Winter is now here, bringing the challenge of getting your car released from the snow.
If your car is snowed into your driveway I have no shortcuts here – just dig, dig, dig.
The purpose of this post is to give tips for what to do when you’re stuck in a parking spot.
You’ve pulled into a parking spot after the roads were cleared, driving was basically OK, but now that you want to pull out you find yourself stuck. What are some techniques you can use to help yourself before calling AAA, your spouse, or a tow truck?
1) Momentum is key. If you can get your car moving back and forth even a little bit, try to increase the back-and-forth range until you break free. Make sure you hold the brake pedal down and the wheels have stopped turning before shifting gears.. As long as your car is moving – even slowly – keep going, don’t brake and stop.
2) The straighter you can steer your car, the less resistance there will be. In a rear-wheel drive car keeping the front wheels straight also allows the rear wheels to push the car in the direction they intend. Obviously, sometimes there is no choice in this matter.
3) If you have traction control you may want to turn it off until your car is unstuck. This will allow the wheels to keep spinning if you are making slow progress instead of cutting the power as soon as they start to slip.
4) Carry snow traction mats in your car. These are placed by your drive-wheels for extra traction on the snow/ice when you’re stuck. They’re reasonably priced, and are pretty effective (as opposed to cardboard scraps, which usually go shooting out from under your tires when you hit the gas).
5) Carry an ice chopper in your car. This will help you remove snow and ice that are blocking your tires. Remember, it’s not just the snow under your drive wheels that’s keeping you stuck, it’s also any snow blocking any of your other tires. If you have small hummocks of snow in front of the front wheels of your rear-wheel-drive car, removing the hummocks may release your car. This is one of the most overlooked points of getting your car out – if you remove whatever is blocking your car’s tires, then even if it’s still on ice your car will be able to drive out with relative ease. Time and again I see people digging their drive wheels clear, and then spinning those wheels in frustration while leaving the other wheels blocked by snow.
6) Keep your tires properly inflated. Make sure your tires aren't excessively worn.
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