How Can I Confront The Winter Challenges With My Rear Wheel Drive (RWD) Cars?

Winter drive is easy in front or four-wheel vehicles, but what about the vehicles driven on rear-wheels? You know that RWD cars are extremely challenging on snow as the rear wheels obtain power from the engine; otherwise, they have far better high-speed handling than FWD cars. The drive wheels are in the rear for RWD cars, while the engine’s weight is in the front, and this technique of weight distribution hinders a safe drive on slick roads. With the help of the below-given dos and don't s, you can make your RWD drive safe and efficient:

Say ‘yes’ to:

1. Burdening your rear wheels: Loading your vehicle’s back gives more power to the rear axles which result in better grip on snow and ice conditions.

2. Make Your Car a Bit Wintery: Like you, your car also needs to dress up for winters. Properly equip your car with a set of all-season or winter tyres, sturdy ice scraper and snow brush, shovel, gloves and blanket, emergency flares or reflectors, rock salt, sand, or kitty litter, first aid kit, extra windshield washer fluid, and other winter essentials. Do not forget to dress your summer tyres in winter socks and chains (for deeper snow) if you have no plans to switch to winter tyres.

3. Honest Practice: Practice makes a man perfect. To get a good hold on your RWD vehicle, enrol yourself for winter weather driving class in your location. You will learn various car control techniques that will certainly prove to be extremely useful in winter driving conditions.

4. Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS): ABS helps in maintaining a tractive contact with the road surfaces by allowing you to steer your vehicle when slowing down. It functions by stopping the wheels from getting locked during braking.

5. Throttle Trail Through Corners: For obtaining increased traction on corners, it’s advisable to shift some weight to the front wheels by easing off the gas before the corner starts.

6. Thinking Ahead: It’s easier to drive on familiar areas than the unknown places as you cannot anticipate what hazard is waiting for you around every corner. Being proactive and careful is the only solution to overcome the unexpected risks.

Say ‘No’ to:

1. Need For Speed: Starting your journey with extra time in hand is necessary for controlled steering and smooth braking on snowy or icy roads. When on slopes carry your vehicle with an appropriate amount of momentum required till you reach the top, and as you reach there taper off the throttle and take a halt gently. Be careful when heading down the hilltop; scrubbing off much speed is not possible in the direction of gravitational force. Use your common sense and strike a balance between traction and momentum while tackling with slippery hills.

2. Aggressive Acceleration: Snow and ice make the surface slithery and accelerating your car aggressively can cause oversteer slide in an RWD car. This situation can break traction at the driven wheels, and you will end up moving in the direction you don’t want to.

3. Delay In Regaining From Wheel spin: In a situation of wheel spin or lost traction control, instead of flooring the throttle, start releasing the gas and then smoothly re-apply. To achieve maximum grip, the engine speed and throttle need to be as minimum as possible. Low gears make most diesel engines cruise happily even without throttle.

4. Raising Torque At The Wheels: Higher gears minimise the wheel spin possibilities by lowering down the torque at the driven wheels. So, when ascending a slippery hill, keep gear-switching evenly and try to use the highest empirical gear at all times.

5. Instant Driver Inputs: Use your manoeuvres in a controlled and smooth manner. Gently steer, switch gear, accelerate, and brake, without needlessly overburdening your tyres to gain maximum grip and safety. Limit your brakes usage in case you don’t have ABS in your car for active steering.

It is your and your vehicle’s combined efforts that make your winter drive successful. I am not saying that you can’t do without winter tyres, but they make a remarkable difference when fitted to your rear wheel drive car. Buying winter Tyres Solihull is quite tough with so many options available in the market, but trust me it becomes easier when you choose an unfeigned seller like Wythall Tyre. You need not to worry about prices here, as we keep them most competitive and reasonable. No buyer can resist herself/himself from buying a set of winter tyres. So, feel delighted and confident about your purchase at solihull’s one of the first-rated tyre retailers.