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View Full Version : Going 30mph backward down I90



ohland
03-03-2014, 12:02 AM
Was tooling south to Chicago on Saturday, road was OK, had passed a few vehicles in WI, no issues. Got about 2 miles inside IL, started to oscillate, clutch in, not good, counter-steering, followed by traveling backwards. Lucked out, front tires were on paved shoulder, so I rocked it a little and got back on the shoulder, but pointing North. Traffic was still coming, so I drove about 1/4 mile to the north (that was NOT a good feeling) on the shoulder, then turned into the S. Beloit Rest area. Waited an hour for sun rise.

Saturday afternoon and evening added another 4" of snow on the north of Chicago. Filthly. Drove back into Arlington Heights through town (accident at 30mph vs 65mph, no choice there). Sun came out Sunday about 10AM, melted most of the roads clean. In short, I dislike ice UNLESS it is cubes in a glass.

If I smoked or drank, it would have been drag smoking a pack of cigarettes, or slamming two or three beers, to deal with the stress (after arriving, of course!)

:2 drunk buddies:

Artful
03-03-2014, 12:24 AM
Glad your ok - ICE is the Worst to drive on. :drinks:

starmac
03-03-2014, 12:25 AM
clutch in??? what is that about?

MaryB
03-03-2014, 02:13 AM
Drove way to many times on ice to get to work and back. Never spun it but I purposely hit the ditch at least a dozen times to avoid an accident with someone else. I was crawling at 25mph in 4 wheel low lock in my 79 Jimmy when a guy in a 2wd Ranger pickup went around me at 70. Fishtailed back in front of me as he pulled back into the lane. 2 miles later I came across him on hos roof and the highway patrol who witnessed it writing him a ticket. He barely missed the cop and he lost it in a corner then rolled it on the roof in the ditch. Cop waved me over and asked if I saw the guy. I told him he had passed me a bit ago half out of control. Ticket got bigger...

starmac
03-03-2014, 03:16 AM
I'm not saying that he didn't deserve it, but the ticket got bigger on someones say, so could and should be beat. The courts ruled against a senator in Utah for that, as it should be, we don't want to go down the road where someone can get a ticket on someones say so. I drive somewhere between 50 and 85 (because that is where my truck tacks out) on ice regularly, depending on which hill I'm on, the law knows we don't have a choice, and so far hasn't hassled us on it.

MT Gianni
03-03-2014, 10:39 AM
I was headed to an emergency in 1985 when my 2 WD van turned on ice and I went backwards for what must have been 2--3 seconds on Highway 30 between Soda Springs ID and Georgetown hill. It was one of the longest few seconds in my life. 60 mph backwards trying to keep it straight but knowing you will come out of it eventually on a 2 lane road with semi traffic will make you talk to God. Tow truck pulled me out when I came around and put it in the borrow pit.

popper
03-03-2014, 11:25 AM
All of our drunks down here drive backwards, to me, in the wrong lane. Guess they're not good enough to do it correctly. Yea, ice is no fun, wife is home as work is closed today.

ohland
03-03-2014, 11:58 AM
clutch in??? what is that about?

With a manual transmission, depressing the clutch pedal removes power to the drive wheels, giving all wheels the same amount of traction. Or, at least the same amount of what is available. With power applied to the drive wheels, you have to be careful that the amount of power applied isn't greater than the traction available, thus making the tires spin. The cross-wind didn't help much, either....

DLCTEX
03-03-2014, 12:19 PM
If the vehicle is rear wheel drive, letting off the gas causes the rear tires to drag, helping keep you straight. If it is front wheel drive the drag in front causes the rear to want to pass the front.

merlin101
03-03-2014, 12:26 PM
If the vehicle is rear wheel drive, letting off the gas causes the rear tires to drag, helping keep you straight. If it is front wheel drive the drag in front causes the rear to want to pass the front.

Sink the clutch. Thats the advice no matter front or rear wheel, and it's good advice. To much power OR drag can keep the skid going. This from the voice of experince, over one million safe miles in NY state ALONE in the past eight years. Well safe for me and other drivers, deer on the other hand haven't fared so well.

MtGun44
03-03-2014, 12:32 PM
merlin is exactly correct. If you look at the friction circle, a tire can only deliver a
certain amount of traction, if you take some for accelerating - less available for
lateral forces. Same for braking, it takes away lateral. When you are down to darn
near zero total, you want ALL of it for lateral stability - trying to keep the car pointed
in the right direction, you have NONE to spare for accelerating or decelerating - clutch IN.
The acceleration of an idling engine in an automatic or braking from an idling
engine in a manual are both detrimental to keeping the car undercontrol when
you are down to near nothing traction.

Of course, the overwhelming majority of cars have autos, so you are fairly
screwed on this - unless you are really slick on finding neutral in a hurry,
not something we train for like hitting the clutch.

Bill

43PU
03-03-2014, 12:44 PM
Here in KY we are getting the most snow in history (in my area) and a couple of months ago I was going to work in my F-150 and crossed some rail road tracks and all of the sudden I was spinning in circles going to a 6'deep ditch, luckly a KSP was right there and saw it. It is not a good feeling... and the fact it totaled my truck..

Prayers to you
43 PU

starmac
03-03-2014, 02:09 PM
I drive on ice everywhere I go for several months a year, never do I want the rear wheels free wheeling. You can control the throttle to keep the wheels turning the same speed you are, or a little faster anytime you get into a sliding situation, which is pretty much everyday. Of course, once you spin completely out, it is all over till you stop. I want power to the wheels to keep from spinning out, as a lot of where I drive, spinning out just isn't an option at all.

MaryB
03-04-2014, 12:38 AM
Guy admitted to the cop on camera and audio he had passed me after I was asked. So he hung himself.


I'm not saying that he didn't deserve it, but the ticket got bigger on someones say, so could and should be beat. The courts ruled against a senator in Utah for that, as it should be, we don't want to go down the road where someone can get a ticket on someones say so. I drive somewhere between 50 and 85 (because that is where my truck tacks out) on ice regularly, depending on which hill I'm on, the law knows we don't have a choice, and so far hasn't hassled us on it.

MaryB
03-04-2014, 12:42 AM
I agree, I prefer to have power to the wheels in case I need it, feather off the throttle slowly will pull the rear in line usually, sometimes a quick pop of the throttle will too in my 2wd pickup(posi rear, walks sideways fast)


I drive on ice everywhere I go for several months a year, never do I want the rear wheels free wheeling. You can control the throttle to keep the wheels turning the same speed you are, or a little faster anytime you get into a sliding situation, which is pretty much everyday. Of course, once you spin completely out, it is all over till you stop. I want power to the wheels to keep from spinning out, as a lot of where I drive, spinning out just isn't an option at all.

starmac
03-04-2014, 12:45 AM
Guy admitted to the cop on camera and audio he had passed me after I was asked. So he hung himself.

I guess he might have, but did he admit to passing you or driving to fast?? I have to pass people every day in the snow and ice when they drive too slow, I don't have any choice in the matter.

MaryB
03-04-2014, 02:41 AM
He admitted to passing me in conditions where doing 65mph was not a good plan, that is what the cop clocked him at as he went in. Minnesota has a driving to fast for existing conditions law. And conditions were 30mph max that day if you wanted to stay out of the ditch. It was so slick it was hard to stand on the road, the slight crown would make you slide to the ditch. When I stopped the Jimmy slid sideways until it found a little gravel to grip. I was going to stay home but I was on call and the casino had a major issue that had to be fixed or they would be in trouble with gaming enforcement. So I crawled in at 25-30mph, fixed it and asked for a room until the next day when the roads were at least sanded.

starmac
03-04-2014, 03:03 AM
In the hills I drive on you can not top them driving 30 no matter how slick it is, you have to have your speed up to keep from sliding backwards. There is one in particular that you would spin out on when it is dry in the summer if I tried it at 45 or so. It gets hit at 85, dry, ice or whatever.

clyde-the-pointer
03-04-2014, 06:44 AM
It's March here in OH and we're still dealing with this. 7 deg this am. Yum.

popper
03-04-2014, 10:29 AM
idling engine in an automatic At idle the tranny provides very little drag, any there is from the diff. Manual - push in the clutch. Fall of 72, Tx was iced from Austin to Ar. I was doing 10, passed by a Mustang @ ~50. Trucker pulled him out of the car, in the median ditch. Had to pry his hands off the wheel but he was OK. Can't fix stupid. Trucker was hauling a load of 2x4, said when the back goes, you just ride it to where ever it ends up. Me, wife and newborn got the last motel room in Greenville for 3 days. The trucker slept in the truck. Dallas was shut down for another 2 days. Worst other trip was in the 50's going over the old iced up Booneville, Mo bridge. Kind of like the channel bridge at Lake Charles, but made of steel triangular plates that aren't supposed to allow ice - yea, right.

MaryB
03-05-2014, 02:15 AM
Did a trip to MSP for a flight on solid ice. 125 miles one way. Took me 5 1/2 hours for what should have been a 3 hour trip. I realy hate driving on ice and won't unless I have to.

starmac
03-05-2014, 03:39 AM
LOL Thursday morning it took me 51/2 or 6 hours to get 50 miles. Plenty of ice and snow drifts, but the problem was visibility, 10 foot or less. No way to see a pull out when we got to them, or I would have pulled over and waited it out. Those that did wait it out though, lost a day. The state had to haul a dozer out to 28 mile to clear some snow.

I bent a bumper, and lost a hubcap and a light cover off one of my ditch lights, all and all it came out pretty good.