hows your bx in the snow

[jacksun1987]

Aboiut the pumping up.
It taken a long time this morning againe. But when i set of from work it was fine. Ill see what happperns tomorrow. Ill check the level as well. When i can get it right uplol.
Ohh ya i went to the scarp yard today. I got a new cap to fit where the fluid goes. Becase mines bit dogy getting on. I got one from a xantia. It had a pipe on the end of it. Whats the pipe for. Where does the pipe go onto.

[scarecrow]

Paul - it sounds as if your driving skills may match your linguistic abilities! Using the handbrake is not a safe alternative to using your foot brake appropriately.

If your front wheels lock up under braking you lose the ability to steer. In this situation you should repeatedly dab your brakes which will at least give you some directional control as well as slowing you down. You should also head for loose snow if you are skidding on ice as you will stop more quickly on loose or snow or rough ice.

Drive slowly and smoothly and gently.

Remember, it's not just your life that you are responsible for. There is no shame in leaving your car and walking if you do not feel confident with the conditions.

[jacksun1987]

Yep should drive a bit better in the snow. I cant run away from it becase i have to drive to work. The handbreak thing works when you going slow. Try it lol.
I suppose it dosent matter what car you have. On ice

[Way2go]

Aboiut the pumping up.
It taken a long time this morning againe. But when i set of from work it was fine. Ill see what happperns tomorrow.

It's likely that your HP Pump belt is not tightened to the right tension on the pulleys and is slipping more easily in this cold/wet/icy weather. The belt needs to be VERY VERY tight.

[electrokid]

I suppose it dosent matter what car you have. On ice

I won't take the Granada out on ice - 150 brake horsepower at one end and all the brakes at the other

[MULLEY]

POWAH SLIDING

[kiwi]

POWAH SLIDING

That reminded me of an incident back in the september dump I endured!
It snowed during the friday evening then cleared to picture perfect blue sky Saturday! Only it also dropped to minus 8 and turned the lower level rain to bullet proof black ice!

630am victim number 1 fell off the road on there way to the white gold recreation facility (ski area), 8am victim 2 overtook a Bus further up the road resulting in highways calling it to dangerous to drive because of the "IDIOTS" all wanting to go sking. I can drive these roads any time of the year and see bugga all cars maybe 1 per km of road seal on a busy day! But this day there was closer to 1,000 heading to the snow stuck behind road blocks when it takes 90 minutes to to a 15 minute drive because of traffic you know its busy

Anyways when the road was closed because of the second accident, the road guys let me through because of the overalls I had on the first leg was a dead straight we call it 2 mile straight because it is yes 2 miles long.

Ahead of me was a Police Car gingerly treading along when I drew alongside he commented on how slippery it was and yes everytime he touched the accelerator no mattter how gentle it would spin! Good time for Police Pursuit I thought he had no chance

Thats what you get though when you Drive high powered Holden Commodores more suited for a racetrack on an Icey road

The BX Ruled!!! However the owner was more than willing to spend 2 minutes flicking on some snow chains if things looked dicey

[Stinkwheel]

My BX is great in the snow, being white, you loose it, then it fails to work and just sits and drips lovely green LHM in the snow. I really must fix it.

[electrokid]

POWAH SLIDING

More a case of not so much weight on the back end for traction, and no power to the front wheels to affect steering. I do remember one winter drifting gently towards a milkfloat - going in a straight line despite being on full lock - and not being able to do a damn thing about it apart from selecting reverse and flooring it

[Mothman]

My part of E Sussex is now in chaos because of the snow. There are crashed cars, abandoned vehicles and vans on their sides within a mile of me. Took the BX out to see how good it is compared to my L200 and ime afraid its crap in the snow. Just went to the end of the lane and barely made it back. The L200 did not miss a beat whereas the BX was all over the place.
Ile never never try that again, quite frightening driving the BX in it. So, anyone who thinks the BX is a 4x4 on steroids think again. It wont beat a 4x4 on snow. I suspect the BX4x4 is probably not much better.
I feel very sorry for all the 1000s of people around here who are now going to have a horrible if not bloody dangerous time getting home tonight.
The BX just dosnt do it very well in the snow and anyone who thinks its a wondercar in such situations, well, must come from the land of the long white cuckoo cloud.

Andy

[mat_fenwick]

I have to agree with you Andy - I've been to work today in the BX whilst my wife took the Discovery. I think the BX isn't bad as 2wd cars go, it is light so a larger proportion of the weight is over the driving wheels. Also, the height adjustment helps, but not enough as you can see below!



However, even with chains on I was losing traction on some of the climbs. We then went out in the Disco (as we were out of bread), which has fairly chunky tyres and that was a lot better. Not invincible by any means so you shouldn't be lulled into a false sense of security, but we only lost traction once and that was when we went through a drift and the snow piled up in front on the bumper!
Managed to tow someone else up the hill after they had been stuck for 4 hours, not fun.

[scarecrow]

It's true. My Rangey was formidable in the snow, but not invincible.

Edit: That is 'proper' snow you have there Mat. The first time I got cut-off I was so excited. I really miss proper snow.

[Mothman]

Impressive picture Mat.

the snow here in Sussex is nowhere near as deep but it sure has caused a problem. I certainly would never have attempted such depth in my BX. In fact my Mazda with its traction control and front wheel drive is much better than the BX in snow.
However i have experienced snow build up under L200 which lifted the front wheels off the ground in the past so am well aware of my abilities when its too deep.
BX may be better than a lot of 2wd vehicles in snow but there are many more modern ones that are better. Many worse too.
I wont be using mine again in such conditions as ime lucky to also have a 4wd.

Andy

[kiwi]

The BX just dosnt do it very well in the snow and anyone who thinks its a wondercar in such situations, well, must come from the land of the long white cuckoo cloud.

Every car has its limits but the real test is the drivers confidence and ability to drive it in those conditions and know the point where it is time to give up and seek an alternative.
The type and depth of snow makes a differance! The higher the moisture content the more dense the snow and heavier.
I guess I got an advantage over what I used to drive my BXs in as to being able to make a choice of driving into trouble or moving away from it with the higher in altitude I go the worse the snow will get situation.

My Korean Opel Astra was a beast in the snowy conditions but then the comfort of a pair of snow chains and the knowledge that heading in one direction can improve the conditions to drive in and it wont last to far is comforting enough.

[Oscar]

Took the ZX out this evening for a few moments with its new Bridgestone A001s on. I "chose" these as they were the only winter tyres I could find in the country last week. Some improvement on the snow and the compacted snow/ice. I slid it once but that was when overpowering into a corner and yanking the steering wheel. They bit nicely and straightened me up as soon as I got off the pedal. I'm glad I put them on.