Hi guys and girls,

I have a question about black ice. I know you cannot see the black ice, that is the reason why we crash.
But if I pay attention to the places that might would have black ice, and let go my gas paddel.
Since the wheel is not spinning by the engine or no extra power sending to the wheel.
would i just drive over the black ice without trouble?
Or the wheel will still spin and pull my car to one side and crash?

thanks,

Steven

How long have you lived in Topeka?

if you are just coasting you should be in a better shape. Neutral is ideal, so if you have a manual, push the clutch in, decelerating might effect it...

Here's how I see it.
As long as you aren't turning and don't need to turn and aren't going to turn, black ice will not affect you if you are just going straight
oh and of course, if you don't need to brake you should be fine too

Basically don't turn or brake when on black ice

i was always told to floor it and swerve[rofl]

^
yep, make sure to swerve in the direction you are sliding...... its best to go for the 360.....

haha, indeed. And film it for [:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)] purposes

breaking is what gets most people. as long as you are going a steady speed and not breaking or turning too sharply, you should be fine

sorry for the miss spelling there. was focusing on too many things at once. braking* (not breaking haha)

It's almost like if you find yourself hydroplaning- just let it coast. Anything else will upset the car.

This time of year, I assume nothing on the road- if it's wet, it might be black ice (til the temps rise).

Becareful in shaded areas in the morning and don't panic or do anything violent with the steering or brakes.

I don't get why people think black ice is invisible. They're shiny patches on the road that magically appear when the outside temperature is at or below freezing.... THERE YA GO!!! Black ice!

There is no standard procedure to dealing with 'em unfortunately, since they can form in uneven patches. That's why even the most seasoned truck drivers still get themselves into trouble when they hit it. But generally yeah... don't overcompensate or jerk the wheel quickly or accelerate/brake hard. You risk spinning out, or if you turn the wheels at too steep of an angle your car will just keep rolling forward like it's resting on blocks of ice.

At least that's how I've managed to keep alive and accident-free so far. I actually miss NOT having ABS. I trust pumping my own brakes more, rather than slamming the brake pedal down and praying for the car to steer in the direction I want.

^ obvisouly its not invisible, or else it would be called invisible ice....

when in doubt all out.

oh and of course, if you don't need to brake you should be fine too

Basically don't turn or brake when on black ice

Same goes for lifting off the throttle, the engine compression will decelerate the car as if you were braking and most likely induce a skid.

If its manual trans hit the clutch and just coast, auto trans might be tricky, but if you could, just pop it in neutral.

Unfortunately, if you hit black ice on a curve, there is nothing you can do but wait for the inevitable impact...[xx(]

Another important thing to remeber is that if you hit black ice on a straight section of road, DO NOT turn the wheel to try and steer away from it. The car will keep going striaght anyway, but when you pass the black ice, the wheels will regain some grip, and you will change direction rapidly, and probably spin.

Hit the clutch/select neutral, leave the wheel pointed in the direction the vehicle is travelling, and stay off the throttle and brakes. (With autotrans might be OK to keep in gear and just try to match your throttle to the speed you are travelling)

When you clear the black ice, be prepared to take some action quickly to apply the brakes or turn in a very short distance, unless you have a prefectly straight road in front of you.

How long have you lived in Topeka?

5 years, but only like 3-4 times snow!!
I am from Hong Kong, so never drove in snow before.
and now i am in Europe, and with a lot of snow... curves and no street lights
that doesn't help either.

^ obvisouly its not invisible, or else it would be called invisible ice....

LOL and second that !![rofl]

Guys and girls, thanks for the reply.
i have to go to work and i will read more and make some replys
and may have a few more questions.

so please stay in tune on this post!!

black ice IS invisible in shadows.
as for going stragit it can still give you a run for your money even if your coasting and the wheels are pointed stragit. if the road is less than straight itll move a bit.

i remember hittling lback ice in my moms f-150 when i was 12. we slid across a 4 lane road *more like an all out drift. cuz both back tires hit the patch at different times, this was a 2wd truck with a limited slip (installed by my mom no less) we blew into the ditch turned toward the road and almost made it back due to no weight in the bed and street tires. funny thing was we wre around 5 blocks from my grnadma's house and it delayed our arrival by 45 minutes.

i was always told to floor it and swerve[rofl]

Not forgetting to lift the handbrake too. [neener]

Bridge decks and under passes are good places you'll probably encounter black ice. You'll be going along and suddenly your tac will spike. Fun stuff.

This is where I thank my parents from making me learn to slide cars. My family owns a trucking company so I had a big lot to practice in. They had me start with a RWD truck, and learn to slide it with the engine, and keep it under control. Then they put me in a Cavalier, and had me practice with that. Handbrake then power on, and control the slide. Now when the back end comes out on me for no reason, I just go with it.

This is where I thank my parents from making me learn to slide cars. My family owns a trucking company so I had a big lot to practice in. They had me start with a RWD truck, and learn to slide it with the engine, and keep it under control. Then they put me in a Cavalier, and had me practice with that. Handbrake then power on, and control the slide. Now when the back end comes out on me for no reason, I just go with it.

Lucky you. i wish i had chance to do that, i think that is life saving.
can you tell me how it can be control and slide?

and i have a question, when it is an Auto car. at high speed, putting it to N, will it do any damage to the tranny?

so the best way to encounter the black ice is not turning the wheel unless you really have to, IE sliding to the ditch. keep the wheel spinning the same speed without going faster or slower. no brakes. and pray....[headbang]

Lucky you. i wish i had chance to do that, i think that is life saving.
can you tell me how it can be control and slide?

and i have a question, when it is an Auto car. at high speed, putting it to N, will it do any damage to the tranny?

so the best way to encounter the black ice is not turning the wheel unless you really have to, IE sliding to the ditch. keep the wheel spinning the same speed without going faster or slower. no brakes. and pray....[headbang]

I definitely wouldn't put it in neutral. You never know if you might have to speed up again for any reason. It also wouldn't hurt to apply A LITTLE throttle if you still find yourself going in the same direction. FWD cars can be tricky that way. Some people even suggest alternating between brake and throttle LIGHTLY (but NOT both at the same time).

Honestly the best way you'll find out how your car behaves is by taking it to an empty parking lot without any curbs or light poles to crash into. A LOT of empty space. Induce moderate slides and see if you can regain control through a number of methods. There's no better way to deal with the situation unless you have previous experience.

that is bad, space is what Europe doesn't have...
and is black ice normally comes in a big patch or a small patch?
i think it will be fine running into black ice on straight.

but how will you guys encounter the black ice on a curve?

always be cautious when it's around freezing and the roads look wet. FWD cars will push with wheel spin and I think are harder to save the RWD. But never drive hard if you think there is any. A good way to learn how to control a situation is to drive in a slick empty parking lot and learn what your car does and how it reacts. I'm very comfortable on bad roads now

always be cautious when it's around freezing and the roads look wet. FWD cars will push with wheel spin and I think are harder to save the RWD. But never drive hard if you think there is any. A good way to learn how to control a situation is to drive in a slick empty parking lot and learn what your car does and how it reacts. I'm very comfortable on bad roads now

Yep, that's what I did. With RWD you can create oversteer with power. With FWD you create understeer with throttle, oversteer with the hand brake. I have used the hand brake on a few occasions to avoid the ditch, but I wouldn't suggest it unless you are comfortable with it.