Winter Speeds when the weather is bad?

A, straight road doesn't matter. Just shifting the steering wheel a bit is no different from a gentle curve and can throw you into a slide, or hitting a denser patch of snow from drifting. So can braking or accelerating if you happen to hit a slicker spot.

B, it really depends on you and your comfort level. There is no speed standard that can be used and just because 1 person can do 10 below doesn't mean you can as well, they might be more experienced in the snow or heavier. Snow driving can't be taught, you can only learn it by doing it. You have to be able to recognize the moment something starts sliding and correct it before something bad happens AND be comfortable enough experiencing that so it wont make you nervous and prevent you from concentrating on driving. After all that you have to avoid becoming complacent and driving to fast, which I believe is the main cause behind most major winter pileups.

 

I would submit that driving too slow also can cause problems, at least until it is so bad that everyone is crawling along, and that is usually a visibility issue.

 

Drive in your comfort zone....for me thats abour 20kmh under the posted limit in slick conditions. Many factors to consider.

 

Like I said I don’t believe anyone here can give the OP a straight answer on what speed limit you should be doing in bad weather . You as the driver have to make that decision and hopefully you make the right decision and don’t end up in a wreck or worse yet you kill yourself or someone else .Only thing i will say is you will not see me on the road driving around at only 10-20 km/h per hr when the speed limit is 80-100km / h . I’m also a local driver stuck in a daycab all night long ,it’s not like I can just pull off the road and go to bed for a few hrs and wait out for better road conditions. Saying all that even being in a daycab i’m still not risking my life. i will just pull off the road and call dispatch and let them know what’s going on if the roads are that bad . Hell of a lot cheaper then having to replace wrecked equipment or something you can’t replace your life

 

Dry cold snow doesn't slow me down to much, it offers great traction.
Wet snow is of course slick. If visibility isn't a factor I usually run around 45-50mph. But it's not always that cut and dried. If I'm constantly breaking traction I'll slow down. If I'm never breaking traction I speed up.
Smooth and steady. However if everybody and their grandmother is blowing your doors off maybe you are going to slow. And way to slow is definitely a hazard. If visibility is a problem slow down! Don't drive faster than you can see.

 

I'll admit to being one of the faster people when it comes to snow, but can't say I've personally experienced any issues from people driving too slow, even half the speed I'm going.

Slow down gently to leaving a large following distance before catching up and pass at a reduced speed if the adjacent lane isn't as clear.

If somebody has to brake hard or quickly change lanes due to a slow driver they either aren't paying attention, choosing to not react early enough (like all the idiots who insist on getting feet off your bumper before changing lanes to pass), or where driving too fast to stop in the distance they could see (if visibility is poor). It's really no different from encountering a slower vehicle when the road is dry, you just need to give yourself much more time to react and respond more carefully/gently to avoid a slide.

The only potential issue is when the slow driver is erratic and playing the what lane am I in game, but that's why you slow down before passing so they can be aware of your presence and you can see what they are doing.

 

Tenor

1-At around 60 kph the tires get warm enough and melt the snow to create a film of water under the tires. Go faster around 90kph there is not enough time for this to occur and therefore you have more traction at speed.


2- Don't put the brakes on when going down a small hill or even a large hill if the road is straight up the other side.[refer to rule -1]. Pet peeve of mine.

And for the scientists and physicists in here here is a problem to solve that is kinda related.
We have a hill that is a mile up and then a mile down With a constant grade.
A truck can only average 15 mph going up. Here is the ?
How fast does the truck have to go down the hill to average 30mph for the whole hill.
HINT -The answer is not what you are thinking.