Are small cars harder to control on ice?

Yes I completely agree. All vehicles will react a little bit differently. It’s helpful to have some sort of understanding of how the vehicle handles.

 

Many people in some of the warmer states have never driven in snow or ice ever and you wish for them to go faster?
Many of them have no understanding what to do when their car gets a bit slide ways. With a rear wheel drive car you may ease off the gas a bit to straighten it out. With a front wheel drive car you may accelerate a bit to do the same. When the car makes an unfamiliar move many of them slam on the brakes. Many that have some knowledge have no experience and the immediate reaction is incorrect.
People that grew up in areas with regular snow fall have driving methods and correction reactions in those conditions ingrained in their mind. The correct reaction is normally automatic from watching their parents. You are expecting people that had three paragraphs about the subject in drivers ed to operate as well as you. If they stay out of your way and traffic is moving don't worry be happy.
Yes many of them are that freaked out.

 

Small car drivers in good climates never have to think about anything but what's on their smartphone. They accelerate and slow instantly. People that never deal with weather haven't even learned how to learn to deal with weather. They become like indoor cats, unable to cope with anything that is less than ideal, like car drivers in Los Angeles. a tiny bit of mist and they lose their minds. They have roads that can handle jumbo jets during a typhoon and they panic like they are on an air hockey table never to have traction again, forever. I know about roads that aren't washed off and POSSIBLE oil film. I'm talking about the car drivers that think the oil film is permanent, everywhere, removes all traction except when they make panic lane changes from 7 lanes over to the exit. Stupid and lazy explains most people's actions. Driving is something they do while they do more important things like keep updated on the Kardashian Klan.

 

Sure, shorter cars are squirrely on slick roads and can come around on you quick. Narrow cars are generally going to be shorter, but other than that I'm not sure how that would affect the driveability of the vehicle. As for weight, sure you get better traction...but that old law of physics that says "an object in motion tends to remain in motion" makes that heavy vehicle a real PITA. I NEVER put sandbags or any other "extra" weight in the bed of my pickups...not even the 2wd ones...for that very reason. When it starts to step out, you've got a lot more momentum carrying the back end around and so you have to do more to create the "equal and opposite force" in order to reel it back in.

I prefer rear wheel drive over front wheel drive, and prefer to keep my best tires up front. 70% of your braking power and 100% of your directional control happens at the front of the car, so why wouldn't you want your best tires there? If I can't get enough traction to move, I won't wreck...same cannot be said if you have plenty of traction to go but lack the ability to stop or steer. With a rear wheel drive car, it doesn't really matter what the rear of the car is doing as long as you keep the front tires pointed where you want to go.

With a front wheel drive car, when you lose traction with the drive tires, you've lost the ability to steer as well.

 

Handling is characterized by tires. Winter tire compound for snow. Studs for ice.

Those people who become so scared of driving are members of the Summer Tire Club.

 

Off the subject a bit but it may help some people have a better understanding. A side from that I thought it was funny.
My brother in law lived in Colorado. His personal vehicle tire program was two new studded snow tires each fall. Rotate the rears to the front and put the new tires on the rear.
He said the studs on the front helped with steering and braking.
Then he moved to the Sunshine State and had a flat tire one morning. He aired it up and took it to a tire store for repair. Manager came in the waiting room and told him "You need a new tire." There is no way! It was flat. I aired it up and drove it here. It just has to have a nail in it or something. No sir mister that tire has to have 100 nails in it. I have never seen anything like it in my life.

 

Now, that IS funny!

A couple of months ago a truck dropped about a billion nails on I-10 going through New Orleans. There were tires completely ruined by multiple nails that must have looked like studded tires.

By the way, the nail-pickup crew didn't do a good job and had to come back the next day due to continuing complaints about nail damage to tires in the area. People were pi$$ed to say the least.

The nail-dropping-driver's insurance company was pi$$ed too.

 

In my Southern state when snow is on the road MOST cars will go at a somewhat appropriate speed until they come upon a super-duper slow car in the right lane. Then NOBODY will pass that slow car in the left lane. So you have the slow car in the right lane and an ever-growing wall cars backed up in the left lane because the car at the front in the left lane WILL NOT PASS and WILL NOT PUT THEIR PHONE DOWN. smh

I'd rather drive across Wyoming in a blizzard with a crosswind and an empty trailer than be near Nashville with a FORECAST of snow flurries in the next 72 hours. "Panic early and avoid the rush."

 

Every car I’ve ever owned didn’t handle ice worth a crap. My Mustang was probably the absolute worst. Much rather be driving a semi than a car in that situation...

 

Oh yeah, sports cars definitely aren’t meant for winter driving lol. I park my Camaro from Nov to March. I just drive my truck during that time.