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Dec 19, 2010 22:57:50 GMT
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Seeing as the delica is still out of action (trying to find time to get to the garage), i have been driving the panda and scudo everywhere, and whereas the scudo just about copes with the ice, the panda just keeps on going, even passing a landy disco what was stuck on a slope ;D This is the wonder that is CVT and as yours is the same Paul, i think you should point this out to swmbo, then get into the daf and drive through the blizzard (just don't crash while you drive away, as the humility can be unbearable ;D)
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1993 Fiat Panda Selecta 2003 Vauxhall Combo 1.7DI van 2006 Mercedes Kompressor Evolution-S AMG SportCoupé
"You think you hate it now, wait til you drive it"
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Dec 19, 2010 23:03:27 GMT
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My dad proved yesterday that although 4x4s can move on snow, making them stop is a different matter....
My housemate: "I think your dad's here, theres an orange discovery sliding past our house...."
Made it to the top of the hill no problems, turned around, started to come back down again and just slid. Managed to save it about a metre from the parked cars at the bottom.
Either man up and get some chains or be like me and take it as an excuse to spend a few days getting grubby in the garage!
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1997 TVR Chimaera 2009 Westfield Megabusa
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10mpg
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 4,253
Club RR Member Number: 204
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Is anyone else thinking10mpg
@10mpg
Club Retro Rides Member 204
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Dec 19, 2010 23:13:11 GMT
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It depends where you live and what you drive, towns/suburbs are one thing, if you live out in the sticks (that's real countryside not a trendy suburb just outside town optimistically called 'woodlands' or some such name) especially anywhere hilly, 2wd esp rwd just doesn't cut it. I know what I'm doing off road having lived in rural Scotland I know how to drive in deep snow and last year it took me over an hour of digging towing and swearing to get my Mrs's 05 Accord CDti off the hardstanding outside the house, where it slithered down our long steep drive and had to be dragged by my Range Rover to face the right direction down the road, as it couldn't get enough grip to turn up into the main road against gravity (our road is small doesn't get ploughed and never gets gritted) then after 20ft it got terminally stuck again (run flat tyres means not much can be gained by reducing the pressures) so after an hour all in and a whole 1/4 of a mile from our house we gave up and I towed it home ass first with my Rangie.. If we could have got it to a gritted B road about a mile away it would have been fine all the town/urban/well used roads are fine because even if they aren't gritted the ice is broken up and you can get some purchase but when the thick snow gets compacted into basically sheet ice and your in a relatively heavy powerful and tourqey 2wd car with wide high speed road tyres you may as well not bother, I haven't even tried to get it out of the drive this year, I've not seen a single 2wd car make it up the hill at the end of my road this year yet anyway... (just for the record where I currently live isn't what i'd call 'serious' countryside despite being on a farm down a tiny b road ect, as if I really needed to I could walk into town in no more than a few hours, so for me a 4x4 is just 'really usefull'. When you really do live out in the wilds then i'm sorry but a 4x4 becomes an essential) For sure I reckon most retros will be better in the snow as the narrow tyres cut through the mush and get better grip on the tarmac below but if you cant see the tarmac for several inches of properly solid slippy stuff and you get a decent hill then I don't think it makes much difference.. I drove through a hard North Yorkshire winter with nothing more fearsome than a 1.4 Citroen BX but then I was mainly around towns/suburbs/main roads... Out in the countryside it's a whole different thing, and to me personally whilst not absolutely essential I think a 4x4 makes such a difference I wouldn't be without one.. My weapon of choice is:
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Last Edit: Dec 20, 2010 9:59:22 GMT by 10mpg
The Internet, like all tools, if used improperly, can make a complete bo**cks of even the simplest jobs...
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Dec 19, 2010 23:21:42 GMT
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What?you live in Lampeter and you DON'T own a 4x4?you must be the only one!!!
Seriously though get one fella,I know your area well and if you want to stray anywhere off the main drag you've had it.my girlfriend of many years ago went to uni there and I used to travel back to Swansea regularly in my fiat UNO and even in the wet those roads are deadly.
Depending on budget,your looking at £500 onwards for say a 2.0l frontera which are fit for purpose and generally ok but for invincibility it's either J or German,don't get landrovers as their too expensive or rotten.anything defenderish is over £3k and that's landcruiser money,they really are impressive,not on fuel though!!!discoverys are tough but total rotboxes,appalling really.jeep range is good,plenty for a grand but very thirsty indeed,there's always LPG though,my later model has this and it's bearable then.
Diahatsu stuff is great,real tough but I wouldn't buy any 4x4's up your way as they've all worked hard and fetch good money,get down my way (Swansea) or even Llanelli if your less adventurous!!
The obvious choice is the Toyota hi lux but their major money and no good if you've got a family as anything cheap will be pick up style. Avoid surfs unless there's a solid receipt for the headwork on it as they crack easily on the 2.4td's.you'll notice this when you go looking as there's millions for sale far cheaper than the pick up version.
Pajeros,troopers,etc all good but just watch for things like a poor battery/alternator as their not cheap on 4x4's.they do tend to chug along pretty well though so don't let a lack of history put you off,it's how it drives really.
Carwise,a grand will get you 200+ Subaru horses for fun and these don't get stuck in the snow either,they love it!!!
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Dec 19, 2010 23:40:10 GMT
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I've been managing just fine with FWD and standard tyres.
They haven't gritted any of the roads round near me since this second lot of snow. The side roads are thick with snow, the main roads are covered with an inch or so of ice.
I may have drifted round a couple of roundabouts when no other cars were about...
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" East bound and down, loaded up and truckin' "
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Hirst
Posted a lot
This avatar is inaccurate, I've never shaved that closely
Posts: 3,930
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Dec 19, 2010 23:46:17 GMT
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I find this winter driving lark is more about scheduling than your vehicle choice (within reason!). Plan your journeys around predicted weather (24 hour forecasts tend to be fairly accurate) and especially bear in mind that it'll generally get colder when it gets dark. Think about how you're getting back as well as getting there - I've abandoned journeys on that basis. Be as flexible as possible and avoid any firm arrangements - stuff can get done when it gets done. 4x4s give traction and improved ground clearance, but they aren't a "Get Out Of Jail Free" card for winter - they don't make a downhill slope any less icy, stop someone else launching into the back of you or get through a road with a jackknifed lorry on it.
Another point I'd like to make is that no job in the world is worth smashing your car up for. Last winter I took a day out of my leave at short notice because very heavy snow was scheduled during the day - other staff weren't happy because they got in alright. After the weather turned, these people had extreme difficulties getting home and a few had to abandon their cars, with a fair amount of stories about nearly crashing - was it really worth it for one day of lousy office work?
I wish winter driving advice would concentrate on these aspects more than the actual driving. Some people just try to pretend it isn't there and change absolutely nothing in their lives - just get in their car like they would any other day, then complain when it doesn't work out. It isn't half as big a problem if you try to work around it. The whole thing would be a lot better for everyone if people would relax a bit and stop being caught up by the idea of things "grinding to a halt". It might make a few days not much fun, it might write some days off completely, but it always goes back to normal at some point. Apologies for the wordy post, but it gets my goat a bit.
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Dec 19, 2010 23:47:14 GMT
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Lampeter really is out in the sticks mind you,mid Wales,no motorways or even dual carriageways in that area!!!
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Dec 19, 2010 23:50:52 GMT
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picked this up on thursday, love it to bits, fully loaded too i have a little Honda HRV which has been amazing the last weeks, selling it now due to the disco arrival
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Rwd all the way. Here's a tip from the coach: I haven't seen a car with snow chains on a single time in my entire life btw.
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Last Edit: Dec 20, 2010 0:50:19 GMT by dude
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I have four wheel drive, it's just all four driven wheels are on the same axle......
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4x4's are only as good as the idiot behind the wheel. Our traffic lads have been weighing the work ones down with sandbags..... My advice to the media here has been "don't go up the mountains unless you live there, give plenty of stopping distance, don't cross 70mph, don't learn to drive this week........". My daily is a 1 litre Seat Arosa on coilovers and I drive it with manners, been ok so far. 4x4's my ar5e!
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Club Retro Rides Member
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For me getting out is not a matter of a day in the office or not. Its quite simple I have animals that depend on me that have to be fed. I cant just take the day off as the water dispensers have frozen so water needs carting, and the horses need feeding. At the moment its a 7 mile walk to do so. Lampeter really is out in the sticks but the lanes I have to go down are nigh on impassable. As I said in my first post I have seen tractors stuck. to give you a better idea these are the roads I'm talking about maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Llwyn-y-Groes,+Tregaron,+United+Kingdom&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=36.178967,86.572266&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Llwyn-y-Groes,+Tregaron,+United+Kingdom&t=h&z=14
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qwerty
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 2,416
Club RR Member Number: 52
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Is anyone else thinkingqwerty
@qwerty
Club Retro Rides Member 52
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I've been considering a 4x4 as well, but its just because I'm lazy. I think snow tyres on my steels instead of the 18's will probably be fine!
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RobinJI
Posted a lot
"Driven by the irony that only being shackled to the road could ever I be free"
Posts: 2,995
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I'm stuck at home how having had to take the day off work. I phoned in to say I don't think I'll be able to get there, and they said that the other guy who lives in my town didn't make it either as there was a jackknifed truck on one of the hills, so they'd been waiting for my call too. No big deal as it was only overtime anyway. On the other hand, I did see a standard newest shape celica driving up my road without issue.
I reckon if I really had to I could get about in the MX-5 still, but it's just not worth it for 7 hours of £5.95 per hour. I do feel bad though, as staff not getting into work means that kids bikes that are Christmas presents aren't going to get built, I just hope they can catch up once people are able to get in again.
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Dec 20, 2010 10:36:53 GMT
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So Paul, Forgetting the fact you're under the thumb from Mum/Sister/GF.....you are now stating that animals livelihoods are depenent on you getting to them when you currently can't because of the snow - and you're asking for our opinion?? What about the Discovery TD5 you said you owned in the other thread? What happens when you're back at Uni? Maybe sit down and work out how important this is to you. That means YOU, not your Mum, not your Sister, not your GF....work out how much you need a 4x4, how you are going to afford it, how you're going to afford to run it, how useful will it really be in the whole scheme of everything, not just now. I understand you're in a remote place, but rushing out to buy a 4x4 because "SWMBO" says so isn't the answer. The animals have survived so far (including the snow last year, year before) without this sudden need, so like I say.....sit down and think about your requirments, needs and affordability including long term I'm not having a go, but you just seem to be sending out mixed messages and I am just trying to get you to focus on what the core of this request is about.
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Lawsy
Posted a lot
Posts: 2,615
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Dec 20, 2010 10:43:40 GMT
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I have a 4x4 (well its a big RWD 95% of the time)
link in the signature
we didnt buy this for its 4x4 capabilities, nor the weather, I fancied a change from lowered small cars, so went up in the world and got the hilux
its been brilliant in the snow, better in the mud off road tho
as most have said, doesnt matter what you have or drive (unless is RWD with uber low profile tyres on) just take your time and be steady - nearly all main roads are clear
just don't (well try not to) spin up the wheels as you'll break traction and get stuck..
now my truck is 90% RWD i only 4wd if it really needs it, but as said above, 4wd is ok to get going and is less likely to get 'stuck' but once moving its just 2 tonne to try and stop isntead of 1..
most issues are people being over cautious on clear main roads, I got stuck behind a woman in a suzuki wagon R driving at 25 mph on a very clear (and normally 60mph) A road - where 45/50 would have been an acceptable speed for the conditions
the thing that annoys me most tho is peopel who don't clear their cars, huge snow piles on the roof either slide over yoru screen when braking or fly off the back - saw loads over the weekend..
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Dec 20, 2010 10:59:53 GMT
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if you cant afford to buy a 4x4 snow/winter tyres are worth their weight in gold! , i need my 4x4 for work so its a perk at the mo,
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Dec 20, 2010 11:01:40 GMT
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I'm using the bus or staying home as much as possible
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1941 Wolseley Not Rod - 1956 Humber Hawk - 1957 Daimler Conquest - 1966 Buick LeSabre - 1968 Plymouth Sport Fury - 1968 Ford Galaxie - 1969 Ford Country Squire - 1969 Mercury Marquis - 1970 Morris Minor - 1970 Buick Skylark - 1970 Ford Galaxie - 1971 Ford Galaxie - 1976 Continental Mark IV - 1976 Ford Capri - 1994 Ford Fiesta
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qwerty
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 2,416
Club RR Member Number: 52
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Is anyone else thinkingqwerty
@qwerty
Club Retro Rides Member 52
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Dec 20, 2010 11:08:17 GMT
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I'm using the bus or staying home as much as possible That is the best idea I think. Also for anyone considering one I had to help dig out an Impreza the other day. Because they're still normal car height it got beached on the buikd up of snow in the middle of the road and just spun all 4 wheels!
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Dec 20, 2010 11:09:41 GMT
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That discovery went because it was an absolute lemon and kept going wrong. Mum had that to do the animals with last year and even managed to do a 360 in that. This year things are different for one I'm no longer at uni but rather doing a hands on motorsport mechanics course at a local college in my spare time. At the moment I am paying through the nose to have the animals done for me untill I can get there. Ive been thinking along the lines of an old scubby or panda 4x4 type. Just for that extra bit of traction. The way it would be paid for would be selling the daily swmbos seat ibiza.
Part of the the want of a 4x4 and I'm sure other people are experiency similar thoughts of want is the shear number of series landys and other retro 4x4s about at the moment.
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