It's that time of year, when thing get slippery on the roads. I love driving in slippery conditions but apparently most people don't. So, what follows is a quick primer for those of you who don't disable the traction control as soon as the roads are covered in snow.

"Slippery conditions" can mean all kinds of things. When we're racing, it's usually rain but sometimes dirt or gravel thrown up onto the track. Lately, around here it's been snow and/or ice. Even if you're not racing--not trying to go fast--driving in slippery conditions can be tricky. A couple weeks ago, we had an ice storm. I ventured out (had to go to Lowe's!) and, because of the traffic back-ups on the main roads, took a back way, a mile or so of which was through a subdivision.

While the main roads were quite passable thanks to salt or whatever it is they put on the roads these days, the subdivision had not had the benefit of any such de-icing concoctions. It was, literally, sheer ice even though the road pretty much looked the same as the other roads.

The first hint that things are getting slippery usually comes from either your hands or your eyes. It's often easy to see the slippery parts. You can see standing water on the road, for instance. Also, snow and, usually, ice. When it's raining, you can see differences in the surface. The slicker spots are almost always shinier than those with more grip. Visual clues abound, but they aren't always available.

The moment I got onto the ice in that subdivision, I couldn't see any difference but immediately knew it was slippery because I could feel it in my fingers and in my butt. When things get slick, the wheel gets easier to turn and, usually, there's less vibration--in both the wheel and the car in general. You go from your car feeling like, well, your car, and then suddenly it feels...smoother.

Smoother, in this sense, is slippery. Beware.

The thing is, you have to pay attention to the clues. In these days of mostly front- and four-wheel drive cars, it's very easy to be going a lot faster than you should on slippery roads. Rear-drive cars are harder to drive straight ahead on slick surfaces because the rear tires are more likely to spin and make the tail slide. Even a ham-handed driver can figure out that things are getting slippery when they're looking down the road through the side window.

Rear-wheel drive cars give bigger clues, but F/4WD cars--which most cars are these days--don't. You may not notice any control difference in these cars or trucks until you need to turn or stop (at which point it's too late to adjust your speed much).

When you know it's slippery, you need to pay a lot more attention. You need to monitor more inputs than you do in normal driving. You need to feel and look for clues. Hang up the phone. You'll find that the lighter you hold the steering wheel, the more you can feel what's happening at the tires.

When we race in the rain, I hold the wheel with just my fingertips. Also, I'm also constantly looking for the places with more traction. In moderate rain, the best place to be in any particular corner can change with every lap. The only way to go truly fast, then, is to keep searching and adjusting.

While you may not be trying to lower the lap record on your way back from Kroger's, the same thing is true on the street. When it's slippery you should be paying attention and constantly looking for higher-traction places to put your car on while, at the same time, watching for the idiots who don't know what they're doing.

Good luck out there.

1. Jerry Carter01/08/2009 12:58:16 PM

One of the things I miss most about MI in winter is the ample snow covered roads. Loads of fun. I wintered in Grand Rapids with an '86 Pontiac Fiero - LOVED ice and snow in that little go-cart. Also, something that environment has more of than we ever get here - temps below 18F. Somewhere below this magic number, the air is cold enough for you to sort of freeze to the ice, making traction a bit better.

Here's how I understand it: the weight of your tires on the ice melts a thin layer as you travel, making a fluid lubricating layer. This is how glaciers move - on a sub millimeter layer of water, made possible due to the heat created by pressure. For your tires, this makes an icy road as slick or slicker than a rainy road. But, if things are cold enough, this melting is very short lived or things are just too cold for it to occur - and traction is a fair sight better.

Great tips, Scott. I'd add - relax. You're more likely to over steer and lose control when you are tensed up. If you do start to fish tail, just keep the steering wheel pointed in the direction you want to go and resist the urge to over compensate. You may slide out of your lane a little but you wont spin out of control if you keep the wheel and your nerves under control.

2. LongliveLotus01/08/2009 01:25:07 PM

It gets QUIETER too, so your ears should tell you this when on ice - the normal ambient noise from your car will change

3. Scott Good01/08/2009 02:02:32 PM
Homepage: http://www.scottgood.com

Great suggestions, both. Definitely quieter.

And Jerry, you're right, if the rear starts sliding, point the steering wheel where you want to go but also, and just as important, don't abruptly left off the gas. When you let off the gas, weight transfers forward (like braking, but a bit less so), which removes weight and traction from the rear tires, making them slide more. Sometimes, MORE power is better than less when the rear end is sliding (sometimes that's a really bad idea, though, too).

4. Jerry Carter01/08/2009 02:06:12 PM

I just realized I was wrong about the glacier, partially - pressure doesn't necessarily create heat - water expands when it freezes, and is forced to a liquid state when compressed - sort of melted, but you can have liquid water below freezing just by adding pressure.

5. Richard Schwartz01/08/2009 11:41:45 PM
Homepage: http://www.poweroftheschwartz.com

The key lesson my dad taught me for snow and ice driving, and which I passed on to my daughter a couple of years ago now, was "no sudden movements". Don't turn, accelerate or brake hard, because an imbalance in traction can be amplified faster than you can get feedback to react to. Even a very slight turn can be done too suddenly and start a chain reaction of slips that get you in trouble. So just take it easy with everything. Of course, with ABS, sudden braking is now the right thing to do in some situations, but if you go by the "no sudden movements" rule you're less likely to be in those situations in the first place. I really like your suggestion about a light touch on the wheel, because in addition to improving your feel its also going to help you avoid any sudden steering.

6. Scott Good01/09/2009 07:20:03 AM
Homepage: http://www.scottgood.com

Hi Rich,

That's a great tip. "No sudden movements" should be the primary theme for every driving lesson in every situation, but it's even more important when things get slippery.

I spent more time than I'd like to admit last year studying the on-line in-car videos of the guys I race with (literally, competitive intelligence) and one of the first things you notice is that the faster the driver is, the smoother and more gentle his (or her) inputs are.

The slow guys look like they are working hard and really pushing the car while the guys who are lapping several seconds faster look like they're on a cool-down lap.

My Dad's advice along a similar line came one of the first I'd ever driven on a highway. We were heading out of town in his 911 (which has very direct steering) and he looked over after a while and said, "Don't steer it; just think where you want to go and it will go there." I'll be damned if it didn't work. While, of course, you really do have to do some steering, if you think where you want to go in most decent cars, you will go there...and relatively smoothly, to boot.

Scott

7. Melissa Snell01/14/2010 11:22:07 AM

Read "The art of racing in the rain" - you'll love it!

After the snow in the UK over the last week have come to the conclusion that no-one can drive in slippery conditions over here!

8. Scott Good01/14/2010 12:20:47 PM
Homepage: http://www.scottgood.com

Hi Melissa,

Funny you should mention that. I'm heading out tomorrow for Orlando (and Lotusphere) with a brand new copy of The art of racing in the rain, bought just yesterday, in my bag.

Very much looking forward to it!

Scott