Re: [DML] When to pull over?

[Joe Angell <jangell@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> Some drivers can't handle the snow. I've heard one person say that  
> he drove
> his DeLorean once when it was snowing. Drove a couple of miles and  
> spun out.
> Waited a few minutes to calm the nerves and drove the car back home  
> very
> very slowly. I, on the other hand believe that the DeLorean is one  
> of the
> best cars on snow. I love it and really enjoy driving it when it's
> snowing....

I drive mine year round, and until recently I lived in northern  
Vermont within a few miles of a ski resort, so we got a lot of snow.   
I even have snow tires, but that is no guarantee of traction (but  
they are nice to have).

I've lost control three times.  Twice was driving too fast for the  
conditions, although both times I somehow managed to recover without  
crashing my car or leaving the road (I try to drive less stupidly now).

The third time I was driving in the middle of the night on the  
highway when it started to lightly snow.  This didn't seem like a big  
deal, but since it was becoming hard to find the edges of the road  
and the lines were already obscured, I was driving carefully and  
under the speed limit.  As I went around a gentle curve to the right,  
the car started spinning to the left.  I took my foot off the gas and  
corrected, and but that just caused it to spin right.  A few seconds  
later I was driving backwards down the highway (which stalled the  
engine), finally sliding off the left side of the road.  I turned the  
wheel the other way, thinking I might be able to spin around and away  
from the right hand guardrail; instead, the car car slid sideways off  
the road and came to an abrupt stop at maybe 5 MPH, pointed back  
toward the highway.

Luckily there was no guard rail on the left side, and the there was  
no damage to the car beyond some sod jammed between the bumper and  
the left tailpipe, which very slightly bent the tailpipe down.   
Turned the key and it started right up.  Had to rock it once to get  
traction, and then it drive right back onto the highway.  I have a  
picture of the car with sideways tire tracks in the snow now, too.

I had no incidents the rest of the way home.  I still have no idea  
why the car spun in the fist place, as I was driving under the speed  
limit and rather carefully given the fresh snow covering the highway  
and continued snowfall.  Very odd.  Oh well.

I have found I can spin the tires out pretty easily on snow or loose  
sand, like at intersection of a dirt road to a paved one.  It's easy  
enough to avoid if you go slowly.  When I got the car it had older  
tires that were horrible with even a slightly wet road, causing the  
tires to lock and the car to skid.  Replacing them with good all- 
weather tires helped immensely (I got Michelin Pilots).

I'd like some faster windshield wipers, though.  In heavy rain at  
highway speeds (meaning, keeping up with traffic) the wipers are too  
slow even at the high setting to maintain reasonable visibility.  I'm  
guessing I can't just upgrade the wiper control module to boost that,  
but rather I'd have to find a way to replace the motor with a faster  
one.  Maybe someday...

-- Joe




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