What's your problem? Snow and ice was the funniest time to drive - and
not a single accident in any of the long dark Nordic winters.
Update:To
avoid any misunderstanding it should be noted that Peter Klevius did
crash out once - in the summer - and only because the garage had
replaced only three of the shock-absorbers (without telling*), leaving
left front wheel going deep down (while the rest of the car was steady)
in a sharp downhill right sandy corner that Peter Klevius had driven
thousands of times before - and faster - without any problem. And
because the garage owner and his wife were close friends with Peter
Klevius and his wife, Peter Klevius decided to take all the blame (i.e.
fine) and spare his friend from disaster.
*
Only after the crash did he admit that he couldn't replace left-front
shock-absorber because it was so rusty. Peter Klevius didn't ask for any
compensation.
Update: Due to a reader's question - no,
Peter Klevius almost never used
studded winter tires (only for a short time when they came with the
car). Non-studded but soft tires with big patterns were by far to prefer
if you knew how to drive - not to mention that studded tires could be
quite dangerous during e.g. times of thawing, (wet and bare tarmac etc).
Moreover, Peter Klevius also lowered the tyre pressure so to get even
more "sticky" behavior.
Here's Peter Klevius' first Japanese car, a beautiful and high
quality Mazda Luce 1967 bought used with lots of mileage on it, which
later crashed due to garage failure. The man on the car is Tjalle and
has nothing to do with the crash.
Klevius bought a cheap old very much
used 1968 Mazda Luce 1800 when he became a young bachelor
with a kid. Except for lacking 4WD it was the perfect winter car: 50/50
weight distribution; jeep style ground clearance, an extremely modern
(for its time) OHC long stroke (good torque) but smoothly (idling at 600
RPM) running alu top engine (remember Mazda was also the only one
managing to make a functioning rotary engine) that made it possible to
use higher gears on slippery conditions; a steering system that was
forgiving (to the driver as well as to the icy road) yet still very
responsive; an alternator that was the most powerful of any ordinary car
back then easily feeding four 55W halogen lamps which could be used as
eight by keeping the signal switch on without the unique ampere meter
needle on the dashboard (only ordinary car that had one back then?)
going into red; the most powerful electric fuel pump (Mitsubishi) that
made it easily start when Volvos, Saabs, VWs/Audis etc. stalled in -30
Celsius; big double motors for windshield wipers kept the sight free
when passing lorrys and busses on the motoway splashing wet snow; and
finally, superb brakes, i.e. modern big discs in the front and smooth
oversized drums in the rear, which together with the smooth and powerful
(for its time) engine (the car weighed 1050 kg and had 104 longstroke
hp) made it possible to smoothly brake like modern cars by combining the
clutch and the brakes on icy surface. That the fuel tank was on the
safest possible place (behind/below the rear seats) etc. for its time
many unique safety features, was just an extra bonus. But the funniest
thing was that the car was much cheaper to buy than a lousy used Saab or
Volvo because of "Japanese rice cups" racism. Yet the car also looked
much cooler than its competitors.And due
to superior technical quality, the gearbox/clutch was far better than
any BMW (which were lousy winter cars anyway). Moreover, the drive shaft
was extremely sophisticated with high quality multi-joints which made
for vibration free smooth power delivery to the rear. Etc, etc, etc..
When Klevius was a young newly divorced dad, he drove some 100 km every
day to his office job in the city no matter how much snow or ice,
leaving and picking up his child, shopping etc. before landing at our
countryside home and making a delicious dinner for the two of us.
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