The Wilds Of Winter Driving, Part 2

If you were reading last time, you may recall I spent a surprising amount of money getting my 2017 Kia Sportage ready for a winter driving excursion.

The one thing that was left off the shopping list was tires. Although these Cooper Zeon RS3-G1 tires are M+S (Mud and Snow) rated, there are not meant to be driven year round (we called these "three season tires" here). Nevertheless, I had put my foul weather faith into the All Wheel Drive system and hoped for the best.

Right off the bat I was greeted with the most excellent lighting and road conditions as I started up the first mountain pass!

Although the lighting improved, the highways didn't.

I must say that I am very impressed with how the Cooper tires perform in very wet conditions, having driven around the city with heavy, pooling water on the roads. The All Wheel Drive system had plenty of traction to work with as I attempted to pass this truck and trailer.

It is hard to say for certain how this situation came about. One could speculate on the vehicles tires, how fast they were going, the level of visibility at the time, etc. This time of year on the higher elevation roads, seeing vehicles, as pictured above, is a common sight.

No, this clip isn't from another road on a different day. Same highway, same day,  just the other side of the mountains. I would be spoiled for the next eightish hours of the trip (I spent just under three hours staring at white and wet roads and welcomed this change).

There was one most "investment" I had to make, new windshield wipers. The old ones worked, but only under certain conditions, such as clearing away roadspray or draining the washer fluid reservoir. The "dry cleaning" capabilities of removing mud or bugs (I noticed this during the Summer, but forgot it when I switched vehicles) was nonexistent.  

Better to be safe than sorry and prepared for whatever the next mountain roads would drop on me.

Also being this time of year, day doesn't last long and darkness can come on very quickly. As I neared my final destination, the roads took a turn for the worse as the sun faded fast.

As the old saying goes, "I couldn't even begin to guess how that happened."

There are a lot of contributing factors to winter driving mishaps, such as improper tires (Yes, I am a hypocrite on that), poor vision (like bad windshield wipers, dim or burnt out headlights and of course, weather/day/night conditions), but speed seems to be number one on the list.

There are a lot of people who don't adjust their driving habits to the change in seasons. Late Spring, Summer and early Fall usually have longer days and clearer roads, which is good for driving at (or even above) posted speed limits. The flip-side for late Fall, Winter and early Spring are shorter days with roads potentially suffering from compact snow and slippery sections. For me, I knock off anywhere from 5 - 15 kph (say about the same in mph) from whatever those speed signs say during those conditions, more so in corners that look suspicious.

Funny thing, Winter hasn't even "officially" started yet....