In message 20101123233701.1425125d@surya, Mike Causer
writes
On Tue, 23 Nov 2010 22:43:54 +0000
Peter Thomas wrote:

His vehicle - is it the Z4, the sporty BMW closed two-seater? He managed
a rueful grin. Presumably has a steep drive or lives out where the
council don't grit.

BMWs are have notoriously bad traction in slippery conditions. And the
preceding Z3 I borrowed for a weekend lurched all over the place in the
dry on anything but ultra-smooth tarmac. Horrible thing.

The one of my sons [a physicist, he went into engineering, not finance ]
reports city-types who have much cash but typically zero prior
experience of rear-wheel-drive cars typically stuffing Z3s into the
scenery on country roads.

I could be biased because I have owned more Lotus cars than all other
makes put together,

Lucky you.

but I have managed to get a front-drive Audi on
summer tyres around a track ploughed out on a frozen lake faster than
the quickest BMW 320 on winter tyres and studs at a BMW club event ;-)))

Seems reasonable. Still glad I switched from the FWD Golf-based Skoda
Octavia to the Subaru estate. All-wheel drive and enough power is so
much easier generally than under-powered FWD.


So, Santiago, a couple of skid-pan driving lessons will cost the same
and last longer than winter tyres. Unless you have a BMW or anything
else with semi-trailing-arm rear suspension, (some TVR, rwd Fords, etc)
in which case get the skid-pan lessons *and* winter tyres.


Or do as I did and stick the car on the front lawn for the duration and
walk when possible. The unexpected and urgent expedition to London was
sensible at the Surrey end, but memorable for very icy north London
back-streets and, much more frightening, the London drivers on them.

It ain't you, necessarily, it's the other idiots.



--
Peter Thomas