DirtFish began life as a rally school located near Seattle, Washington USA in 2010 with the goal of making the sport of rallying accessible to the public.
Since then, we have taught thousands of people from around the world how to properly drive Subaru WRX STI and BRZ rally cars.
While we have grown into a rally-focused media website, the school is still at our core with the goal of educating people in an exciting way. We will continue to provide this education at our headquarters in the USA as well as online.
Expect to see articles and videos focused on driving tips and tricks, rallying history, automotive technical pieces, maintenance and so much more.
To get us started, here are some tips from us on winter driving.
DirtFish Senior Instructors are here to provide answers to some of the most common questions regarding winter driving. Do you have a question we didn’t answer? Send it to info@dirtfish.com. We will get it answered for you!
Are there a lot of differences with driving techniques when driving in snow, ice or rain? How do the techniques you use differ or how are they the same?
Lead Instructor, Nate Tennis says:
The best analogy is to think about confronting these conditions as if you were walking on a sidewalk- if you walk in the rain you have less traction than if you’re walking on a dry sidewalk. If there’s snow, you have even less traction and it’s easier to slip and fall. With ice, you’re almost guaranteed to slip! If a person were running, to not slip and fall they’ll (hopefully) run slower in the rain, probably only walk in the snow, and tiptoe in the ice.
This is the same for your car, except that you’re doing 60 miles per hour… so it’s easy to see why accidents can happen. Snow, ice, and rain are all conditions that limit the amount of traction a tire has. This means that regardless of which slippery condition a tire is in, the result will always mean that they will not be able to stop, turn, or accelerate as well as if the road is dry. So the same thought process used to walk down a sidewalk should be applied to driving in each respective condition.
What do you think the three most important elements of safe winter driving are and why?
Slow down
First and foremost, slow down. Slippery conditions increase the amount of time and distance it takes to stop and/or slow down. There is less available traction for your car to stop, turn, and accelerate, so any inputs while on snow and/or ice will take much longer than even in the rain. Slowing down allows time to process situations, reduces a vehicle’s tendency to continue straight, and if nothing else, limits how long it takes to stop.
Leave extra room
As we all know, driving in slippery conditions is unpredictable. If we know that it takes longer to slow down, then we also know that it doesn’t leave a lot of room to stop or turn. If we approach an intersection or follow a car at the same distance that we would in the dry, we don’t leave ourselves the option of slowing, stopping, or turning if the unexpected happens.
Don’t panic
For most drivers, if a slide happens it’s often an unpleasant experience (unless you’re at DirtFish, we love it!). This causes a situation of either “freezing” or overreacting, and unfortunately, neither typically ends well. By remaining calm, a driver is able to think clearer and find ways to fix the situation rather than make things worse. But ultimately the best situation is to not get into trouble in the first place by following the first two recommendations.
What is the difference between four-wheel drive and all-wheel drive?
Both of these terms refer to a vehicle that has the ability to have all four wheels powered by the engine. When vehicles with four driven wheels were less common, the two terms were used frequently to mean the same thing. What has become the industry standard is that a four-wheel drive vehicle can be switched out of four driven wheels to only two (like a truck), while all-wheel drive is a vehicle where the engine permanently drives all four wheels, and it is not possible for the driver to select only two driven wheels. So trucks can or have to be put into four-wheel drive with a switch, button or lever, while in an all-wheel drive vehicle, the engine is always driving all four wheels.
Someone told me to put sandbags in the trunk of my Toyota Camry to add weight. What would that do?
That would make the trunk heavy… and that’s about it. There are two possibilities: the first is a “technique” from the days when the majority of cars were rear-wheel drive, and adding weight in the trunk gave more traction over the rear tires. A Toyota Camry has front-wheel drive, so this doesn’t help. If anything, one could argue that sand in the trunk could remove weight (and therefore traction) from the front of the car and actually reduce driving capabilities in slippery conditions. If this was a rear wheel drive car, it could theoretically help since it does add more weight over the tires that power the car. It still isn’t as good as having snow tires or driving safely in general!
Do I really need different tires for the winter months? Why won’t my all seasons work?
Senior Instructor, Mitch Williams says:
Think of tires as shoes. In the winter time, you will probably want to wear boots because they provide you with the best traction for the conditions thanks to different materials and more surface are. All season tires are more like a sneaker than a boot. They’ll work both in the dry as well as the snow but it’s not the best option and will not perform as well overall. The small price you’ll pay for having a few winter tires around is far better than the large price tag for car damage or potentially even a medical bill!
What do the buttons “traction control” or “stability control” actually do to my car?
Traction control helps manage the vehicle traction during acceleration or when climbing hills. The computers in the car do this by sensing and limiting the amount of power going to the tires that are slipping on the surface; the wheel will stop and restart rotation to help the tire regain traction. Stability control helps maintain directional stability when cornering or braking on inconsistent surfaces. This works similarly to traction control except it will also apply the brakes where the computer thinks it is needed, based on the direction you are attempting to go and the direction your car is actually going.
What skills does DirtFish teach you to better prepare yourself for driving on all different surfaces?
Dirtfish can teach you the proper car control and confidence you need to drive effectively in adverse conditions. By practicing what we teach here, you are able to better prepare yourself for when something will go wrong. It’s not a matter of if; it’s a matter of when. Knowing how to properly use the techniques, will give you peace of mind that when you need to avoid a situation, you will be able to. Most accidents occur when folks over-react to a small slide or evasive maneuver.
What would be a good item checklist for me to check off when the weather starts getting cold?
Senior Instructor, Andrew Caddell says:
(check battery life, supplies in car like jumper cables and ice scraper, flashlight, ensure all lights are working on your car, etc.)
My go-to checklist includes the following: swap to winter tires (if you’re not planning on this step, definitely check and reset your tire pressures, they will drop when the weather gets cold), oil change, check vital engine fluids at this time, add winter formula windshield washer fluid (has more alcohol content so it won’t freeze), make sure the ice scraper is in vehicle, and I always like to have a spare sweatshirt, jacket and gloves just in case. A good pair of boots isn’t a bad idea either.
I have seen so many accidents or cars off the road when there isn’t even that much snow or slush on the roads. How can it happen so fast? What are they doing wrong so I know what to do right?
The anatomy of each collision is different, but there are usually a few things that are present at each one. Most often, the drivers just aren’t paying close enough attention. Either they are distracted, or they haven’t noticed that the road conditions have changed, and haven’t adjusted their driving accordingly. When it’s cold and potentially snowy, drivers need to be much more attentive. You need to watch the road for indications of traction (Is the road frosty? Is the car in front of you leaving tire marks on the road? If it’s snowy, can you drive in the tracks of the car in front of you? Sometimes, it can be advantageous to avoid those tracks, as the compacted snow and ice has less traction than snow that hasn’t been driven on.) Also, sometimes we just need to slow down and keep our eyes ahead. If you’re paying attention to all of those little details, you’re far less likely to end up losing control of your car.
What does antilock brakes mean? What does it do?
Antilock brakes (or ABS) is a computer-controlled system that automatically prevents the tires from locking when the brakes are applied firmly (or when the road is slippery). The purpose is to allow the tires to rotate and give the driver the ability to brake and steer simultaneously. When confronted with an acute situation, most drivers overreact (often by braking too hard), and the ABS helps prevent many collisions caused by this.
If the backend of my car starts skidding on a slippery surface, what direction do I turn the wheel to try and get back in control?
The idea is the keep the front end of the car ahead of the rear. So If you think of “keeping the car in line” that can help. For example, if you are turning left, and the rear of the car “steps out”, momentum will bring the rear out to the right. So the driver needs to “counter-steer” to the right to straighten the car out. Gently applying the gas will also aid in the recovery of the slide as it transfers weight to the rear of the car, providing more grip.
What skills does DirtFish teach you to better prepare you for loose-surface driving on all different surfaces?
DirtFish will give a driver the opportunity to learn car control skills in a safe environment. With our rally-inspired roads, you’ll experience conditions that are quite similar to those of a snow-covered road. The curriculum will take you through a series of exercises and courses that teach you how to slide a car, and how to stop a car from sliding. These techniques and theories translate directly to keeping a car on the road in any road conditions. After driving at DirtFish, you will have extended your skill set, increased your comfort zone, and you’ll be able to drive with confidence this winter.
To find out more about our instructors, click below:
https://dirtfish.com/about-dirtfish/people-of-dirtfish/
Do you want to feel more confident behind the wheel this winter? Click here to book your class at DirtFish now!
