Zelandeth wrote: 09 Dec 2017, 18:47
I don't hate Christmas. What I hate is the fact that it makes it so difficult to do virtually anything between mid November and January...
Exactly!
As an aside, I took my niece to London for the day on Tuesday. We arrived at Marble Arch at 10am, it was pretty empty. Walked down to Debenhams on Oxford street, had breakfast. Pottered down Regent street, Piccadilly Circus, Buck House, Westminster then over the bridge and spent a while on the London eye. Not busy at all!
I saw so many cars getting stuck and sliding about with 4 locked wheels last night at work, and a couple of bumps, yet I never had one wheelspin or locked wheels in the xantia. Ok, I do have new vredestien winters on the front, but you can and will lose grip with them if you drive stupidly. I always say if you cant drive in snow and ice, then dont. Simples!
Skoda Karoq 1.6tdi 2018
Peugeot boxer 2016
In the family
Cupra Leon 1.5tsi tourer 2024 daughter 1
C1 vtr+ 2010 daughter 2
Vw golf 1.9gttdi 150 spare toy.
Have to admit to being slightly sad that the Lada is off the road for the winter...rear wheel drive in these conditions is rather entertaining. Especially as it's got tyres on that are perfectly suited to the conditions as well.
One thing which really surprised me was that on the hill here (which is down to one lane due to a beached BMW) nobody coming down it would stop to let folks coming up keep moving...so they then have to slither all the way back to the bottom, back onto the level ground - which means reversing into a dual carriageway - so they can take a run at it and have any hope of getting up as it's like polished glass.
Bit of common courtesy would go a long way.
Also, you...the idiot in the Insignia...when someone has got out and given you a push to get moving up a hill... don't go and stop to let them get back in until you've got to the top of the hill! He must have got stuck, had their passenger get out, give them a push, drive five feet, stopped again, let them get back in, got stuck...five times until we eventually got fed up and drove around them. I was going to get out and help, though there were five people in the car, and the three people in the back were just videoing the escapades with their phones rather than getting out to help...so figured they have more than enough bodies to solve the problems themselves.
Still haven't seen a plough or gritter anywhere other than on the A5 proper...still coming down too, so unless it has a major thaw overnight it'll be utter mayhem in the morning...
Current fleet:
07 Volvo V70 SE D5, 85 Sinclair C5, 84 Trabant 601S, 73 AC Model 70, 62 Rover 110.
How on earth does the heater in a TCT engined Xantia manage to get hot so quick?!?
Car didn't move yesterday, so definitely a stone cold start, 0C showing on exterior temperature gauge. Heater was blowing warm air by the time the suspension was up and I'd chipped the inch thick pack ice off the rear window.
Properly hot by the time I was out of our estate.
Just doesn't seem to make sense to me that so much heat can possibly be released so quickly... I've been in cars with fuel burning auxillary heaters that don't heat up that fast.
Only thing which came close was the electric 106 we used to have at work...you could toast bread on the heater outlets in that thing in about 60 seconds.
Current fleet:
07 Volvo V70 SE D5, 85 Sinclair C5, 84 Trabant 601S, 73 AC Model 70, 62 Rover 110.
bobins wrote: 11 Dec 2017, 19:54
Isn't feeling strangely warm when things are actually very cold one of the symptoms of hypothermia ?
That is very true... I often feel it on my bike...
Zel, I've always been staggered at how fast heat comes through on the TCT.. The V6 was almost as good in my experience...
The downside you'll find is the TCT is keen to get very hot in the summer and when pushed or static in heavy traffic... It is vital therefore to make sure the cooling fans are always in top working order...
Very true Jim. Have noted how rapidly the gauge heads upwards when stationary even in this weather.
I think the scale is a lot more compressed than on some cars I've had too, so it visibly swings a lot further towards the hot end of the gauge before the fans cut in than I'm used to. I'll get used to trusting it in time though I'm sure.
My main approach to driving at the moment though is "don't" unless I have to. There are too many idiots (mainly driving BMWs, Audis, Range Rovers or Mercedes) flying around like it's a warm summer's day and I don't want any of my cars to be in the way when they find a spot of black ice.
Current fleet:
07 Volvo V70 SE D5, 85 Sinclair C5, 84 Trabant 601S, 73 AC Model 70, 62 Rover 110.
It is...they finally got a plough through here about 1800 yesterday...which just spread the slush out nice and evenly over the road to freeze, rather than having a snowy island in the middle with clear tarmac either side. Went from looking dodgy but perfectly usable to a surface you could barely stand up on in about ten minutes.
They might as well have sent a zamboni around behind the plough...
Current fleet:
07 Volvo V70 SE D5, 85 Sinclair C5, 84 Trabant 601S, 73 AC Model 70, 62 Rover 110.
Good points well made from both of you This week I'm finding out what a superb little car Sally is in all this adverse weather... Made a few comments about her in my blog...
The Saxo really is a fine little motor car It's a deceiving little thing really. It appears nothing special... Until you drive it...
I had 2x 106 1.5 diesels which are to all intents saxos. Great little cars, and I was surprised how comfy I could get in them, and the ax that preceded them being a fat 6 footer with size 11 feet lol
And I am only running Gabby just now. I would be upset if something happened to her, but she is by far the least value car here so would be the least loss.
Skoda Karoq 1.6tdi 2018
Peugeot boxer 2016
In the family
Cupra Leon 1.5tsi tourer 2024 daughter 1
C1 vtr+ 2010 daughter 2
Vw golf 1.9gttdi 150 spare toy.
i.e. Heat, noise...
It's a deceiving little thing really. It appears nothing special... Until you drive it...