have been driving for 10 years and this is my first rwd car and i got a hell of alot to learn, like someone above already said - rwd is totally different to fwd cars as i found out the other day, thankfully my reaction wasnt to stamp on the brake pedal.

[aaronjb]

But it wasn't his fault because apparently "if people weren't going so slow in the slow lane he wouldn't have had to overtake them in the snow".
Seriously some people I just give up. I didn't even bother arguing with him cos you just know you're going to lose !

 s:lol: :lol: s:lol:  That's great.. on another forum I'm on a member there stopped to help dig a lady out of the snow she'd got her brand new Toyota <something> stuck in (I forget what it was) - fortunately the forum member drives a Landrover (a proper one  s;) s;) ).. Anyway, the Toyota drivers comment?

I'm going to complain to the dealership! A new car like mine shouldn't get stuck in anything!

Seriously. The age of personal responsibility is dead - it's always someone else's fault, now.  s:roll: :roll: s:roll:


Anyhoo.. at 19 (or was it 20? I forget) I had 280bhp under my right foot driving the rear wheels .. and I kept that going (mostly) in a straight line through a snowy icy winter  s;) s;)  Having said that, I learnt my (driving) craft in the wilds of North Yorkshire in a 45hp Austin Allegro - I reckon that's what kept me sensible!  s:lol: :lol: s:lol:

New drivers today are spoilt, I reckon.. relatively powerful FWD hatches stuffed full of driver aids like ABS, stability control, traction control - you step out of that into something like an MR2 and wonder why it all gets a bit hairy when you get it even slightly wrong  s;) s;)

Heck, even the car I learnt to drive in didn't have ABS - you stamped on the brakes and you slid along the road without stopping.. you were soon taught how to drive properly (unless the instructor wanted his car driving into a pole  s:lol: :lol: s:lol:  )

(I'm generalising, of course - of course there are young drivers who are sensible and decent drivers, just like there are middle aged drivers who have no idea what the limits of a car are like until they step completely over them and end up upside down in a field..)

[Anonymous]

Try 560hp rwd in ice and snow with a  bit stuck on the  back    s:wink: :wink: s:wink:

[xsarahx]

Upside down in a field - funnily enough i saw a 2 like that a few weeks ago, looked like it had come off the motorway, rolled down the bank numerous times and landed back on its wheels in a field.
From where is was it looked in quite good shape considering how far it had rolled, tough little car, i was quite impressed !

[aglassinthesink]

Well I'm 24 with a fair bit of experience now (17-20 on a motorbike, 20+ in cars) and I'll be honest I'm nervous as hell abou getting my car at the weekend (delayed again). Surely it can't be as dodgy as the motorbike was through winter? I did spend hours last year in my c4 VTR practicing regaining control on the ice but this will be the first time I've touched a rwd car in winter... Still, practice makes perfect and I've gotta fix the young drivers reputation somehow   s:wink: :wink: s:wink:

[markiii]

secret is be very light ion all the inputs

steering, throttle, brakes,

don't be harsh and and above all don't paniic and overcompensate