Road Reality » snow

Video: Ferrari FF Plays in the Snow

John Suit — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:00:27 +0000

Last week, Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, forecasting another 6 weeks of winter for us in the continental US. I don’t normally post about any Ferrari-related, but I’m giving an exception to this video. Click past the jump for a primer on the Ferrari FF and a 2-minute, 46-second video of it being handily driven around a prepared snow track.

The Car:

The Ferrari FF is an interesting mix of sports car, practicality, and of course luxury. A four-wheel drive setup powered by a snarling 12-cylinder engine, with seating for four. Four seats, Four-wheel drive, hence the FF moniker. It’s got a 6-speed transmission, 651 horsepower on tap, and weighs about 4,000 lbs. To say it’s fast is an understatement. An interesting side-note: the FF’s four-wheel drive system is comprised of a 7-speed driver-controlled gearbox to power the rear wheels, and an ingenious 2-speed transmission that gets its power from the front of the engine. This 2-speed setup doesn’t work at insanely fast speeds (since it’s only operable between 1st and 4th gears) but transfers up to 20% of the engine’s torque to the front wheels, to help it grip in the snow, as you’ll see below. Click here for more information on the Ferrari FF.

The Setup:

The driver in the video is Markku Alen, a former World Rally Championship (WRC) driver. The track is the Arjeplog, in northern Sweden. It’s covered in snow, and looks to be like it’s groomed that way for rally car drivers to practice (or even race) on.

The Video:
Note: I recommend you view the following video in 720p quality, in full screen mode.

by John Suit

Source: Ferrari

The 2011 Ford Explorer … in the snow! (w/Video!)

John Suit — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 19:00:58 +0000

It’s winter time in the United States, and for a great number of us, that means snow! While the white stuff is pretty look at, it wreaks havoc with our road system. Further, many drivers simply don’t know how to adjust their driving habits for foul weather, and end up playing bumper cars. Click past the jump to see how well the 2011 Ford Explorer helps its driver stay on course.

The YouTube channel for the 2011 Ford Explorer (and this applies to the 2012 models as well) has a good number of videos highlighting the features and capabilities of Ford’s newly-redesigned SUV. I’m highlighting the snow-bound Explorer video and the aforementioned YouTube channel because of its (mostly) high-quality videos and informative content.

by John Suit

Source: YouTube

PSA: Clean snow off of your car before driving (w/video)

John Suit — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 17:00:42 +0000

For most, cleaning the snow off of their car before driving is automatic. For others, there’s a reminder after the jump. Each year, plenty of accidents are caused by snow and ice flying off of cars and landing on other cars, or scaring other drivers into swerving, sometimes into oncoming traffic. While the video after the jump isn’t a car, it shows an extreme result of snow not being removed from a vehicle. PS: I don’t condone videotaping while driving, but am glad this footage was caught.

by John Suit

Source: YouTube via Autoblog

Video: Hummer H2 saves the day!

John Suit — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 21:00:27 +0000

If you live on the eastern seaboard of the US, you know that a huge snowstorm came through the mid-atlantic area and dumped 2+ feet of snow on us. In a bit of bad luck, a Baltimore City snow plow got stuck in the fluffy white stuff. Lucky for the snow plow, a Hummer H2 was nearby, and was able to get the plow back in service. Click past the jump to see the H2 in action.

by John Suit

Source: WBAL via AutoBlog