dombanks Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 its been suggested and seriously considered by fellow z4 owners that putting 80-120kg of extra weight into the the empty boot of the z4 (in the form of sand/gravel in bags) will improve traction and therefore habdling in the snowy conditions. also being considered is to drop the tyre pressures on the rear wheels down from the 2.4 bar that is recomended. sounds a bit stupid to me. get winter tyres fitted ok but sand in the boot? i guess you could always chuck the sand on the road infront of the car as you drive along in a sort of clarkson-esque DIY gritting fashion..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mooch Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 For those of us who owned a Ford Capri, it was a very popular option in snow! Many a bag of Blue Circle was carried around when the white stuff fell. I'm showing my age, aren't I...... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fangi0 Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 Weight in the boot is an old remedy for the back end sliding around too much. Haven't heard it being used since the 60s and 70s but it used to help. My dad used cement but don't try both, if the boot leaks you will be in big trouble. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cleggy the Spyder Man Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 six boxes of brochures plus various supplier samples and a full tank of fuel keeps the back of my beemer fairly firmly planted in most conditions front wheel drive cars are fairly good in the snow partly because the weight of the engine is over the driven wheels so it makes sense IMO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dombanks Posted January 22, 2013 Author Share Posted January 22, 2013 fair enough, i would have though it was a fine balance tho between adding weight for a bit of traction and then adding too much and making stopping more awkward. wasnt sure about the wieght thing. on one hand it makes a bit of sense adding wieight over the axle (athough the boot is behind the axle) on the other it doesnt as as it will increase the weight of the car so increase momentum etc. what ever a set of proper tyres would probably have more effect the tyres thing i thought was a myth steming from olden days back when everyhting was in black and white and tyres were cross ply. i cant really believe that a 18" tyre with 35 profile would grip better after letting 10-15psi out than it would at the correct pressure. surely it would just screw up the way the tyre contacts the road? anyway i guess i ought to be doing some work instead of conisdering the effects of chucking a 20kg in the boot of a convertible..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Colonial Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 There was an old tale about the Tornado fighters being designed with a certain radar type that ultimately didn't work, so was replaced with a different radar unit in the nose cone that was considerably lighter, which made it nose light and threw the aircraft out of trim from a balance standpoint. The quick and dirty remedy was supposedly to put a bag of concrete in the nose cone to compensate, hence the nickname "Blue Circle Airlines". Apparently, it confused the hell out of the Iraqis in the first Gulf War when one was shot down and there was a bag of the stuff in the wreckage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Edden Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 3.0 GT Capri in bright yellow with tennis racket headrests and a brown vinyl roof - what a car!!! Only way to get around in this kind of weather - two paving slabs in the boot. Also helped the steering in the days before power steering. Ah - the memories Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Algar - Competition Secretary Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 Triumph GT6, brilliant in the snow with a couple of bags of sand, don;t know what all the fuss is about these days, everyone seems to have forgotten how to drive. Or maybe they never learnt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffC Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 Triumph GT6, brilliant in the snow with a couple of bags of sand, don;t know what all the fuss is about these days, everyone seems to have forgotten how to drive. Or maybe they never learnt says he in a big quattro with 4 snow tyres on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Algar - Competition Secretary Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 says he in a big quattro with 4 snow tyres on Didn't say you couldn't cheat , was out today, 6" snow, no problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffC Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 Didn't say you couldn't cheat , was out today, 6" snow, no problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Colonial Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 Look up the classic Bill Cosby $75 car on YouTube. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Hurdsfield - Joint Manchester AO Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 Mk1 GT Cortina, as a Joiner I allways carried 2 big heavy toolboxes in the boot in winter. Back then all the small(ish) Fords were very light at the back Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham0127 Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 3.0 GT Capri in bright yellow with tennis racket headrests and a brown vinyl roof - what a car!!! Only way to get around in this kind of weather - two paving slabs in the boot. Also helped the steering in the days before power steering. Ah - the memories 3.0 GT.Yellow with brown roof and tennis racket headrests.... Did this beast ever exist? Or was at an old pre hatchback model with 3.olitre S Recaro seats...? Loved a Capri back in the 70s/80s.....3 litre S,2 litre S and early 1983 2.8 injection.FUN Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M444TTB Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 My Dad always goes on about putting weight in the boot. Used to work in his Marina in 1970-whatever! To be fair a couple of bags of sand in my BMW's boot may have got the car over the steep crest of their drive, which defeated my winter tyres last year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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