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Driving on Snow or Ice
Most of the time, those places where the tires meet the
road probably have good traction.
However, if there is snow or ice between the tires
and the road, you can have a very slippery situation.
You have a lot less traction, or grip, and need to be
very careful.
What is the worst time for this? Wet ice. Very cold snow
or ice can be slick and hard to drive on. But wet ice
can be even more trouble because it can offer the least
traction of all. You can get wet ice when it is about
freezing, 32°F (0°C), and freezing rain begins to fall.
Try to avoid driving on wet ice until salt and sand crews
can get there.
Whatever the condition — smooth ice, packed, blowing,
or loose snow — drive with caution.
If you have the Traction Control System (TCS), it will
improve your ability to accelerate when driving on a
slippery road. But you can turn the TCS off if you ever
need to. You should turn the TCS off if your vehicle ever
gets stuck in sand, mud, ice, or snow. See If Your Vehicle
is Stuck in Sand, Mud, Ice, or Snow on page 4-23. Even if
you have TCS, slow down and adjust your driving to the
road conditions. Under certain conditions, you might want
to turn the TCS off, such as when driving through deep
snow and loose gravel, to help maintain vehicle motion at
lower speeds. See Traction Control System (TCS) on
page 4-6 and Electronic Stability Control (ESC) on
page 4-9.
4-20