Just because Land Rovers are designed to cope with tough terrains and adverse conditions doesn’t mean you can charge in and tackle them without a bit of forethought and caution.
Among the trickiest situations, you can find yourself in is navigating snowy roads or plains, especially at night or in locations you haven’t traversed before. Here are some general tips to bear in mind for when you’re next out tackling the winter cold.
Speed
The lower your speed, the more grip you have. This rule of thumb is worth bearing in mind at all times, as you never know when you’ll have to brake or quickly turn, the former being particularly pertinent as braking times can be as much as 10 times higher in slippery conditions. It’s worth giving your car a quick brake every now and again when you have the space to do so, as it allows you to know what sort of timespan you’ll have in case of an emergency. If that ever does happen and the wheels start to skid, lightly depress the accelerator and release the brake pedal, allowing yourself to regain control as soon as possible.
Settings
A low range setting will enable your torque and engine braking capabilities to be spread more evenly across the car’s wheels.
You’ll notice the difference in grip when you try this. As for gears, using the highest one possible should keep wheel spin to a minimum, which in turn will keep a lot of slush out of your tyre treads. Automatic gearboxes can make life easier as they are less likely to break traction and apply power more gradually than their manual counterparts.
Focus
Much of your safety comes down to paying attention and looking out for what’s ahead, especially for deep snow and water obstacles.
Turning the radio off and keeping an ear out for noises outside are all sensible precautions to take. On top of that, generally being steady and smooth with all of your movements is paramount – sudden, quick motions will only end up causing more trouble.
If you’d like to find out more about driving a Land Rover in tough terrain, then contact us at our CWS 4×4 today.