Handling on black ice.

[Cooperhawk]

We were just in Minneapolis for our Grandson's 12th birthday and going and coming I hit patches of black ice under overpasses and on bridges. I was driving the speed limit but suddenly found myself turning sideways. I turned into the slide of course and got straightened out, but I have had four Explorers and never experienced this with any of them. It was quite a surprise. I was in 4A at the time.

Has anyone else had an experience like this? Should I have been in 4H for instance?

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[HighVelocity]

Tires are everything.

 

[Fastmc25]

I never use cruise control when there’s a ice possibility. It’ll catch you by surprise in a hurry

maybe 4A adjusted traction right when you hit the ice

 

[Figmo]

I find 4A response times to be little too slow for my liking. If ice is likely, I'm in 4H.

 

[dgorsett]

I got caught that way in my Explorer the other day running in Slippery mode. Doing maybe 20 mph, just backed out of the throttle and sideways, Advanced trac and I got it back.

My point: I think the nanny systems keep such good control most the time, we become numb or uniformed on conditions and can lose it.

 

[ScottyC]

Black ice does not care what you are driving - it'll spin you around quick as a wink.

 

[Willub]

4A, 4H, 4whatever isn’t going to do anything on black ice. If anything it may cause the front to lose traction quicker since it’s applying power to those tires, rather than letting them roll in a neutral state.

 

[SeptuagenerianSasquatch]

I haven't ecountered anything that serious in my 4DR Badlands/Sas. And my city (Boston) applies salt generously. But when I see ice, even if it's not in the roadway proper, I switch to "Slippery," which automatically engages 4A. (My usual mode is 2A/Eco).
Just finished 53K on the original Goodyears, now have about 5K on KO2s. So far, so good!

 

[Ramble_Offroad]

I grew up in MN. Proper black ice will always win. Good tires, reduced speed and no change in vehicle dynamics are our only tools. I’ve never tried studded tires.

 

[Cooperhawk]

I was not in cruise control and studded tires are illegal here. What I did was back off and turn into the slide and came out OK. If you hit the dry pavement sideways, then you're in trouble.

 

[MNBigfoot]

4A, 4H, 4whatever isn’t going to do anything on black ice. If anything it may cause the front to lose traction quicker since it’s applying power to those tires, rather than letting them roll in a neutral state.

I couldn't disagree more, driving in 4w vs. RWD is night and day on ice. Grew up when everything was RWD, there's a reason people filled they trunks or beds with bags of sand, and with mostly everything being FWD you hardly every see that, these days.

 

[Brian_B]

In my limited experience - nothing really helps when you hit actual sheet ice. Physics takes over and you are just at its mercy until you can get some traction back somewhere. Good winter tires will grab traction faster than not - but that isn’t until you are getting off the ice in the first place.

 

[WarthogJr]

I used to drive a 2wd Ford Ranger for work on rural roads in Idaho for years. Passed several Subarus and 4wd trucks in ditches in winter months. If you keep good tires on your vehicle, are always aware of the road conditions (including ambient temperature), and keep your speed appropriate… you’ll likely stay out of trouble.
AWD, 4WD, 4H, 4L, and 4A primarily help traction when you are accelerating. If your constant speed is too high to maintain traction when you hit black ice, those drive systems are useless.

 

[Brian_B]

I couldn't disagree more, driving in 4w vs. RWD is night and day on ice. Grew up when everything was RWD, there's a reason people filled they trunks or beds with bags of sand, and with mostly everything being FWD you hardly every see that, these days.

I agree - RWD is really tricky since the back
end keeps wanting to kick out — Physics again and the right hand rule for torque. But not impossible - weight and speed a d technique still mean a lot

Tires always seem to trump everything else in winter weather though. Watched plenty of 4WD trucks get pulled out of the ditch by a FWD mini van with studded snow tires

 

[CliffordTheBigRed]

The responses here have helped me in a really big way! Thank you all! Two weeks ago I hit black ice coming down from my mountain home. I was in slippery mode. My 2Dr Wildtrak saved my life. I rolled off the side of the hill. Rolled twice. The first responders said I was lucky to be alive!

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