Time For Another Episode Of Winter Vs. Rear-Wheel-Drive Camaro
Posted by admin at 14 December 2017, at 15 : 55 PM
Winter is well and truly upon us. We know this because snow has literally fallen from the sky. What does this mean? Well, for those with kids, it means building below-par snowmen and pretending you’re fine with the fact you just got hit in the mouth with a tightly compacted snowball, while, for Camaro drivers, it means trying to remember how to navigate wintery conditions in a rear-wheel-drive car.
Yeah, the winter wonderland is here and it has brought the usual nightmare of ice, sleet, snow and freezing road conditions with it, just in time for when most people hit the interstates. Yipeee. Now, we know history shows you’ll end up on the phone to an automobile accident attorney at some stage, but what if you could avoid that this year? That would be nice, wouldn’t it? So, to help try and make this pipedream become a reality, we have pulled together a list of neat little tricks and tips some of our Camaro-driving readers have been sharing with us.
Good luck out there!
1. Put as much weight in the back of your Camaro as possible. We’re talking bags of sand, cinder blocks, roadkill, your in-laws, and just about anything else you can possibly think of. The more weight in the back the more traction you’ll have.
2. Resist the urge to dig a hole by going easy on the gas. Seriously. And, if possible, start your movement in second or third gear. Why? Because wheel spin is not your friend for the next four months.
3. Counter-steering needs to be thought about at every waking minute so that you are prepared for the moment your tail end slips out. So, starting today, repeat the words “counter-steer” when you wake up, while you brush your teeth, as you take a shower, on your commute to work and before bed alongside the Lord’s Prayer.
4. Go against all Camaro-driving instincts and drive defensively. That means holding the wheel a little lighter, taking your foot off the gas every time you have an inkling that you’re slipping and limit your braking to straight lines only – not while you are steering. That is a bad move all-round.
5. Braking distances need to be tripled at least, while your speed needs to be halved and more. This is a treacherous time of year, so drive with caution, keep distances big and make sure your lights are on so people can see you coming. If you do have a problem (and you might well have a problem – it’s the nature of the rear-wheel beast) be quick to hit your hazards so that people are aware.
6. Understand how the antilock brakes on your car work, what they do and how to not panic when they engage. This may seem like a nonsensical thing to say, but people panic the first few times they hear the noise of anti’s engaging. Trust us, caught on a road covered in black ice is not the ideal time to learn about how your car works.