How do you prevent a skid?

Question

I have a mustang and I was wondering how do you prevent a skid from happening. I was going slow in the snow and I skid to the right and I almost got into an accident. What do I do to prevent this from happening because I dont have 4 wheel drive.

Answer 1

How do you prevent a skid?

This is your question.... There are three things that cause a skid....

Over-steering

Over-acceleration

Over-braking

Notice the word "over" used in each item. Smoothness counts a lot in slippery conditions. Speed is probably the biggest factor involved. You are driving a car that has a pretty healthy horsepower to weight ratio. In other words... it's got more horsepower than it does weight to keep it stuck to the ground. You are the only one that can control that. A light foot on both the accelerator and the brake pedal will help with two of the items. Slow speed and planning ahead for corners and curves will help with the other one.

The whole trick here is to prevent a skid.... not to recover from one after the fact. In a skid, you are out of control and that jeopardizes not only your life, but those of the other motorists on the road.

Everyone has told you how to get out of a skid... I hope I have helped you understand how to prevent one.

Safe and happy motoring...

Answer 2

NEWSFLASH: a new product is available called a tire "sock" if I remember correctly. It is similar to chains in that you secure it to tires already on your car, but it is superior to chains because it mesh fiber content is effective at getting traction from the thousands of points where the mesh contacts the snow or ice, but will not clog up with snow like chains do.

No amount of driving "skill" will prevent an ice skid, as the tires have no effect once so ever on what direction the car will go, only the direction of the over all car's momentum will determine where it goes in an ice skid.

Do have the steering wheel turned into the direction the BACK axle of the car is going so that if traction is regained, you won't have the back of the car going in a direction opposite the front wheels of the car (which, unfortunately, gives the most often result of a skid, the "spin out".)

Answer 3

The suggestions are good. Snow tires are okay, buy two and put them on the back(or drive wheels). Save the ones you took off and keep them till spring. Chains are good, but don't drive them on roads w/o snow. Make sure you install them correctly, or have a garage put them on. If they come loose, you'll do serious damage to your fenders. if you are in a skid, let off the gas and turn towards the direction you are skidding, ie: if your back end is going to the right, steer right. We have a local defensive driving center near, for a $100, they train you and put you in a "Skid Car" that simulates driving on ice. Plus, you show the certificate to your insurance and it sometimes give you a discount. To give you an answer to how to prevent a skid, just drive slow, don't accelerate to quickly. Good luck

Answer 4

Slow down

Increase your stopping distance, so if the vehicle in front stops unexpectedly you have enough space to brake to a stop without skidding.

Take extra care when approaching a bend.

Be gentle and progressive when steering, accelerating and braking.
Your car is more likely to skid when the road is icy or covered in snow. In such conditions to avoid skidding you should slow right down. You should also steer and brake very gently. Your stopping distance should also be increased by up to ten times greater than in normal conditions.

Answer 5

to circumvent a skid, the respond is to, merely, tension slower. If street situations sell skidding, like moist or icy floor, then you need to tension even slower. ideal, maximum straight forward answer approximately convalescing from a skid. forget on the subject of the "become" or draw back" from a skid. Steer the vehicle in the direction you opt for to circulate. by utilising a technique like turning removed from a skid, you possibility over correcting, which will reason a skid in the different direction. in case you factor the wheels in the direction you opt for to circulate, if the vehicle is going to ultimate the skid, then it is going to realize this in the direction you're pointing. If the fee is merely too quickly to ultimate the skid, then no technique is going to artwork. yet another hint, in case you discover yourseld skidding in direction of an merchandise you do not opt for to hit, then do not seem at it. Your palms could have a tendency to lead in the direction you're finding, so, seem in the direction you opt for to circulate.

Answer 6

To prevent a skid, do not do anything suddenly. Applying gas too quickly will cause your tires to lose traction. Applying brakes will lock your wheels. Basically, do everyting in slow motion.

Answer 7

Put in neutral and turn into the skid, then back into Drive or 2.

Answer 8

First, slow down, even more.

Next, prepare your car for driving in the snow. If you live where snow is likely, on a daily, seasonal basis, snow tires may be a good idea. If you only, occasionaly, drive in snow and icy conditions, carry a set of snow chains, and learn how to, quickly, install them.

Keep your car and tires in good condition.

And, again, SLOW down.

Answer 9

Assuming you are already in a skid? And you dont have either snow chains on or it is in muddy or icey conditons? Say, black ice is the worst?

Basically there is not much you can do in black ice, you drive on a road defensively ie, with as much caution for the conditions ie local radio reports when regularly given a quick phone call to local authorities in charge of rescues, say country NSW Australia, the SES State Emergency Service or local police station depending on their availability, or basically ask at the local pub, bazaarly enough folks coming through stop in there to steady their nerves, or a coffee shop to recover with a warm drink, in country nsw could be a cafe.

4WD is irrelevant, there are folks driving these who shouldnt and folks who do who get trained, fact is all learner driving should cover these vechicles because even a ford falcon could be more dangerous in a school grounds in backing.

On skids, basically when you are in one, dont fight it with sharp over corrections, try and maintain constant speed, no sudden locking of tyres to get wheels to slow down, DOES NOT WORK. however, if you focus on where you are going and basically point the bonnet down the road, try and guide it through, you can say as my folks did on desert sands on the road to Narobi, guide the car through hostile conditions. Basically the car if no other traffic is there slide from side to side rythmically whilst still basically going forward, not to be recommended, but if stopping causes you to bog and stop altogether the former is more preferable where experience is necessary, enjoy it but, fear, fright guide this too for controlling emotion is the issue, if you can calmly give confidence to other passengers too, bye your commentary sounding like you know what you are doing, their reassurance is as important as not losing it in panic?

When going into corners, be aware, even gravel roads where marbel like rocks can at speed act like a spin factor, try out a spin track in advanced driver training, for example a quarter spin of the steering wheel in some models of car at under 45mph allows the car hopefully not to roll, but with wheels locked spin completely 180 degrees provided the gear is in neutral? So the theory goes, never tried it, but, from having gone over a dirt road where marble like rocks spun the car at 30mph it makes sense?

Answer 10

u have to counter steer. i drove my mustang, with drag radials, in a dusting of snow/rain = slush cause i didnt have a choice. and if ur rear starts sliding to the right, you turn to the right. if the rear slides to the left you turn left. and dont lock up your brakes cause then u have no steering at all. even slowing down with a stick car your tires will tend to lock up when slowing down. so either push in the clutch or be prepared to counter steer.