Driving in Snow?

[MikeB]

I think we need to add a FAQ section about driving in the snow. Any suggestions on wording?

Clearly, it'll be better than a motorcycle. Also, having most of the vehicle weight in the power pod puts it directly over the drive wheels, which helps a good bit. And ABS and Traction Control will also make things better. My best guess is that it won't be any worse than the average car, but certainly won't keep up with a real 4x4 with snow tires.

We've also got a little bit of anecdotal experience with the Carver in Europe, but we don't really know what that consists of.

[WattGas?]

It certainly should contain the phrase "unique handling characteristics." ;)

Other than that, the most qualified opinion would be from someone who's actually driven a Carver or Phiaro in the snow...

[Miracleman89]

well my theory was basically it would be like driving a snow mobile trough the snow. The front wheel kind of acts like a ski and the back to drive it through the snow but I would consider chains in the back for extra grip!

[AZEqualizer]

Well we can scratch info on the Phiaro driving in snow.... It was a one of a kind concept car that was to show what the group could design and they had no desire to ever get it produced... much like a lot of design experiment concept vehicles.

[Miracleman89]

I know and it is a shame really!

[Camel]

This is just a guess but...

I think it would be very dangerous to drive in the snow. The small front tire would not get much traction and if it slips the steering mechanism may cause it turn the opposite direction (due to the same reasons why counter steering works while riding motorcycles) and highside crash.

[jmeineck]

MM89 I think it's a great idea putting a section under FAQ about V1 ability to handle in the snow.

I'm not as worried about how the V1 handles in the snow because Oregon only gets about 2" of snow twice a year, the rest of the time it is raining:-) What I'm worried about is that Oregonians don't know how to drive in the snow and I don't want my V1 cruched by a big old 4x4 who thinks his vehicle can stop just as good as it goods no matter what the road condition.

[Miracleman89]

If The SUVs begin to get so bad that I have to worry about them so much that I don't drive the car I want to drive because some idiot in a giant off-road vehicle(that has never been off-road) wants to think he can run over everything! Well I guess I will just have to MAD MAX my V1 out! ;)

[jmeineck]

Hmmmmmmm!!! Fully blown, Nitrous Oxide burning V8 intercepter in a V1. Wild thought=D But seriously, when it snows here in Oregon on the NW side of portland. I wait 2 to 3 hours before even trying to get to work so the Police and road crews can clear all of the accidents and stuck vehicles off the roads. It is flipping crazy here in late Dec thru early Feb.:eek:

[Billy]

If The SUVs begin to get so bad that I have to worry about them so much that I don't drive the car I want to drive because some idiot in a giant off-road vehicle(that has never been off-road) wants to think he can run over everything! Well I guess I will just have to MAD MAX my V1 out! ;)
Well, have you ever seen a Semi-Double trailer (Fed Ex) jack-knife? I did yesterday, just imangine a V1 around it. :eek:

[AZEqualizer]

I found this on Seriouswheels (http://seriouswheels.com/cars/top-2006-Carver-One.htm)

How does the Carver One handle adverse driving conditions (rain, snow or otherwise slippery roads, ...)

While the Carver One was not specially designed to handle the most severe winter conditions, it could be used by the more experienced driver on snowy roads provided you use winter tyres or spikes.

On slippery roads, situations of under-steering are solved in much the same way as with a standard front wheel drive car. Situations of slight over-steering (i.e. the backend of the Carver One breaking up to 30 degrees relative to the position of the front wheel) are relatively easy to control, just like they are with a standard rear wheel drive car. In situations of heavy over-steering the driver just should not overreact. Releasing the throttle and the steering wheel (i.e. do not force it) would allow the Carver One to seek its natural balance. Factors determining the tilt angle are the forces applied to the steering wheel and the front wheel. The tilt angle is adjusted automatically to ensure that there are no resulting forces on the front wheel. The mechanism is comparable to the dynamics of a motorcycle where the rider tries to establish this balance. In the Carver One this is taken care of by the hydraulics.

Seems to be Carver's canned answer as it is the same one they sent to Mark when he inquired.

[holwo]

Yeah I am pretty sure even the back wheels won't be fitting in the snow track left by other cars. So in snow you will probably be forging your own trail most of the time. Not likely a canadian winter car.

[abrandin]

Hello,
I'm a new member.
I'm hoping that one day this ULV will make its way to Colorado. I live on the Front Range so the snow isn't bad. But some snow capability is important, especially if this product is intended to go nationwide. There are some really great snow tires on the market now, will they fit on this vehicle? This ULV has ABS, airbags and a cupholder which is more than I can say for my '83 Benz, which works great in the snow. I think that if you had the right tires and drove appropriately for snow this could be okay for city snow driving where they plow and de-ice the roads. By the way fat tires on snow are terrible. The large width of the tire cannot cut through the snow and you end up building a wall of snow infront of the tire which quickly turns to ice and makes staying on the road difficult. I cannot count how many fat tired street racers I have seen slide off our city streets.
Another thing is temperature. A hybrid at this point is a better choice because batteries hate sitting out in -20 F. With the hybrid the gas will still start the darn thing and get it going.
By the way, I have been driving for 28 years and for the first time in my life am considering purchasing a new car. By the time it gets to Colorado it may be 30+ years.
Good luck! I'm looking foreward to an affordable hybrid that performs well to drive around our fair villiage.

[Derwin]

Hello,
I'm a new member.
I'm hoping that one day this ULV will make its way to Colorado.

Welcome to the club, abrandin! wel;co;m;e101))

Allow me to me one of the first to thank you for joining our little group of enthusiasts. If you ever have any questions, or need information about something, please feel free to contact any administrator of the club.

Again, welcome!

Derwin

[Jack Willard]

Ditto abrandin. wel;co;m;e101))

Nobody knows yet how the transmission will operate, i.e. both rear wheels driven synchronously or not, which would sure make a difference when driving in snow. Mud and snow tires would probably cut the mileage down, so that might not be a good choice for the winter season unless you are in snow a lot of the time.

I'm thinking that if the transmission is driven synchronously and one puts cable type chains on all three wheels, the vehicle should perform pretty well in snow. That is, if you actually know how to drive in snow! :confused: Most people don't.

Dry fresh and/or dry packed snow is not bad if you slow down enough. But slush or ice (especially ice!) is more difficult. In fact, ice is downright impossible without good chains! Cable chains are the best I think. Then you can keep the regular good tires on all year long. Just thinking about how the vehicle would handle with regular link chains makes me cringe! That would be awful. =n:

[NortonF1]

I can only speak from my experiance with my Carver One, and YES I have been driving while it was snowing!

The biggest problem is, that in the case of the Carver One there are no winter tires avilable in the only authorised sizes, front: 140/70 R 17 (Only three tires available anyway, Dunlop D208, Bridgestone BT 90 and the orginally fitted Dunlop GTR 100, specially made for Carver and costs 265,- Euro per piece as You can get it only from Your friendly Carver dealer), and rear 195/45 R 15.

As the rear ones are also high speed summer tires You have zero to no traction, and it is really thrilling out there!

Anyhow, with winter tires it should not be too bad, at least much better than on a motorcycle, in the wet the Carver One reaches full 45 degrees of tilt and then starts drifting nicely, so with appropriate tires it should be fun in the winter!

A happy new Year to everybody from cold Germany!