Driving in the snow automatic?

Question

my car is a automatic

when im driving in the snow do i drive in 1st of 2nd

Answer 1

You drive in the normal everyday gear (drive), a vehicle cannot slow down and stop rapidly.

Remember, everything slows down. On dry roads, automobiles depend upon their brakes to reduce their speed and fiction between the tires and the road to reduce their momentum and stop.

On snow-covered roads there is significantly less fiction between the tires and the road, and therefore it takes longer for the vehicle to lose its momentum and come to a complete stop thus putting it in a lower gear could result in less traction.

Answer 2

your car is automatic,  let it work properly.    the biggest changes you need to make for driving in the snow is to slow down,   brake earlier and slower,  and leave more following distance.    

Put your car in drive and leave it alone.    The exception here is if you are stopping and the engine is pushing the car in a skid.   Slip it into neutral to take the engine out of the equation then.

Answer 3

you may use either to get going. but doing so only limits how far your auto can shift

it limits the transmission from shifting into a higher gear

Answer 4

i always start off in 1st gear, then go onto 2nd gear as long as there is traction. If your engine is revving too much, then you'd better shift to the next gear. 3rd gear is fine if you can get that high. just remember to be safe and don't slam on your brakes or make any sudden jerks on the steering wheel. If you happen to slip, go in the direction of the car. i.e.- if you start going towards the right, steer to the right, don't slam on the brakes and hope for best. going slow is the best bet.

Answer 5

While your car is in "Drive", just coming off the brake from a stop will allow your car to move forward slowly. When approaching an icy(slippery) intersection and coming to a stop, shifting into "Neutral" just as you stop, will disconnect your transmission (gears) from the drive wheel and your vehicle will naturally slow down.

Then putting your car into 1st gear, coming off the brake, and not using the accelerator will cause your car to move forward slower, and as you pass the icy patch at the intersection, you can then shift up through 2nd and into "Drive" and begin to accelerate gently. As an added note, if you are coming to a stop on a very icy surface, you can usually move slightly towards the curb (if in the curb lane) to allow one of your tires to grab some snow to help you stop.

Winter driving certainly requires additional skills. You could also take a winter driving lesson from your local driving school.

They would provide you with a lot of tips which will keep you safer on the roads in winter (provided you practice them....lol)

Answer 6

Normally you can just use drive. If the roads are super bad you should use 2nd gear. 2nd gear will make it easier to take off without the car squirming everywhere which usually happens to cars that have thin tire walls. After like 25 MPH though (like when you go on the highway) you will have to put the car back in drive. Don't use 1st gear because it will make the car too snappy and too hard to control. I live in upstate NY where the snow can get bad at times. I have driven almost every type of vehichle you can buy in the snow, my experience has taught me that you want to use 2nd gear.

Answer 7

There is no problem driving in the snow in full automatic.  I've been doing it ever since I learned to drive 31 years ago.  Just don't stomp on the gas when the light turns green.  Start out slow enough to not spin your tires.  You do know that Automatic starts in first gear, right?

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Answer 8

If there's not much traction, you could start in second gear. That'll make it much harder to spin the wheels, and can really be helpful.