Monsoon is a time of year that drivers don’t like. While autumn is an excellent opportunity to enjoy the beauty of the local landscape, most people prefer to stay at home whenever possible. But if you prepare in time for the fall, you can avoid problems and car repairs.
Here are a few valuable tips for driving on wet slippery roads:
- On slippery roads, use engine braking, impulse braking, or a combination of both. Press and release the brake pedal with sharp, short impulses 2-3 times. Brief contact of brake pads with discs or drums slows down the wheels but does not block them.
- It is dangerous to brake on the corners themselves – you will cause the front wheels to drift or the rear wheels to skid. Before cornering, the brakes are combined, that is, the engine and the foot brake. With combined braking, the lateral stability of the car is better ensured, since when braking by the engine, both driving wheels slow down evenly and the constant imbalance between the forces of the brake pads, which causes a different degree of braking of the wheels and the blocking of one of them, leading to a skid, does not affect too much.
- The braking force of the pads is added to the deceleration force on the wheels by the engine, and you can feel the approach of the wheel locking moment. At the moments when the engine is about to stall, release the brake pedal a little.
- Usually, the engine brakes in the gear that is engaged, and on slopes, especially mountain slopes, it is desirable to engage the gear in which it is possible to enter this slope. If you need to stop a little faster, then, without squeezing the clutch, press the brake pedal with springy movements. Due to the possible blocking of the wheels, the parking brake should not be applied while driving on a wet slippery road.
- To reduce the speed without skidding, press the brake pedal with impulses several times in a row, without completely releasing the pedal, but only slightly weakening the pressure. When intermittent or stepped impulse braking for an emergency reduction in speed on slippery roads, remember to restore stability with the steering wheel each time you release the brake; otherwise, the car may turn 180 °.
- Whenever possible, you should select dry road surfaces for braking. It is advisable to pull to the side of the road to use less slippery surfaces for braking in an emergency. This is possible if the curb condition is suitable for it. For example, the roadway is iced up, and on the side of the road, there are small stones and earth, on which wheels will destroy the icing. Outside settlements, there may be areas of ice on bridges, icing or moisture in shady or wet-leafed places, etc. you can also find such sites at the entrances to the stopping places of numerous vehicles in front of traffic lights.
- The length on a slippery road should be at least double the pace of movement. For instance, at a rate of 40 km / h, the distance should be about 80 m—ascents and descents in low gears and without shifting them at a constant speed. Shift into a gear that will not cause excessive traction on the wheels.
- Tyres, yes tyres. Many people think they can drive under any weather conditions and don’t take the road’s surface seriously. Make sure to equip your car with the corresponding seasonal tyres. Suppose you own an SUV, fit your ride with one of the best-rated SUV tyres in your region.
- It is better to overcome short climbs with acceleration. Climb icy uphill slopes at a higher speed to not change gears on the uphill, but only gradually reduce the fuel supply.
At intersections, beware of collisions with cars travelling in the cross direction – not all drivers take into account the danger of ice.
Happy driving!