woolley Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 (edited) I had to come from north into town this morning. Mountain shut. Came coast road to Laxey, then nipped up Rencell because I knew Creg Back Road was open and it is quieter than Onchan. I reckoned without the idiots who had the same idea but have no idea how to drive on snow and ice. All the way along from the Begoade Road junction they were dithering along at about 10mph and because they had lost all momentum they were slithering to a halt and were unable to get going again. A few 4 wheel drives were going around them and I joined them with my rear wheel drive. Not a problem if you just keep a lowish gear and some revs and momentum. Even when onto the mountain road down into town I passed loads of them who were still doing 20mph. A couple had slid into each other through lack of control despite the snail's pace. Edited January 29, 2015 by woolley 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slinkydevil Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 I had to come from north into town this morning. Mountain shut. Came coast road to Laxey, then nipped up Rencell because I knew Creg Back Road was open and it is quieter than Onchan. I reckoned without the idiots who had the same idea but have no idea how to drive on snow and ice. All the way along from the Begoade Road junction they were dithering along at about 10mph and because they had lost all momentum they were slithering to a halt and were unable to get going again. A few 4 wheel drives were going around them and I joined them with my rear wheel drive. Not a problem if you just keep a lowish gear and some revs and momentum. Even when onto the mountain road down into town I passed loads of them who were still doing 20mph. A couple had slid into each other through lack of control despite the snail's pace. You're ace! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woolley Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 Nope. But I can drive in winter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeW Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 Me too, Wooley. I came from the North via Kirk Michael as the Mountain Road was shut. On my way back, I didn't reckon on being stuck on the Mountain Road for an hour while waiting for a gritter. Unfortunately the car in front of me had stopped and the car in the opposite lane Douglas-bound also stopped, so there was no getting past - 4x4 or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeverAgain Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 No ridiculous is closing it when its covered in a few inches of snow, anybody with winter tyres fitted could get over the mountain road easy, 4x4's fitted with multi terrain tyres would also get over it with ease. Basically its closed because people cannot be trusted to drive sensibly in snow/ice conditions and fail to realise that summer tyres are just that. who fits winter tyres anymore? very 70's- 4x4 are one of the worst in snow and always buried in hedgebacks 4x4's fitted with summer road tyres are horrendous, a 4x4 fitted with winter tyres is just as good as a normal car with winter tyres, a 4x4 with AT mud & snow tyres will outperform almost anything else. If you think of a 4x4 as a range rover with low profile road tyres then yes, expect them to be in every hedgerow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woody2 Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 No ridiculous is closing it when its covered in a few inches of snow, anybody with winter tyres fitted could get over the mountain road easy, 4x4's fitted with multi terrain tyres would also get over it with ease. Basically its closed because people cannot be trusted to drive sensibly in snow/ice conditions and fail to realise that summer tyres are just that. who fits winter tyres anymore? very 70's- 4x4 are one of the worst in snow and always buried in hedgebacks 4x4's fitted with summer road tyres are horrendous, a 4x4 fitted with winter tyres is just as good as a normal car with winter tyres, a 4x4 with AT mud & snow tyres will outperform almost anything else. If you think of a 4x4 as a range rover with low profile road tyres then yes, expect them to be in every hedgerow. its the 21 first century, buy all seasons tyres-job done. its a myth 4x4s are better in snow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GD4ELI Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 (edited) its the 21 first century, buy all seasons tyres-job done. its a myth 4x4s are better in snow No, Buy winter tyres for winter and summer tyres for summer. There's a big difference between all-season / M&S and pure winter tyres. With snow levels of 15cms or lower (i.e. the road has been cleared in the last few hours): A 4x4 will be better than a rear-wheel drive car given both have the same quality winter tyres mounted. A 4x4 will have a marginal advantage over a decent front-wheel drive car given both have the same quality winter tyres mounted. Off-road in heavy snow then obviously the 4x4 will win. ETA: there's no such thing as good and cheap winter tyres. Edited January 30, 2015 by GD4ELI 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
When Skies Are Grey Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 I had to come from north into town this morning. Mountain shut. Came coast road to Laxey, then nipped up Rencell because I knew Creg Back Road was open and it is quieter than Onchan. I reckoned without the idiots who had the same idea but have no idea how to drive on snow and ice. All the way along from the Begoade Road junction they were dithering along at about 10mph and because they had lost all momentum they were slithering to a halt and were unable to get going again. A few 4 wheel drives were going around them and I joined them with my rear wheel drive. Not a problem if you just keep a lowish gear and some revs and momentum. Even when onto the mountain road down into town I passed loads of them who were still doing 20mph. A couple had slid into each other through lack of control despite the snail's pace. Cool story bro! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woolley Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 Me too, Wooley. I came from the North via Kirk Michael as the Mountain Road was shut. On my way back, I didn't reckon on being stuck on the Mountain Road for an hour while waiting for a gritter. Unfortunately the car in front of me had stopped and the car in the opposite lane Douglas-bound also stopped, so there was no getting past - 4x4 or not. If only they would just keep moving. They seem compelled to stop for no reason to have a nervous breakdown then guess what? They can't get going again. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tempus Fugit Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 don't you just love predictive text No problems on the Laxey Coast Road today but there is more than usual traffic as the Mountain abroad is still shut. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woody2 Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 its the 21 first century, buy all seasons tyres-job done. its a myth 4x4s are better in snow No, Buy winter tyres for winter and summer tyres for summer. There's a big difference between all-season / M&S and pure winter tyres. With snow levels of 15cms or lower (i.e. the road has been cleared in the last few hours): A 4x4 will be better than a rear-wheel drive car given both have the same quality winter tyres mounted. A 4x4 will have a marginal advantage over a decent front-wheel drive car given both have the same quality winter tyres mounted. Off-road in heavy snow then obviously the 4x4 will win. ETA: there's no such thing as good and cheap winter tyres. or just your poor driving style? front or rear drive car,van or truck makes no difference to me, never had an issue 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the stinking enigma Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 Couple of years ago the mountain was closed for about 3 weeks solid ...i went over it every evening in a front wheel drive heap of junk nearly bald tyres ...a completely true story that i both proud and ashamed of to an equal degree Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeW Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 I was driving my X5 over the mountain. (4.8L, V8). It's heavy which is a disadvantage when changing speed or direction as the increased momentum then works against a heavier vehicle. Of course, it has the advantage of increased traction when setting off again from a standstill but it was really frustrating driving across the mountain with a car in front that kept stopping inexplicably and a few times braking or changing speed on corners. My other car - a FWD Volvo, is much lighter and the engine block sitting over the driven wheels gives it good traction in the snow. Still, going downhill there's a nifty little electronic gadget in the X5 that controls the descent by using engine braking and braking each wheel independently. Stuck to the road like glue on the way down, which was nice. I wonder why this sort of feature isn't enabled in more 2wd cars, since it only seems to use engine braking and wheel brakes.. maybe it's a marketed as a 4wd feature. Going back to yesterday, I'd say the problem was caused by the roads not having been gritted sufficiently prior to the increase in traffic during rush hour and some drivers being either ill equipped or too skittish to maintain a steady speed, particularly on the bends. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piebaps Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 I've got a big penis too 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woolley Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 I've got a big penis too Does that help your grip on ice? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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